Cablegate: Media Reaction: The Middle East, North Korea, Taiwan

VZCZCXRO5023
RR RUEHCN RUEHGH RUEHVC
DE RUEHBJ #2382 2300912
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 180912Z AUG 09
FM AMEMBASSY BEIJING
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 5692
INFO RUEHOO/CHINA POSTS COLLECTIVE
RHMFIUU/CDR USPACOM HONOLULU HI

UNCLAS BEIJING 002382

DEPARTMENT FOR INR/R/MR, EAP/CM, EAP/PA, EAP/PD, C
HQ PACOM FOR PUBLIC DIPLOMACY ADVISOR (J007)
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TAGS: PREL ECON KMDR OPRC CH

SUBJECT: MEDIA REACTION: THE MIDDLE EAST, NORTH KOREA, TAIWAN

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Editorial Quotes
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1. THE MIDDLE EAST

"The U.S., Russia, and the EU start another round of chess in the
Middle East" (pg 3)

The official Communist Party People's Daily (Renmin Ribao) (08/18):
"Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak's meeting with U.S. leaders will
play a key role in the Middle East Peace Process. The U.S.
mediation role in the process is extremely important. Big players,
including the U.S., Russia, and the EU, are fighting to win over
this region. The U.S. has emphasized that its new Middle East
policy aims at achieving a full peace in the region. The U.S. is
unwilling to cede leadership on Middle East issues to Russia.
Therefore, there are significant challenges to holding an
international meeting in Moscow to discuss these issues.
Comparatively, as a result of many years of active diplomatic
effort, the EU has established a rather good image in the region.
The U.S. needs the EU's support for Obama's 'new Middle East
policy.' It is hard to tell at this time what the prospects are for
the Middle East Peace Process."

2. NORTH KOREA

"U.S.-South Korean military drill no longer focused on 'invasion of
Pyongyang'" (pg 8)

The official Communist Party international news publication Global
Times (Huanqiu Shibao) (08/18): "Though the U.S.-South Korean joint
military drill is being conducted as a computer simulation and no
longer envisions an invasion of Pyongyang, North Korea is still
vigilant about it and has implemented a 'special military alert.'
The drill has aroused a lot of attention since the South Korean
military will for the first time play the leading role. In
conducting this drill, both the U.S. and South Korea have adopted a
low profile. The goal this time is not as aggressive as in previous
drills: U.S. and South Korean troops are only practicing an advance
up to 'South Pyongyang' rather than an 'invasion of Pyongyang.'
Analysts argue that the drill is being conducted in a low-profile
manner to avoid irritating North Korea. But such a large-scale
military drill has still triggered a harsh reaction from North
Korea. Many anti-war organizations have also protested that
military threats at present will not help the prospects for peace on
the peninsula."

3. TAIWAN

"By assisting Taiwan, U.S. military 'uses opportunity to send in
troops'" (pg 6)

Elite Reference (Qingnian Cankao), a newspaper affiliated to the
official Communist Youth League China Youth Daily (08/18): "On top
of Taiwanese authorities' ineffective disaster relief efforts, the
U.S. has used this opportunity to send military airplanes to Taiwan
to help with disaster relief. Since this action is highly
sensitive, the U.S. military has been quite low profile about it.
This is the first time U.S. military aircraft have landed on Taiwan
in the name of 'humanitarian assistance' since Taiwan and the U.S.
'cut off relations' in 1979. 'President' Ma Ying Jeou reacted
slowly when facing this serious disaster. Many Taiwanese people
have compared the current situation with disaster relief efforts
after the '9/21' (September 21, 1999) earthquake to highlight Ma
Ying Jeou's inferior performance. An official at the Taiwanese
'State Security Council' said that the PLA has kept a close eye on
Taiwanese military actions. The Taiwanese military's slow disaster
relief response may reveal weaknesses to the PLA and, consequently,
influence Taiwan's security."

GOLDBERG

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