AMMAN, Jordan, Dec. 26 (UPI) -- Arab press roundup for Dec. 26:
Jordan's al-Ghad said Tuesday as the year 2006 "takes its last breath," the Arabs have no reason to be optimistic about what the New Year brings. The independent daily added in a commentary the Arabs achieved nothing in the past year in terms of their regional issues, and they are not moving forward in building democratic societies based on justice and equality. "Some Arab populations might find justifications to celebrate internal achievements here and there," it opined, "but the overall picture of the Arab world has only become darker: Failure in resolving regional issues; deadlock in democratic efforts; the Arab institutional foundations remain fragile; and the Arab cooperation mechanisms remain titles without action." The mass-circulation said the Arabs might want to celebrate the end of 2006 only as a relief that a terrible year has finally come to a close. "Nothing else, except an instinct for optimism, justifies hope that 2007 will be better," it concluded.
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The London-based ash-Sharq al-Awsat said Iran's "new escalation" against the international community and President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's comments that U.N. Security Council resolutions are just ink on paper and that his country will triumph over America and Israel shows Iran is in trouble. "This is a mixture of ignorance of the international community's conditions, of Iran's internal situation, and the wrong belief in a delusional Iranian strength based purely on an ideological, religious reading that has nothing to do with international relations and the balance of power," it added. The Saudi-owned daily suggested that Iran is doing now what Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi and former Iraqi President Saddam Hussein did in the past, saying the Iranians should also learn from North Korea's experience as it starved its people to build its nuclear program. It said it did not know whether Tehran will listen to advice or if it realizes it is committing a grave mistake by escalating a confrontation with the U.N. It warned that "every disaster which will hit Iran -- God forbid -- the neighbors will pay the price, and every good that happens to Iran will also reflect on the neighbors. Our only fear is that Iran thinks it can score goals in extra time, an adventure for which all of us might pay a high price."
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Kuwait's al-Rai al-Aam said Iran's influence is growing in the Arab region, while the powerful nations "from where we seek protection only seek their own interests through ways to dominate our resources." The pro-government daily added that in the meantime, the Arab regimes remain weak and only think of ways to repress their populations, stifling "every free voice that calls for freedom, strength and self-determination." It complained the Arabs remained silent for decades over Saddam's repression and adventures, and the result was so painful that Kuwait had to resort to other nations to be saved (from the 1990 Iraqi invasion of the emirate). However, "we are not saying that Iran is like Saddam Hussein, but the logic of force or defiance it is assuming today is bound to pull the region to an imminent clash with countries that are ready to destroy the entire region for dominance and to protect its baby, Israel, and regimes they like to protect," it insisted. The daily stressed it was not calling for a war with Iran, but is warning the Arab masses that "this ignorant friend which wrongly reads the messages with defiance needs serious advice; and if this advice is not heeded, we are required to protect ourselves from the evils that will be unleashed against us due to its adventures."
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The United Arab Emirates' al-Khaleej said in its editorial that every now and then, occupation authorities in Iraq and Palestine declare cosmetic moves to try to beautify the ugly face of occupation. These measures, it added, are like injections of drugs that don't contribute to even easing the pain befallen on the Palestinians and Iraqis due to the occupation, saying that many security plans were implemented in Iraq, but the country continues to drown in blood and tears. The pro-government daily stressed that since the source of the Iraqi suffering is the American occupation, the only solution will not be available so long as there is no serious timetable for a withdrawal. In Palestine, it continued, the Israeli occupation continues to maneuver while "exercising daily terrorism and lies when they claim taking easing measures...For the enemy robs the moneys of the Palestinians and then decides to release some of it so that some people forget the crime of the robbery and become happy that a little achievement has been made." It complained the Israelis erect hundreds of check-points in Palestinian lands, and then they declare they will remove some; they arrest thousands "and when they say they will release dozens of them, some become happy and forget the original crime." There are so many Israeli crimes, it opined, and the problem is that there are those who are betting it will change its "ugly face and uglier measures."
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Syria's Tishreen strongly lashed out at the Lebanese anti-Syrian March 14 Coalition, without naming them, describing them as hateful and bankrupt. The state-run daily said in its editorial these Lebanese politicians, "who peddle the American-Zionist schemes," deliberately foiled the Arab League initiative to resolve their country's political crisis because they prefer chaos "since they, like algae, can only live in muddy waters, not peaceful ones." It accused the anti-Syrian camp of having lost their incomes as agents, so they again started to incite against Damascus. It insisted it is their affair if they continue to seek strength from "foreign support," saying this will not hurt Syria, "but will hurt those people who will bear responsibility" for what will happen to the Lebanese. The paper added that Syria is innocent of all the accusations hurled at it by the "corrupt," vowing to remain defiant against the "enemies and mercenaries, with a hand extended only to the patriotic in Lebanon and across our larger nation."
