INDEPENDENT NEWS

Cablegate: Media Reaction On Iraq 3/21

Published: Mon 24 Mar 2003 04:38 PM
This record is a partial extract of the original cable. The full text of the original cable is not available.
UNCLAS TEGUCIGALPA 000731
SIPDIS
STATE FOR WHA/PDA(MBUCKLEY), IIP/G/WHA (DDIPASQUALE),
E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: KPAO PREL PA OIIP HO IZ
SUBJECT: MEDIA REACTION ON IRAQ 3/21
1. For the second day all four dailies had full front page
coverage and special reports of almost six interior pages
with a variety of photos of the war.
2. Liberal Party Tegucigalpa-based daily La Tribuna:
"Inferno in Iraq;" moderate daily El Heraldo: "War, Total
Offensive;" San Pedro liberal daily Tiempo: "Land offensive
started in the south--without resistance" and San Pedro Sula-
based liberal daily La Prensa: "No price increase on fuel
because of War: President Maduro." Beginning last night,
radio and all TV stations and print media have been devoting
an impressive amount of coverage to the conflict, using as
sources CNN in Spanish and other international news
sources."
2. The morning news programs repeated the international
reports several times. Radio and TV stations are running
spots telling their audiences to stay tuned for complete
coverage of the war. Newspaper "El Heraldo" has special
radio spots announcements inviting readers to buy the
newspaper to keep up on developments in the war".
3. "Telenoticias" showed some Desert Storm footage last
night to explain events during the first war and featured
interviews with several Ambassadors to Honduras.
4. Italian Ambassador Stefano Cachaquero: "We have said very
clearly since the beginning that we support the United
States in its efforts. The Italian government is providing
support to the airfields that are open to U.S. military
troops, and Italy will contribute Italian peace forces to
the reconstruction of Iraq.
5. Ambassador of Mexico Walter Astie: - "Obviously we are in
favor of Iraq disarming and the elimination of a threat to
other countries. We are against terrorism but we still
continue to believe that the best solution for this problem
is through negotiations through the United Nations.
6. Ambassador of France Michell Avignon: "To begin military
operations is going to be the unilateral decision of
President Bush who, he remembers perfectly, said that the
United Nations had failed to carry out its responsibilities,
but that he would carry out his. I am sorry to say, but
that is called `prepotency and the U.S. is the first nation
of the world, the first force of the world, so in place of
the force of right, it is the force of might, this is what
we are going to experience."
Palmer
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