AMMAN, Jordan, June 8 (UPI) -- Arab press roundup for June 8:
The Jordan Times Thursday welcomed Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas' decision to postpone his call for a referendum on the "prisoners' document" for a few days as "wise." The English-language daily said the current Palestinian conditions were too fragile to vote on a referendum that could further divide the people and political leaders. It argued it was crucial for Palestinian leaders to show the "highest level of leadership at this fateful junction," adding they have "nothing without each other." It complained the Palestinians were "playing out the role of marionettes in this divide-and-rule tragedy that is unfolding" whether Israel intended it as such or not. The paper, partially owned by the government, stressed that Abbas and the Hamas government must "sing from the same sheet," saying the "prisoners' document" which Abbas is seeking to take to a referendum is an "attempt at unity." It insisted it should not become a cause for disunity.
The Palestinian al-Quds daily said while there have been indications of reconciliation between Fatah and the Hamas government, both sides continue to insist on their positions. It said Abbas and his Fatah movement demand holding a referendum on the "prisoners' document," while Hamas continues to reject the move and refuses to put a time limit on the dialogue. In other words, the mainstream paper said, the dialogue could continue for a year or longer, adding this shows that Hamas "doesn't seem to consider the economic and political crisis that time cannot spare." It added, however, that hastiness in declaring a referendum date could close the doors of the dialogue and called on giving at least another ten days for the dialogue to reach agreement. The Jerusalem-based daily said ten more days "means little in the conditions we are living, but it means a lot to secure a successful dialogue or even if an agreement is reached on holding a referendum." The editorial went on to say that all Palestinians are sharing the same fate and that public opinion is seeking more time for the dialogue despite the little chances for its success. "A bit more time would certainly mean less dangers," it said, warning the results will be destruction if not enough time and effort is put into reaching agreement between the two sides.
The London-based al-Hayat commented the European-Iranian contacts over Iran's nuclear program calls for optimism because the United States made a small concession to negotiate with Tehran. The Saudi-financed daily said it was important now for Iran to see the deal delivered by the European Union envoy Javier Solana as a start for normalizing relations with Europe and the United States. To do that, it added, there must be "American security guarantees in terms of removing the atmosphere of the military or sanctions options." It said Tehran does not want to appear eager to accept the conditions to stop uranium enrichment under threats of sanctions and does not want to enter the negotiations under any threats to avoid appearing as if it is submitting to these threats. The daily, distributed in most Arab capitals, expected Tehran to seek these "security guarantees" as its own condition to accept whatever deal the Europeans and Americans have for it, adding that without them, it would be difficult to reach a final agreement.
Syria's official al-Thawra daily said the debate going on in the United States over the ethics of the war being launched in Iraq in the aftermath of revelations of troops killing unarmed civilians cannot "absorb the wave of anger... or reduce the growing hatred against American policy." The state-run paper added in a commentary the American administration has turned Iraq, like Palestine and Afghanistan, into a "field for trials and death" by resorting to brutality and racism. It opined it was "disgusting" for the American administration to use democracy "as if it was created just for America" and its allies "to try to legitimize its political and military foolishness." It insisted that if Washington wants to save face, it should hurry up and declare a timetable to withdraw from Iraq, and to allow the people of that country, as well as those in Palestine and Afghanistan, to decide their own future without interference. The paper stressed the United States should also rebuild what the "dirty American-Zionist war destroyed" and called for bringing to justice all the American troops who committed war crimes against civilians.
Qatar's ash-Sharq said that America is trying to escalate the war in Somalia by insisting on comparing prominent Somali political and religious leaders to the Taliban, al-Qaida and terrorism. The pro-government daily added in a commentary the Americans seem to want to be reminded of the "Somali lesson the U.S. forces received when they intervened in Somalia in 1993." It wondered where al-Qaida will lead the Bush administration after it took them to Afghanistan and Iraq. It said that since the 9/11 attacks in 2001, the American president has been using al-Qaida as an excuse to justify his policies, "which prove their failure by the day and are bringing more harm to the American people's interests, as well as threatening global peace and security." The Qatari paper said Somali leaders have repeatedly stressed that the instability in their country and fighting are a result of American policy and that these policies are prompting violent reactions towards the pro-U.S. warlords. The repeated rejection of Somali leaders resenting their comparison to the Taliban or terrorism, it said, is a "wise position that refuses to fuel the fire and confirms the fake American claims sought to try to justify a wide scale military intervention in Somalia."
