Haters of Egypt exploit Gaza crisis

Egypt's pro-government Al Ahram daily ran an opinion piece by Morsi Atallah saying "the haters of Egypt" are competing to exploit the suffering of the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip to attack Egypt, while ignoring those who are really responsible on the Palestinian scene and in Israel. "These voices of hatred are intentionally disregarding the fact that it is in Egypt's strategic interest to see stability in the Gaza Strip in order to reach a just and comprehensive peace that will restore the Palestinian people's legitimate rights," he wrote.

"Egypt, which is currently exerting massive efforts to support the Palestinian cause at the international level, is the same Egypt which previously gave its wealth and the blood of its sons under the banners of war and armed struggle to liberate its land." What it has done - whether through peace or through war - has stemmed from its wish to reach a just, comprehensive and permanent peace.

Saudi Arabia's pro-government Al Watan daily carried an opinion piece by Abdullah Nasser al Fawzan saying Oil Minister al Nueimi had given a couple of statements on the Kingdom's plans to develop its oil facilities after oil prices dropped. "I was surprised to hear the statement of our oil minister who said that the global crisis will not affect the Kingdom's plans to increase its production," he wrote.

The Kingdom will continue to raise the production levels to reach the targeted ceiling in accordance with programmes set out before the crisis, the minister also said. "What is the message he wanted to deliver and to whom?" al Fawzan asked, calling the statements "odd". "These statements will negatively affect the prices, so why would we issue statements harming our interests? Why would we produce more oil since that would lead to a decrease in prices?"

Syria's state-controlled Al Watan daily ran a report by Alwan Amineddin about Russia's donation of fighter planes to Lebanon last week. "Diplomatic sources wondered: 'Why does the Lebanese army need attack-fighter aircraft, knowing that its role is limited to playing the policeman on the domestic scene?'" If the goal is to allow Lebanon to confront Israel, the Russian deal looks "pathetic in the face of the hostile arsenal", he reported.

"If the goal is to enhance the army's role in the face of terrorism, this does not require aircraft but the enhancement of the intelligence and special combative capabilities," the sources added. Some observers saw the Russian donation as being in line with their "deep wish to activate any international presence, other than the American one, on the Lebanese arena, to restore the lost balance and therefore thwart Washington's permanent attempts to monopolise Lebanon."

Muhammad al Dalal, a regular columnist for Kuwait's independent newspaper Al Rai al Aam, wrote about the formation of the new Kuwaiti government, expected within a few days. "Many Kuwaitis share my opinion that reforming the government is not a solution to the recurring political crises, but more akin to a sedative that soon wears off and allows the real ailment to resurface," he wrote.

"It is unacceptable that we should continue in this manner with temporary solutions with unknown repercussions, such as dissolving the parliament and calling for new elections, because these solutions are no better than forming the government over and over again. We are all responsible for finding the cure because Kuwait is the responsibility of all Kuwaitis, from the ruling family to the government, parliament and citizens."

* Compiled by Mideastdigest.com