Cablegate: Outreach Following Newsweek's Retraction of Its

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

UNCLAS MANAMA 000703

SIPDIS

STATE FOR NEA/FO; P; PA; NEA/PPD; SA/PPD; NEA/ARPI

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PREL KISL OIIP KPAO BA
SUBJECT: OUTREACH FOLLOWING NEWSWEEK'S RETRACTION OF ITS
STORY ALLEGING KORAN DESECRATION - BAHRAIN SUBMISSION

1. PAS Manama has widely distributed to all Bahraini
media outlets all official texts and statements on this
issue. On May 17, Bahrain's media provided full coverage
of Newsweek's retraction of its story alleging Koran
desecration at Guantanamo. Daily newspapers carried wire
stories with the Newsweek retraction and Bahrain radio
included updates on its hourly news broadcasts. We
expect Bahrain Satellite Television to carry the Newsweek
retraction during its widely watched 15:00 afternoon
newscast today, May 17.

2. On Friday, May 13, Bahrain Tribune carried Secretary
Rice's statement on the front page. On May 14, Al Wasat
newspaper reported that Shaikh Salah Al Jowder had
commented on the story during his Friday sermon, and had
called for "a peaceful condemnation to the American
administration about this violation." Press coverage of
Friday sermons indicate that the issue was not raised in
other sermons in Bahrain.

3. This issue has not had much traction in Bahrain.
There have been no protests or demonstrations to date and
press coverage has focused almost entirely on official
texts distributed by the Embassy and wire stories. Two
editorials have been written about the issue to date, one
critical of the U.S. and one stating that these actions,
if they did take place, were isolated incidents and did
not reflect the will of the American people. Today's
papers included statements by two political societies
"denouncing the unethical act of defaming the Koran" and
demanding that "the U.S. Administration punish the
perpetrators." One of the societies asked for an apology
from the U.S.; neither statement called for
demonstrations.

4. Akhbar Al Khaleej reported on May 17 that a Sunni
Islamist bloc in Parliament is discussing the possibility
of issuing a statement calling for respecting and
defending the Koran and asking the U.S. Administration to
speed up its investigations and issue an apology to all
Muslims. It is unclear if the statement by the
parliamentary bloc will now be issued given the Newsweek
retraction.

5. Our interlocutors, including several ministers, have
not raised the issue in meetings with the Ambassador or
other members of the country team thus far. The PAO and
APAO spent half the day at the University of Bahrain on
May 15 in meetings with faculty and students and the
issue was not raised. Barring the issuance of a
statement by a bloc in the Parliament, it is post's view
that this story will not gain further momentum in
Bahrain.

Monroe

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