VZCZCXRO1588
RR RUEHBC RUEHDE RUEHKUK RUEHROV
DE RUEHRB #0098/01 0341058
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 031058Z FEB 09
FM AMEMBASSY RABAT
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 9610
RUEHEE/ARAB LEAGUE COLLECTIVE
RUEHBS/AMEMBASSY BRUSSELS 3190
RUEHBS/USEU BRUSSELS

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 RABAT 000098 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR NEA/PPD, NEA/MAG, AND NEA/PI 
LONDON, PARIS, DUBAI FOR MEDIA HUBS 
 
E.0.12958: N/A 
TAGS: PREL PHUM KDEM KPAO EAID KMPI MO
SUBJECT: Special Media Reaction: President Obama's initial days spark 
optimism tinged with caution 
 
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Summary 
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¶1.  The Moroccan press has widely and enthusiastically covered the 
major events of President Obama's first few weeks in office, 
highlighting the messages directed to the Muslim world in his 
inaugural address, the initial decisions to close Gitmo and CIA 
secret prisons and restrict interrogation techniques, and the 
appointment of Senator Mitchell.  Editorial commentary has been 
favorable across the spectrum, tempered with a healthy dose of 
caution that the Moroccans will judge President Obama by his deeds, 
and not words.  The press stressed in particular the importance of 
making rapid progress on the Middle East peace process.  Coverage and 
reaction to the Al-Arabiya interview has thus far been fairly 
limited, most likely because of the channel's limited local audience. 
 Some Moroccan commentators continue to use the Obama election as a 
rhetorical tool to promote greater transparency and democracy in 
domestic politics.  The Mission has actively engaged the media to 
promote President Obama's new messages and policies.  End summary. 
 
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Happy to Meet You 
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¶2.  In addition to the themes highlighted above, many local 
newspapers noted favorably that President Obama chose Palestinian 
President Mahmoud Abbas for his first phone call with a world leader, 
and highlighted President Obama's promise of a "new approach" in the 
Muslim world.  Some observed that he insisted on stating his middle 
name ("Hussein") during the oath of office.  The press widely 
reported on the message of congratulations sent by King Mohammed VI 
to President Obama, with several newspapers observing that it was one 
of the first such messages transmitted by a world leader.  The press 
highlighted that the King urged President Obama "to achieve a 
definitive, peaceful and global, just and lasting solution to the 
conflict [in the Middle East], a settlement that will put an end to 
the drama of the Palestinian people, guaranteeing for them the right 
to create an independent, viable state living in peace and harmony, 
side by side with the State of Israel." 
 
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Hope, but Caution 
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¶3.  The blanket factual coverage was bolstered by a substantial 
amount of commentary.  Media commentators expressed enormous relief 
that the Bush tenure was over, joined with genuine hope and optimism 
about Obama's promises of change.  As one independent daily reported, 
"After waiting for a long time, America finally has the President it 
deserves: charismatic, modern, determined, cool, and deeply attached 
to good old American values."  Other headlines included, "Promise 
made; promise kept," and "[We're] not dreaming." 
 
¶4.  In the same breath, many commentators evinced skepticism that 
Obama would be able to fulfill his commitments, urging readers to 
judge him by his deeds, not his words.  As the director of a 
left-of-center daily wrote: "Obama's future administration [...] is 
comprised of men and women who will be more concerned about the 
restoration of American capitalist power than by the establishment of 
a new world order based on justice, equity in trade, and the rights 
of peoples to live in peace, without domination.  This is the reason 
why we are waiting for Barack Obama's actions to judge him on the 
evidence."  A socialist daily wrote: "There was ... one certainty in 
[Obama's] speech: the world will not be as vile as it was under 
George Bush.  One must certainly wait for his acts to judge the [new 
president], but the signals that he sent allowed [us] to detect 
promises of a better world." 
 
¶5.  On the Middle East peace process: Prior to the Mitchell 
nomination, commentators had expressed residual anger over their 
sense that Obama had been insensitive to the suffering of Gazans, 
citing frequently his refusal to comment on the situation prior to 
his inauguration.  As one independent newspaper director wrote: "If 
Barack Obama does not adopt an enlightened position on a conflict 
that has shaken the whole world, he will disappoint millions of 
people throughout the world, and not only in the Arab and Muslim 
countries.  The break [with the past] that has been so publicized 
would be taken as unimportant election rhetoric, and realpolitik 
would once again win." Another wrote on the day after the 
inauguration:  "Barack Obama has kept silent over the course of three 
weeks, while Israel finished its terrorist carnage in Gaza ... 
Obama's hands are not tied behind his back today, as he has argued 
before, and there are some people who still see in him a ray of hope; 
Gaza will be his first test for Arab and Muslim public opinion.  ... 
The Arab world is looking forward today to hearing from Obama what he 
 
RABAT 00000098  002 OF 002 
 
 
has said to his own people:  'Yes we can' find a solution to the 
Palestinian cause and bring to an end the six-decade-long tragedy of 
a stricken people." 
 
¶6.  This tone changed somewhat after the Mitchell nomination. 
Moroccan journalists reacted with cautious optimism to the 
appointment, lauding his qualifications and even-handedness (citing 
his Lebanese roots), while questioning whether the USG was really 
ready to take the difficult steps necessary to promote progress.  One 
prominent Islamist journalist told IO that, while he admired Mitchell 
personally, the latter's hands were tied by his mandate; unless the 
USG was willing to engage Hamas directly in negotiations, there was 
no hope for a solution to the conflict. 
 
¶7.  The Moroccan press has paid President Obama's interview with 
Al-Arabiya far less attention; only a handful of newspapers provided 
wire service coverage, and/or summaries of the main points.  The 
Moroccan blogosphere - one of the most active in the Arab world - has 
also been surprisingly mute about the interview.  The very limited 
local commentary has (again) been cautiously positive.  As one 
newspaper director put it: "Our experience with the American 
administration taught us to fear building our hopes on the sands of 
declarations, it also taught us not to raise our hopes too high, so 
that if the edifice crumbles, the shock will be milder; we fear even 
hope now."  (Note: very few Moroccans watch Al-Arabiya, which may 
explain the relative lack of coverage and commentary.  End note.) 
 
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Whither our Democratic Values? 
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¶8.  Moroccan journalists continue to use reporting on the American 
elections process as a tool to criticize the lack (as they see it) of 
transparency and genuine democratic values in Morocco, a trend post 
observed throughout the American election season.  One leading 
newspaper director, noted for his fiery criticism of the Moroccan 
Government, commented that the American media was giving President 
Obama no honeymoon, as it had already begun to publicly track his 
performance against the commitments he made as a candidate.  He 
contrasted this with the indifference of the Moroccan press and 
citizenry, writing: "Who among you remembers the numerous promises 
made by the majority parties that constitute the government of Abbas 
El Fassi?" 
 
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Full-court Press by Mission 
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¶9.  The Mission has assumed an active posture in publicizing the 
initial activities of the Obama administration related to the Arab 
and Muslim world.  CDA Jackson did a radio interview about the new 
administration shortly after the inauguration, IO Ranz gave 
television, radio and several print interviews on the Mitchell 
appointment, and PolOff Brownstein conducted a radio interview on the 
Mitchell appointment.  Embassy Rabat and Dar America in Casablanca 
each hosted a DVC on the new administration, organized by ARS Paris, 
with French-speaking American professors; the largest French-language 
daily reported in depth on comments made during the Dar America DVC. 
Dar America also focused its weekly Thursday forum on January 22 on 
the inaugural process and the role of the executive; Casablanca PAO 
Chakrawarti was the speaker.  In support of these efforts, the 
Mission  has also widely distributed IIP Arabic- and French-language 
products about the transition, notably the Arabic-language transcript 
of the interview with Al-Arabiya. 
 
JACKSON