On Monday, most of the Saudi newspapers commented on the possible war on Iraq, noting that Zionists are promoting the war in order to divert attention from the absence of commitment by Israel to the peace process in the Middle East region.
The Abha-based Al-Watan newspaper said that the U.S. has an unannounced agenda in the war against Iraq. “The United States pursuit of the argument for war reflects inevitability that it has interests in the region other than those pronounced. Despite immense internal and international opposition to war at official and popular levels, the United States persists in building up its forces to strike Iraq, whose people are starving to death following years of sanctions,” the paper added.
It added that the United States’ failure to convince the UN Security Council led it to pressurise Britain and Spain to announce an ultimatum for war. It stressed that this plan has no legitimacy.
Arab News said: “U.S. President Bush’s announcement that the road map to a Middle East peace is still extant, and will be published when a Palestinian Prime Minister takes office, is surprising but welcome. Only last week, the U.S. Administration decided not to put forth the road map until the crisis with Iraq is resolved. Ironically, the Administration has come under more pressure to adopt and publish the plan as the likelihood of war against Iraq has increased.”
“While Bush’s announcement is promising, some have voiced suspicion over its timing. Bush and his Administration have been accused of putting Middle East peace talks on the back-burner while focusing on efforts to disarm Iraq. However, it is no secret that the timing of the announcement has more to do with shoring up Arab support in advance of a possible war with Iraq, though some argue that it makes little difference why Bush announced the rebirth of the road map: what matters, they claim, is that he did so. But there is a difference. Is this a plan for a lasting peace, or is it a temporary arrangement designed to placate the Arab world ahead of war?”
Riyadh Daily said: “Whether it is a shrewd diversionary tactic to divert from the Iraq crisis or a genuine intention on the part of the U.S. to jump-start the Middle East peace process, the latest U.S. enthusiasm to resolve the long drawn out conflict is most welcome. The peace process must now be pursued in all earnestness and the urgency that it merits.
Under an editorial entitled “Erratic Policy”, Saudi Gazette said: “Several U.S. Senators have expressed dismay over President George W. Bush’s foreign policy, which has alienated the United States in what was a friendly world. The newest voice in this chorus is that of John Kerry, a Democratic Senator from Massachusetts, who accused the Bush Administration of conducting some of the weakest diplomacy in the history of the United States in its dealings with Iraq. Diplomacy can be fruitful only when it is aimed at serving humanity at large. National interests provide an important plank of any country’s foreign policy, but a nation in a leadership role cannot pursue its national interests alone, for it has to protect the interests of humanity as a whole.”
The Riyadh-based Al-Jazeerah newspaper said: “Zionist powers seek to instigate war by pressurising the U.S. Administration to opt for war, which lessens Israel’s commitment to work towards peace and provides it scope to continue its aggressive practices against the Palestinians.”
Source: SPA
