VZCZCXYZ0003
RR RUEHWEB

DE RUEHIN #0666/01 1590930
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 080930Z JUN 09
FM AIT TAIPEI
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 1691
INFO RUEHBJ/AMEMBASSY BEIJING 9227
RUEHHK/AMCONSUL HONG KONG 0656

UNCLAS AIT TAIPEI 000666 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPARTMENT FOR INR/R/MR, EAP/TC, EAP/PA, EAP/PD - NIDA EMMONS 
DEPARTMENT PASS AIT/WASHINGTON 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: OPRC KMDR KPAO TW
SUBJECT: MEDIA REACTION: PRESIDENT OBAMA'S CAIRO 
 
¶1. Summary:  Taiwan's major Chinese-language dailies focused news 
coverage June 6-8 on the speculation over President Ma Ying-jeou 
possibly doubling as KMT chairman after July; on the reshuffle of 
board members in the Formosa Petrochemical Corp; and on several 
issues concerning the livelihood of people in Taiwan. 
 
¶2. In terms of editorials and commentaries, a column in the 
mass-circulation "Apple Daily" said President Obama's speech showed 
his sincerity and courage to resolve the problems between the United 
States and the Muslim world. The speech also helped to improve the 
United States' international image, the article added, but still, it 
failed to provide practical measures as to how the problems will be 
resolved.  A column in the pro-unification "United Daily News" said 
the key to judge whether President Obama's speech is successful or 
not depends on the responses of religious leaders in Tehran and the 
hawks in Israel.  A column in the centrist, KMT-leaning "China 
Times" raised various questions concerning President Obama's speech 
and said the Muslims of the world still hesitate to believe in what 
President Obama said.  The conservative, pro-unification, 
English-language "China Post" said the bone of contention is 
Palestine, and Obama's wish to create a Palestinian state might take 
hundreds of years to be fulfilled.  End summary. 
 
A) "Obama in Cairo" 
 
Columnist Antonio Chiang wrote in his column in the mass-circulation 
"Apple Daily" [circulation: 520,000] (6/8): 
 
"[U.S. President Barack] Obama's speech at Cairo University was 
interrupted by enthusiastic applause several times.  There has never 
been a Western leader in history who has received such high 
expectation in the Arabic world.  This was a very successful public 
diplomacy activity.  However, nobody dares to be optimistic about 
how Obama's eloquence is able to cross the chasm in the real world. 
... 
 
"Obama mentioned his personal experience, his many Muslim relatives, 
his childhood in Indonesia and the peace and dignity that he found 
in Islam.  As president, he has the obligation to try his best to 
remove the bias against Islam.  At the same time, he also asked the 
Islamic world to remove its bias against the United States.  These 
words were sincere from within and thus appeared so externally and 
have found their echo [in the audience] to a great extent.  However, 
when an abstract and perceptual speech runs into practical issues, 
the outcome [of the speech] will change beyond recognition, similar 
to an egg hitting a rock.  Obama showed his lack of confidence when 
he talked about the Israel-Palestine problem. 
 
"He showed his deep sympathy toward Palestine's situation.  He said 
'for more than 60 years the Palestinians have endured the pain of 
dislocation...they endure the daily humiliations that come with 
occupation...the situation for the Palestinian people is 
intolerable.  And America will not turn our backs on the legitimate 
Palestinian aspiration for dignity, opportunity, and a state of 
their own.'  Muslims were happy after hearing these words.  However, 
he emphasized Israel's right to exist.  He said 'America's bond with 
Israel is unbreakable.  It is based upon cultural and historical 
ties, and the recognition that the aspiration for a Jewish homeland 
is rooted in a [tragic] history that cannot be denied.'  Such a 
statement has been spoken by [former U.S. Presidents George W.] Bush 
and [Bill] Clinton and was thus nothing new at all. 
 
"Obama said during this trip, he wanted to speak out the truth that 
most people did not wish to hear.  However, Muslims are distributed 
among more than fifty countries in the world.  While every country's 
situation is different, one can hardly speak of Muslims as a whole. 
The content of Obama's speech is too broad.  He raised many issues 
but did not dare to touch on concrete resolutions.  Obama's coming 
to the Arab world as a black president has already crossed the gap 
of race.  Now, he tries to cross the gap of religion.  The image of 
such a broad mind, courage and sincerity must have been deeply 
imprinted in numerous Muslims' [hearts].  Even if the effect is not 
as expected, it can at least eliminate prejudice and will do a great 
job in improving the United States' international image." 
 
B) "Obama's Unaccomplished Speech" 
 
A column in the pro-unification "United Daily News" [circulation: 
400,000] wrote (6/6): 
 
"U.S. President [Barack] Obama urged the Islamic world to renew the 
relationship with the United States.  Obama reached out the olive 
branch, but the key to whether the speech will be able to make 
history relies on whether the religious leaders in Tehran and those 
hawks in Israel want to accept it or not.  Israeli officials, for 
example, have claimed that they will not stop the construction of 
settlements in the West Bank. ... 
 
"One may well say that the goodwill and empathy delivered in the 
 
speech is rare among United States presidents through the ages. 
Leaders of Islamic countries that have diplomatic ties with the 
United States all feel this clearly.  However, the speech is very 
vague to people in these [Islamic] countries.  Iran will not stop 
its development of nuclear weapons only because Obama's urging.  The 
Taliban will not stop recruiting new blood only because of his 
condemnation. ... 
 
"Obama has delivered an outstanding speech.  However, the importance 
of the speech does not really lie in setting the tone for now but 
rather on whether he [Obama] is able to make the content of the 
speech into policies in the future.  In other words, the speech is 
as yet unaccomplished." 
 
C) "Muslims Listen to Obama's Words and Then Will Watch His Deeds" 
 
The "International Lookout" column in the centrist, KMT-leaning 
"China Times" [circulation: 150,000] wrote (6/6): 
 
"... [President] Obama has been planning for this Middle East trip 
for a long time, with the intent of earning the Islamic world's 
favorable impression toward the United States, making a breakthrough 
on the Iran-Palestinian issue, and hoping that the Arab nations will 
not oppose the United States' policies toward Iraq and Afghanistan. 
...  [Obama's speech] sounded very good, but will his deeds match 
what he said?  Obama said, 'America is not -- and never will be -- 
at war with Islam.'  Here is the question:  Is Iraq part of the 
Islamic world?  Has Saddam Hussein ever been in possession of 
weapons of mass destruction and thus posed a threat to the United 
States?  Then why did the United States want to declare war against 
Iraq? 
 
"Obama also said, 'America will not turn our backs on the legitimate 
Palestinian aspiration for dignity, opportunity, and a state of 
their own.'  But the question is:  Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin 
Netanyahu's Administration showed no interest at all in the 
'two-state' doctrine concerning Palestinian people building their 
own country, and he only said [his country] will 'co-exist 
peacefully' with the Palestinians.  Why didn't Obama refute 
Netanyahu?  Obama also said Iran has the right to access to peaceful 
nuclear power.  Regarding this, Iran's spiritual leader Ayatollah 
Ali Khamenei said: 'hatred against the United States will not change 
simply because of the language.  What is required are deeds.  No 
wonder 'Al Jazeera' television Arabic service said that Obama's 
performance in Cairo 'has nothing new at all.' 
 
"How then should [the United States] renew [its relationship] with 
Muslims?  Since the happening of the 'September 11th terrorist 
attack,' the Evangelicals, who scrupulously observe conventional 
Christianity doctrines, become the biggest religious group and the 
mainstream religion in the United States.  [Former U.S. President 
George W.] Bush liked to use religious language more than any other 
former United States president, and the language he used was 
directly from the Evangelicals.  Evangelicals regard Islamic 
extremism the same as [they do] all of Islam.  Can Obama reverse 
such a trend? 
 
"Obama said America's 'bond with Israel is unbreakable.  It is based 
upon cultural and historical ties, and the recognition that the 
aspiration for a Jewish homeland is rooted in a [tragic] history 
that cannot be denied.'  Can Muslims in the world still believe that 
Obama wants to reconcile with Islam after they hear this kind of 
talk?" 
 
D) "New Beginning for U.S., Muslims Ties" 
 
The conservative, pro-unification, English-language "China Post" 
[circulation: 30,000] editorialized (6/8): 
 
"President Barack Obama sought a 'new beginning' between the United 
States and Muslims around the world in a major speech he delivered 
in Cairo last week. ...  It is an about-face demarche from his 
predecessor George W. Bush's new conservative policy of 
confrontation, that got the United States in the quagmire of 
Afghanistan and Iraq, from which Obama is doing what he can to get 
out.  It is easier said than done to make the United States and the 
Muslim world not mutually exclusive. ... 
 
"The United States cannot forsake Israel, which by far the greater 
majority of the Muslim Arabs wish to oust from Palestine and restore 
to its status ante bellum.  Obama has committed to a two-state 
solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.  He will follow up the 
new beginning with all-out efforts to create a Palestinian state 
side-by-side with Israel.  But he can't because Israel is opposed to 
it.  All that Israel can concede is a peaceful coexistence, not two 
states.  The beginning could be initiated without difficulty.  It 
may take years, decades or even longer to see the Arabs and Israelis 
live in peace in their respective states in Palestine.  There won't 
be a shortcut solution to the conflict rooted in historical forces 
 
for hundreds of years." 
 
YOUNG