AMMAN, Jordan, April 3 (UPI) -- So-called moderate Arab newspapers Tuesday warned the Israeli government of Prime Minister Ehud Olmert against rejecting or evading the Arab peace initiative that was reactivated at the summit in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, last week. London-based ash-Sharq al-Awsat said in a commentary there seems to be a competition in scoring points between Saudi Arabia, which proposed the Arab initiative, and Israel. The Saudi-owned daily said Riyadh's sponsorship of a Palestinian reconciliation deal, reactivating the Arab initiative and Saudi attempts to realign the moderate countries in the region have all put Olmert's government in a corner on an international level. Israel, it argued, lost points it had enjoyed since it could not longer claim there are no moderate Arabs or peace partners. "But instead of Israel declaring its acceptance of the Arab initiative as an opportunity for peace, it preferred to resort to a media game with this historic opportunity," it opined. The paper, distributed in most Arab capitals, said this is the best time for peace as every Arab party is ready for it, including Syria. "But unfortunately, there is no international peace sponsor, meaning the United States ... which has become hostage to one square, Iraq," it said. Today provides a historic opportunity to resolve the biggest problem in the region, it added, saying that peace requires an international sponsor and doubted that President George W. Bush is capable of playing that role.
Egypt's al-Ahram said in its editorial that Israel will no longer benefit from trying to evade the clear and specific Arab position for a just and comprehensive peace settlement in the Middle East. The semi-official daily said Olmert's call for an Israeli-Arab summit to discuss the Arab initiative is an "attempt to buy time in order to contain the positive repercussions to the initiative and then obstruct the possibility of trying to achieve it by changing its course." These Israeli attempts, it argued, stem from several indications, starting with the fact that the Arabs refused to amend the initiative while Olmert insists it needs changes. The mass circulation argued that Olmert's call for a summit with only the moderate Arab states is completely rejected because the Arab leaders "know the implications of the Israeli description of moderates and hardliners. This is nothing more than an obvious Israeli attempt to divide the Arab consensus supporting the Arab peace initiative." However, it stressed, Israel has no room to maneuver with the Arab peace plan.
Jordan's mainstream al-Rai said in a commentary Olmert cannot deal with the Palestinian issue, and that's why he jumps from talk about negotiating with Syria to inviting Arab leaders, especially Saudi King Abdullah, for dialogue. The daily, partially owned by the government, added that Olmert knows he doesn't fit the shoes of late Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin and doesn't carry the weight of former leader Ariel Sharon. It indicated that Olmert has so far failed in every policy he has adopted, and he doesn't know how to deal with the Palestinians after they formed a national unity government and Hamas had abandoned half its slogans, bringing the international community closer to dealing with the Palestinians. "Now the Arabs have agreed on the peace initiative and the world cannot turn its back to it. So how can Olmert escape it?" it asked. The paper's commentary maintained the Israeli prime minister doesn't know what he's doing on the land he occupies or how to deal with a people who don't want to be abused. "So he (Olmert) tries to jump over the Palestinian issue by waving peace to Syria through the Golan, or calls for dialogue that doesn't end anything," it said. "Those who proposed the Arab initiative and revived it in Riyadh knew from the beginning that Olmert will escape. But it seems they also knew how to chase him."
Palestine's al-Quds daily commented that Olmert's attempt to convene a summit with Arab leaders to discuss the Arab initiative and present new ideas will not likely be achieved. It compared Olmert's attempt to former Prime Minister Yitzhak Shamir, who was the Israeli leader at the start of the Arab-Israeli peace talks in Madrid in 1991 and stated that he was planning for negotiations to last at least 20 years. Olmert, it maintained in its editorial, is simply trying to empty the Arab initiative of its substance and momentum. The Jerusalem-based daily, close to Fatah, added the initiative seems to be more of a position and declaration of intentions that doesn't have effective value because the Arabs hold no other alternative or power to force Israel and the United States to seriously think before rejecting or evading the initiative. "The initiative is weak because its owners are weak and lacks two legs to move forward," it opined, "and that's what tempts others to ridicule it, because good intentions are not enough in times that know only force in all its forms, starting with the ability to influence."
Syria's official Tishreen daily Tuesday welcomed to Syria U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, the highest-level U.S. official to visit Damascus during the Bush administration. The state-run paper said Pelosi can now discover for herself that "the Syrian hand is extended for serious and honest dialogue with American officials" and see the real picture of the country. It praised her vision on seeking dialogue with Damascus, saying this is important to reach common understanding that could help resolve crises in the region. "Ms. Pelosi will herself sense the truth of the Syrian position and its seriousness in resolving all pending problems towards balance and security in the region, as well as establishing constructive and fruitful relations with the United States," it said. The paper stressed that Syria constantly affirms that dialogue, not boycott, is the way to reach understanding and healthy ties. "The hope remains high with the results of the visits and dialogue, and Ms. Pelosi, who is welcomed in Syria, can contribute in rectifying the position and regaining balance in American-Syrian ties," it said.
