Iraq Press Roundup

Kitabat newspaper Friday in its editorial said President Bush's tour of the Middle East carries potential "ghosts of new wars."

The paper compared memories of the Iraq invasion to a big packed box full of devastating lies about "freedom" and "democracy," words it said are stuck in Iraqis' minds.

"As President Bush goes on visiting the Middle East, the Iraqi soul continues witnessing desperation and death," the paper said.

"The situation in Iraq is as contradictory as it was in the former era where honest writers or the ones who are linked to banned parties got killed; now, alcohol-sellers, barbers and Baathists get killed, too," the paper said.

It said that in the near future, political parties and religious movements will be a big part of the social component, leading to the creation of a new phenomenon.

"If we have a close look to the concept of the various challenges on the ground, we see the severity of the new concept's dismissal," it said.

It said the war during President Reagan's time was not only a Cold War but also a religious one as the United States is a religious country.

"The U.S. plays the conservative godfather who carries up the flag of democracy," it said.

It said the United States is not ashamed of its behavior in Iraq.

"In order to turn Iraq into a center of death and devastation, the U.S., brutally, destroyed everything in addition to the infrastructure," it said.

It said Iraq was a shame for President Bush because his advisers told him "invading Iraq would be no more than a few bombs thrown from the sky ... and occupation forces were going to be received with flowers."

The difference between now and then, it said, is that Saddam Hussein-era uniforms have been replaced by white or black turbans.

"The U.S. invasion has turned Iraq into a very confusing place ... and a haven to those who want to avenge the Iraqi people," the paper said.

The editorial addressed President Bush: "By invading it, you have turned Iraq into a hostage to the terrifying closed religious systems."