AMMAN, Jordan, April 27 (UPI) -- Arab press roundup for April 27:
The United Arab Emirates' al-Khaleej said in its editorial Thursday that Secretary of State Donald Rumsfeld is trying to find new justifications for the invasion of Iraq by claiming the need to contain Iran. The pro-government daily said this justification has no credibility and is rejected because it threatens to destroy countries and kill innocent people. It complained the U.S. administration continues to find new excuses to justify its occupation of Iraq whenever its previous ones prove wrong, instead of apologizing for the invasion on false pretexts and handing over the responsibility of the country to the international community. When Iraqi election results did not meet U.S. expectations, Washington began talking about containing Iran and its influence, it said. "What fault is it of Iraq's to become a field of destruction and death for the U.S. administration to contain its adversaries?" the paper asked. The world, it argued, does not believe the American government's new claim that it can contain a nation from a country that it cannot control.
The London-based al-Quds al-Arabi commented that Rumsfeld flew secretly to Baghdad to pressure his Shiite and Kurdish allies to quickly form a government and stop bickering over distributing the ministries. The independent Palestinian-owned daily said while it was yet unclear whether Rumsfeld will succeed in this task, he was expected to "lecture" Iraqi leaders on giving the interior ministry to a non-sectarian figure "who does not torture and form sectarian militias specialized in killing according to identity." It added it did not know whether any of his hosts in Iraq "will remind him of the American forces' brutal rights violations in Abu Ghraib prison and their killing of 100,000 Iraqis so far in their arbitrary and intentional strikes on cities" in central and western Iraq. The daily expected Prime Minister-designate Jawad Maliki will be the main listener to Rumsfeld because the United States continues to have the final say since it "did not lose $300 billion dollars, 3,000 of its troops and its reputation" for its advice and dictates to be ignored. The paper, with pan-Arab nationalist trends, predicted Rumsfeld's mission will not succeed because if the new Iraqi government is formed as Washington wants it, it will fail just like previous ones which were unable to stop the bloodshed, restore security, stability and basic services to the people. It opined that perhaps the latest video address by al-Qaida leader in Iraq, Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, will be a reminder of the deteriorating conditions in the country, "which was supposed to be a model of stability and democracy in the Arab region."
Jordan's ad-Dustour said the appearance of Zarqawi in a video speech on television proves he is alive and well in Iraq, putting an end to the "naïve theory" that he is a phantom created by the American intelligence services. The mass-circulation daily analyzed his appearance for the first time in this manner and what he said indicated his fear that the United States will succeed in ending the Iraqi government crisis by attracting some of the Iraqi resistance groups for a dialogue to join the political process. The paper, which describes itself as independent but is partially owned by the government, said while it was too soon to say if Zarqawi's tape would strengthen or weaken him, it was nevertheless an attempt to address the need to unite and strengthen the Iraqi resistance. It argued that the armed Iraqi groups may distance themselves from the Jordanian-born Zarqawi since "he is more fanatic than (al-Qaida chief Osama) bin Laden, and because of repeatedly targeting Iraqi civilians with car bombs and seeking to erupt a civil war between Sunnis and Shiites." The gap between the resistance and al-Qaida leader in Iraq could be used to persuade the armed groups to join the political parties, it said, "but this needs a big American step like announcing a time-table for withdrawal and ending the occupation if Iraq is to be put on the road to peace."
Oman's al-Watan said in a commentary that Zarqawi's video tape and Osama bin Laden's audio address a few days earlier complemented each other. It added that while bin Laden's speech was based on the developments in the Arab and Muslim world, Zarqawi's was one of a fighter in a specific area. The pro-government paper wondered if the two speeches were purposely synchronized and if the two men were preparing for a new stage in their fight. It said the irony in both cases is that while bin Laden is believed to be living in Afghanistan, he is not an Afghan, and Zarqawi is not an Iraqi. "Is this based on an al-Qaida idea that field leaders should not be citizens of these countries?" it asked, saying it was not clear whether the fighters around Zarqawi were non-Iraqi Arabs or foreigners. What is clear, it went on to say, is that Zarqawi has adopted a new plan to appear in picture and sound whenever the Iraqis embarked on change, such as forming a new government and trying to prevent the armed resistance groups from disbanding and joining Iraq's security forces.
Lebanon's Daily Star said in its editorial the first anniversary of Syria's withdrawal from Lebanon passed without excitement over the country's sovereignty and optimism was replaced with concern that ties with Syria have been damaged beyond repair. The independent English-language daily said while relations between the neighboring countries have been "dotted with disputes" since 1926, the tension has never been so clear as today. And what is most alarming, it complained, is that "the tensions have filtered down to the level of ordinary citizens." It said much of the popular animosity was the "product of government manipulation," with governments in Beirut and Damascus being "actively engaged in encouraging their citizens to be wary of their neighbors." The paper added it was unfortunate to have "wasted the potential for synergy between two neighboring countries," warning this waste will continue unless both peoples "make their state systems accountable to their citizens."
