AMMAN, Jordan, March 27 (UPI) -- Arab press roundup for March 27:
Lebanon's as-Safir commented Tuesday the Lebanese political crisis has taken a back seat in the priorities of the Arab summit meeting due to be held in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Wednesday and Thursday. The independent daily, with Arab nationalist trends, said in a commentary it appears the Lebanese crisis has taken the same position as the Darfur issue for the Arabs, and most Lebanese don't seem to realize this reality. "This Arab negligence of the Lebanese crisis is more likely a well-calculated choice," it remarked, adding the Arabs have left the crisis to be resolved among Lebanon's politicians. The mass-circulation paper said the Arab position is leaning towards letting the Lebanese wait because "it contributes, day after day, to the corrosion of the Lebanese people's illusions that their country constitutes a self-axis, or at least represents a major member of a regional axis that conflicts with the vast Arab majority." It warned if the Arab summit is not read from this angle, "the disappointment of the Lebanese will exceed the disappointment of Darfur or Mogadishu's residents, who are not waiting for its (Arab summit) final communiqué to continue their bloody struggles."
The London-based ash-Sharq al-Awsat said if the Arabs succeed in pushing their 2002 peace initiative to be their main objective at the Riyadh summit, it is enough to make the meeting a success and will change their history. The Saudi-owned daily noted in a commentary the world, even Israel, has finally woken up to this initiative and found an exit to all crises. The world has taken an interest in this initiative because they realized it is the only way out of a tunnel, it opined, adding the proposal's strength stems from the fact that it meets all Arab demands and is based on international resolutions. The initiative's strength also stems from the fact that all 22 members of the Arab League had endorsed the document, it said. "The initiative put the responsibility, for the first time in Arab history, clearly and collectively not on the Palestinian leadership alone, as in previous initiatives, but it became an Arab project," it said in a commentary. Although the Arab initiative has been ignored by the world for the past five years, it is now set to succeed because it deals with the whole Middle East conflict, the paper added.
The United Arab Emirates' al-Bayan said in a commentary it isn't clear whether Condoleezza Rice is the U.S. secretary of state or an Israeli envoy to the Arab and Muslim worlds. Every mission she has taken to the region, it complained, has been motivated by guaranteeing Israel's security and strength at the expense of the Arabs. The pro-government daily outlined the Bush administration's "hostile" policy in the region, including its fight against Iran's nuclear program, its continued occupation of Iraq and "setting up a political and intelligence infrastructure in Lebanon against Hezbollah to eliminate the greatest Arab fighting organization that threatens Israel." Syria is also under American pressure, while the U.S. supports repressive ruling regimes across the Arab and Muslim worlds, it opined. "In summary," it concluded, "there can be no natural reconciliation between the United States and the peoples of the Arab and Muslim worlds so long as Washington speaks and moves in Israel's name."
Egypt's al-Ahram said in its editorial the country starts a new phase towards meeting the aspirations of the Egyptian people in deepening democratic practice and political and economic reforms after the people voted Monday in a referendum for constitutional amendments. The semi-official daily claimed that greater power-sharing is the main objective of the constitutional amendments, adding it hoped the role of the people will now emerge in decision-making through the National Assembly's legislation in accordance with the constitution. "This new phase that starts today in Egypt's nationalist process should be aimed at preparing the atmosphere for popular participation in political action through activating all the civil society institutions and organizations," the mass-circulation paper stressed. The constitutional amendments, it opined, are not an end, but an important step that will be followed by more important ones until the people achieve their national aspirations.
The London-based al-Quds al-Arabi, however, said Egypt is "boiling on all sides" as the people refrained from going to the polling booths to vote for constitutional amendments proposed by President Hosni Mubarak. The independent Palestinian-owned daily remarked that Mubarak's amendments are aimed at further repressing political rights and freedoms by banning non-religious parties and removing the judiciary from supervising elections. These amendments, it opined, consolidate dictatorship, stressing the opposition was right to ask the people to boycott the referendum and hold protests against the government. The paper, with Arab nationalist trends, described the amendments as an "official death certificate of the Egyptian constitution" and said that Mubarak is "stumbling in his decisions." It insisted the president's only concern has become to pave the way for his son, Gamal, to take over power after him by eliminating the opposition, weakening its efforts in the National Assembly and putting its leaders behind bars. "Egypt is quickly slipping towards chaos, and it would not be surprising if the boycott of the referendum is only the start of a protest movement that could lead to a popular revolution," it speculated.
