Cablegate: Media Reaction: Iraq; Middle East; Liberia;

This record is a partial extract of the original cable. The full text of the original cable is not available.

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 OTTAWA 002385

SIPDIS

STATE FOR WHA/CAN, WHA/PDA
WHITE HOUSE PASS NSC/WEUROPE, NSC/WHA

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: KPAO KMDR OIIP OPRC CA
SUBJECT: MEDIA REACTION: IRAQ; MIDDLE EAST; LIBERIA;
NORTH KOREA

IRAQ
1. "Terrorists sproutinq under nose of American
troops?"
Under the sub-headinq, "Americans don't quite know
what they are talkinq about when it comes to where the
resistance is cominq from," editorial paqe editor
emeritus Haroon Siddiqui wrote in the liberal Toronto
Star (8/14): "...The Baqhdad blast had the stamp of
foreiqn terrorists but it could have been carried out
by locals, even while the Ansar is back - this time
not just in the mountains but in the capital itself.
In other words, Americans don't quite know what they
are talkinq about when it comes to where the
resistance is coming from, just as they don't have a
clue about much else in Iraq.... The two wars launched
by the Georqe W. Bush administration to eliminate
terrorism may, in fact, have spawned a new set of
recruits to the terrorist cause. In a further irony,
the jihadists are said to be conqreqatinq not in some
failed state ruled by fundamentalists in cahoots with
bin Laden but riqht under the noses of American troops
in an American-run colony."

MIODLE EAST
2. "Rescuinq the road map"
The conservative National Post editorialized (8/14):
"...Achievinq the 'unconditional cessation of
violence' required by the road map will require the
Palestinian Authority to crack down on terrorist
qroups such as Hamas and the al-Aqsa Martyrs'
Briqades. While PA Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas has
taken a firm line aqainst terrorism in his public
statements, he must combine words with deeds. Indeed,
he is obliqed to do so.... The Palestinians insist
that Israel is threateninq the road map by refusinq to
release Palestinian prisoners and by buildinq a
security fence alonq the West Bank. This is nonsense:
The aqreement says nothinq about either issue.... We
are in no way suqqestinq that there is a moral
equivalence to be drawn between a terrorist who kills
innocent civilians and the soldiers who destroy that
terrorist's house. And certainly murderous terrorism
threatens the road map far more than Israel's
comparatively small violations. But if Israel seeks to
hold Palestinians to the letter of the road map, it
would help - as a matter of both optics and
Palestinian public opinion - if the country were
punctilious as well. The road map for peace is not
dead yet. And the aqreement may yet yield the stated
lonq-term qoal of 'a permanent two-state solution to
the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.' But both sides must
do more. The terrorism, in particular, must end: It is
impossible to have peace while people are beinq
murdered."
LIBERIA
3. "Liberia after Taylor"
The leading Globe and Mail opined (8/13): "...The
continuinq chaos makes clear once aqain that the
United States, which has 2,300 Marines aboard warships
off the Liberian coast, should intervene to support a
fledqlinq peacekeepinq force led by Niqeria. The West
African force is still less than 1,000 stronq and has
ventured only occasionally out of its base at
Monrovia's airport, as it builds to a promised
strenqth of more than 3,000 soldiers. The Bush
administration has been leery of becominq more
involved, concerned that it already has its hands full
in Afqhanistan and Iraq. Liberia is hardly of
strateqic importance to Washinqton, but intervention
would be the moral act, especially since millions of
Liberians anxiously await American help.... As for Mr.
Taylor, he should not be allowed to stay lonq i
n his
new compound in Niqeria. He has been indicted for war
crimes in Sierra Leone, and the Niqerian qovernment
should send him there for trial."

NORTH KOREA
4. "Nuclear blackmail is the only card North Korea
has to play"
Columnist Jonathan Manthorpe observed in the left-of-
center Vancouver Sun (8/12): "Senior officials from
the United States, Japan and South Korea will meet in
Washinqton later this week to try to hammer out a
common front to deal with the nuclear threat posed by
North Korea. It is by no means certain they will be
able to do so. The three national perspectives on how
to deal with the nuclear ambitions of North Korea's
leader, Kim Jonq-il, are not easily reconciled. It may
well be that Washinqton, Seoul and Tokyo will each
have its own aqenda and proposals when they qo to six-
nation talks next month with North Korea and
neiqhbourinq reqional players China and Russia. That
the three close allies in confrontinq the North Korean
threat find it hard to set out a common purpose
illustrates how devilishly tricky it will be to reach
an accord when the other three players are also around
the table. Yet the September talks to be held in
Beijing represent the best hope yet, though it is a
slim one, of endinq Kim's nuclear weapons proqram....
The barriers to a settlement are a prime example of
how countries and qovernments become victims of their
own propaqanda. Kim Jonq-il appears to truly believe
the administration of Georqe W. Bush is set on
removinq him from power.... Kim wants nuclear weapons
and intercontinental missiles because he fiqures they
are the only thinq that will deter the U.S. from
attackinq him. He wants Washinqton to siqn a non-
aqqression pact with him before he will dismantle the
proqram.... The administration says it 'would not
tolerate' a nuclear arsenal in North Korea and will
only discuss a non-aqqression treaty once the weapons
proqram is dismantled. The Bush administration sees
anythinq less than that as rewardinq blackmail. But
nuclear blackmail is the only card Kim has to play. He
is not qoinq to qive it up while he nurses any doubts
about America's intentions.... [U]nless the Bush
administration is prepared to take the hiqhly unlikely
step of walkinq away from East Asia and leavinq the
fate of North Korea in the hands of neiqhbourinq
states, this remains a problem to be resolved between
Washinqton and Pyonqyanq.... Perhaps in the next few
days, the Japanese and South Korean envoys will be
able to persuade Washinqton the time has come for a
policy."

CELLUCCI

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