AMMAN, Jordan, June 21 (UPI) -- Arab press roundup for June 21:
Iraq's al-Sabah commented Wednesday that the formation of a national unity government, agreeing on reconciliation, the killing of Abu Musab al-Zarqawi and an ongoing "security plan" were an opportunity to form an internal Iraqi accord to rebuild the state after Saddam Hussein.
The daily, which describes itself as independent but is close to the government, said the success of these steps will contribute to forming a new Iraqi partnership and a strong government to form a modern state. It added that these developments can gradually bring an end to the bloodshed, but warned their failure will raise serious questions over the unity of the country.
"Failure will push toward deeper sectarian rifts and widen the circle of violence and bloodshed," the paper warned, arguing that Iraq's geographic and demographic divisions were not likely at this time because everyone wanted to avoid a civil war. It will be possible in the future, however, it said.
The paper, which says it has the largest circulation in the country, said "we must think seriously that this option (of division) might impose itself. We must not cheat ourselves, as we did when we said there are no sectarian rifts among the Iraqis."
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Qatar's al-Rayah said in a commentary that the military operations in Ramadi, Iraq, constituted a war against all Iraqi people, as they are a collective punishment for the people of the area.
The pro-government daily added that Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki was no different than his predecessors as he stated that the U.S. forces may resort to genocide if needed. It argued the "war of genocide expected to be carried out by the occupation authorities against the people of Ramadi requires Maliki and other officials of the Green Zone to strongly protest."
The paper insisted that the prime minister's endorsement of the military operations on Ramadi will only increase the national discord and contradict his plan to achieve national reconciliation. All Maliki's security campaigns have been targeting specific sect (Sunnis) regions, it said, expressing concern that he is not reluctant to resort to genocide, which only fuels sectarian hatred.
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A commentary in Jordan's al-Rai asked whether the Palestinian question has become nothing more than a humanitarian issue as the Europeans plan to send humanitarian aid to the Palestinians without going through their government.
The mass-circulation daily argued that when bodies turn to body parts littering a Gaza beach, killing an entire family with one little girl surviving, it requires more than just a humanitarian position.
"Imagine if the victims were other than those seen by the world, would (President George W.) Bush, the sponsor of world peace, have remained silent? Would Europe, with its international and media influence, have been silent?" it asked.
The paper, partially owned by the government, asked if the Palestinian cause has turned into one of starvation as in Somalia and Africa. It complained the world has forgotten the Palestinian cause was one of occupation, colonization and a nation, saying it was "so sad that the world is dealing with the cause as a humanitarian one, or a question of opening or closing a passage here and there" for food.
The Western world forgot, it said, that the Israeli onslaught on the Palestinians and the occupation have led to the suffering of the Palestinian people and their impoverished and desperate conditions.
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The London-based al-Quds al-Arabi blasted Arab governments for remaining silent over U.S. claims that three prisoners held at Guantanamo -- two Yemenis and one Saudi -- had committed suicide.
The independent Palestinian-owned daily said the Saudi and Yemeni governments should have sought the help of independent international forensic experts to conduct autopsies on the bodies of the prisoners to find out how they died.
It insisted the prisoners, being Muslim fundamentalists, would never resort to suicide, but to martyrdom, because Islam forbids it, adding the Yemeni and Saudi governments don't seem interested in finding out the causes of their deaths, which the paper speculated had been tortured to death at the hands of American interrogators.
The daily, distributed in many Arab capitals, said these Arab governments will not seek an independent inquiry into the prisoners' deaths because they don't see any value in Arab human life and because they are afraid of upsetting the U.S. administration if an inquiry finds they did not commit suicide.
"This disgraceful and humiliating Arab position comes as the world, especially the West, is making noise over violations of human rights carried out by the leader of the free world in an illegal prison: Guantanamo," it said. The paper called the United States criminal for opening and maintaining the prison in Cuba, "but the crimes of the Arab leaders are much bigger because they are silent and don't move a finger to protect their citizens."
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Egypt's al-Gomhuriya said in its editorial that the Somali issue has been reopened as its parliament agreed to invite foreign peacekeeping forces to the east African country despite the Islamic courts' opposition to the decision.
The semi-official daily added the "eruption of the Somali situation came as the Arab world is preoccupied up to its ears with trying to extinguish the fires extending from Palestine to Iraq and from Lebanon and Syria to Sudan."
It said developments in these Arab countries did not come as a result of internal changes, but were created by "foreign hands" in the name of the war on terror to redraw the region's map. It accused local allies of colluding with these "foreigners" to control their fates, subdue their populations and exploit the countries' resources for the interests of giant corporations.
"The Somali file will not be the last if the region's countries and their people don't wake up and reject foreign intervention as an aggression against them which needs to be firmly confronted," it said.
