VZCZCXRO6999
PP RUEHROV
DE RUEHAM #0270/01 0281342
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 281342Z JAN 09
FM AMEMBASSY AMMAN
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 4327
INFO RUEHXK/ARAB ISRAELI COLLECTIVE

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 AMMAN 000270 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR NEA/ELA, NEA/PPD, IIP/GNEA 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: OPRC KPAO KMDR JO
SUBJECT: JORDAN MEDIA REACTION TO POTUS ARABIYA INTERVIEW 
 
¶1. SUMMARY:  The President's interview with Al-Arabiya was broadcast 
and rebroadcast in Jordan hourly on January 27.  Online news outlets 
reported highlights the same day, while major print outlets gave it 
front-page attention in January 28 editions.  Op-ed commentary was 
limited, but cautiously positive.  END SUMMARY. 
 
¶2. The President's interview on January 26 with Hisham Melhem of the 
pan-Arab satellite television channel Al-Arabiya was broadcast and 
rebroadcast to viewers in Jordan hourly and in full the following 
day, January 27.  Online news outlets posted highlights of the 
interview beginning that same day.  Major print outlets gave the 
interview front-page notice in their January 28 editions.  Some 
newspapers combined excerpts of the interview with Secretary 
Clinton's remarks of January 27 and news of Senator Mitchell's visit 
to the region. 
 
¶3. All but one major broadsheet ran front-page reports on the 
Arabiya interview.  Reports relied heavily on international wire 
service accounts and the channel's own report.  Reports focused on 
the President's remarks in connection with peace-making efforts 
between Israel and the Palestinians.  Al-Ghad published its 
front-page report under the headline "Obama: I Will Not Wait Until 
the End of My Term in Office to Consider Peace."  In its front-page 
story, Al-Rai quoted the President as saying "America has made 
mistakes, but is not the enemy of Muslims."  Al-Arab Al-Yawm's 
report appeared under the headline "Mitchell Starts with Meeting 
Mubarak; Obama Encourages Speeding Up Efforts to Restore Peace 
Process."  The Jordan Times' account included views of analysts in 
the region who described the decision to interview first with an 
Arabic news network as "stunning." 
 
¶4. All reports highlighted the President's determination to engage 
in peace efforts immediately, and on his several of his specific 
remarks, including "Americans are not your enemy," "We sometimes 
make mistakes," and "It is important for us to be willing to talk to 
Iran." 
 
¶5. Jordan's leading online news outlet Ammoun News carried the text 
of Arabiya's web report on the interview.  Local readers' comments, 
twelve in total, ranged from absolute pessimism to unqualified 
optimism, with many positively inclined.  One commentator described 
the President's words as "sweet talk" and urged Arabs to "wait and 
see," another strongly criticized him and called on Arabs "to defend 
their lands and their people."  Four comments were distinctly 
positive.  One described the President as a man "with a clean 
mentality, humanitarian and humble, who will give America its 
respect back."  Another saw "a great opportunity... to break the 
monopoly on relations" between Israel, America and Europe."  A third 
commentator said, "If Obama's intentions are good, then yes and yes" 
for new relations.  The fourth called on Arabs to offer support 
because "it has been a long time since we heard such talk from an 
American president."  Other locally-based online news outlets 
carried highlights of the interview, including Aaram, Jorday, 
Sawsana, and Mustaqba. 
 
¶6. Editorial Commentary 
 
-- "A Good Promise From Obama And A Bad Promise From Israel!" 
 
Columnist Jamil Nimri in the January 28 edition of the independent 
Arabic daily Al-Ghad comments, "Al-Arabiya TV achieved an 
exceptional journalistic precedent with its interview of President 
Barack Obama.  It is no coincidence that Obama chose an Arabic 
channel to conduct his first television interview with a foreign 
station.  He certainly has hundreds of requests for interviews from 
foreign television channels, but he gave priority to address the 
Arab and Muslim world, which was also given a message of friendship 
during the inaugural speech.  Obama's words stirred reactions of 
assurance in the region.  Although there was nothing new and 
specific in the interview, the significance was in the completely 
different language and spirit.  The military language has completely 
disappeared, and so did the hostile expressions; he barely used the 
word terrorism in his remarks except in answers to questions about 
that issue....  The man's cultural and intellectual roots are 
apparent in his radically different rhetoric from Bush's....  The 
language of force, conceit and threat has totally disappeared.  We 
can see that this man, who came along after having struggled for 
civil rights, equality, and justice, has an utterly different idea 
from his predecessor about the 'other.'  After all, he himself was 
the 'other' who fought for rights and equality.  When he spoke about 
the Palestinians and the Israelis, he used a balanced language 
towards both of them, of course reiterating America's absolute 
commitment to Israel's security, but he did not give any 
descriptions for organizations in the region, like Hamas or 
Hizbollah, as the previous administration used to do in every 
occasion, calling them terrorists and threatening them.  With every 
new American president, we have become accustomed to having to wait 
months until the administration studies the Palestinian issue and 
becomes seriously engaged in it.  Although the economic issue was to 
be, by consensus agreement, the priority for the Obama 
administration, we saw him dispatch George Mitchell to the region on 
 
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the very second day of entering the White House....  Therefore, we 
can expect that the old failing path, including the Annapolis path, 
will be overcome towards building a different and hard to predict 
vision, but probably more serious and honest....  We can expect a 
new wind to blow over the region.  Yes, there is something that 
replenishes hopes, although a bad promise is pushing in the opposite 
direction from Israel.  Opinion polls yesterday showed that the 
extremist right-wing and Netanyahu are likely to win the upcoming 
elections!" 
 
BEECROFT