VZCZCXRO4390
PP RUEHBC RUEHDE RUEHKUK RUEHROV
DE RUEHMS #0087 0331552
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P R 021552Z FEB 09
FM AMEMBASSY MUSCAT
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 0097
INFO ARAB LEAGUE COLLECTIVE
RUEHFR/AMEMBASSY PARIS 0003
RUEHLO/AMEMBASSY LONDON 0005
RUEHMS/AMEMBASSY MUSCAT

UNCLAS MUSCAT 000087 
 
SIPDIS 
STATE FOR NEA/ARP 
NEA/PPD 
NEA/PI 
INR/R/MR 
NEA/SA/EX/PMO 
LONDON FOR NEA WATCHER 
PARIS FOR NEA WATCHER 
FOREIGN PRESS CENTER FOR NEA WATCHER 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: OIIP KPAO KMDR MU
SUBJECT: OMAN MEDIA REACTION 
 
¶1. SUMMARY:  All Omani dailies carried news agency articles covering 
President Obama's Al Arabiya interview, but only one 
locally-generated comment appeared:  Arabic private daily "Al Watan" 
said the interview reaffirmed the themes of the President's inaugural 
address, commenting that nothing prevents him from restoring the 
respect between American and the Muslim world.  On February 1, "Al 
Watan" commented that divisions among Palestinians spilled into 
conflicts over who should be the rightful representative of the 
Palestinians.  On February 1, government-owned Arabic daily "Oman" 
said that the recent peaceful elections in Iraq were an important 
step towards stability.  END SUMMARY. 
 
----------------------- 
"Restoring the Respect" 
----------------------- 
 
¶2. On January 29, private Arabic daily "Al Watan" (circulation 
42,000) commented on President Obama's interview on Al Arabiya, 
saying he has the ability to restore respect between America and the 
Muslim world.  According to "Obama From an Islamic Perspective": 
 
"President Obama wanted, through appearing on "Al Arabiya", to 
reaffirm the theme of his inauguration speech regarding the Islamic 
world not being an enemy.  There is nothing that prohibits him from 
restoring the respect that America had with Muslim world.  His views, 
compared to those of George W. Bush, open doors of hope by taking a 
different path with the Muslim world.  Obama started his era with an 
intimate look at our world, showing that he is ready to use dialogue 
as a tool rather than violence.  He revealed that he will listen 
rather than dictate, as the U.S. has done before. George Mitchell is 
speaking with key parties, even though no one is expecting a quick 
solution.  The Arab and Islamic world are hoping that Obama's words 
will translate into action." 
 
----------------------------- 
"No Partner for Negotiations" 
----------------------------- 
 
¶3. On February 1, "Al Watan" stated that Palestinians are divided 
over who should be their rightful representative, commenting that 
Palestinians themselves are the representatives of their interests. 
According to: "The Palestinian People Should be the Representatives": 
 
"The [Palestinian] struggle for independence is divided over who 
should be the legitimate representative [of the Palestinians].  The 
Palestinians themselves are divided into groups, and their 
competition leads them astray of the real principals of their cause 
while Palestinian suffering increases day by day.  As a result, 
solidarity with the Palestinian cause from regional and international 
organizations has decreased and led to the belief that there is no 
partner for negotiations.  The Palestinian people themselves are the 
representatives of their opinions and interests." 
 
------------------------------------ 
"An Important Step Toward Stability" 
------------------------------------ 
 
¶4. On February 1, government Arabic daily "Oman" (circulation 38,000) 
praised the participation of Iraqis in the recent provincial 
elections, saying that Iraqis are determined to move forward. 
According to "Iraqi Elections: Another Step Towards Stability": 
 
"The elections that took place in 14 Iraqi districts are, in reality, 
an important step toward security and stability.  Violence has 
increased in an attempt to obstruct elections and provoke fear in 
Iraqis to stop them from participating in the elections.  Iraqis, 
though, did not respond to these threats and challenges, showing 
their determination to put an end to the situation.  The election in 
Iraq is important because of the great numbers of Iraqi participation 
and because it took place in front of a large number of international 
observers, ensuring the objectivity and integrity." 
GRAPPO 
 
To view the entire SMART message, go to URL http://repository.state.sgov.gov/_layouts/OSS SearchResults.aspx?k=messageid:34a80a61-c586- 4392-b8f8-330064030111