The Vatican ignores key issues

Commenting on the preparatory paper of a bishops' meeting about the Middle East, which will be held in the Vatican next October, the London-based newspaper Al Quds al Arabi criticised an advisory opinion that Christians in Muslim countries are not treated as citizens. Delving into sectarian issues in Arab countries by the Vatican is risky and could lead to undesirable results, both for the Vatican and for efforts being made to solidify the foundations of coexistence and tolerance among followers of religious faiths in this volatile region of the world.

"The conference paper is explicitly highlighting strife that may lead to sectarian clashes in a region facing various conflicts, foreign interventions and economic crises, not to mention rising radical Islamist movements." It is true that amid sectarian conflicts and US military intervention in the region, some unfortunate incidents have happened, such as the burning of churches in Iraq and assaults on Copts in Egypt, but these are isolated crimes and by no means systematic. "Perhaps the Vatican overlooked this fact, and also it may have ignored that US forces in Iraq caused the death of more than one million people. Likewise, it forgot that George W Bush once used the term crusade for war. Unfortunately the Vatican did not intervene when the Israelis attacked Palestinian Christians."

"Nobody has seen George W Bush amid the rubble in Port au Prince, nor would Americans feel proud to see him in a relief operation mission," wrote Satea Nourredine in an opinion piece for the Lebanese newspaper Al Safeer.

Some would associate his appearance in devastated Haiti with a familiar image of him as the one who waged random wars in many parts of the world. His partner in the mission, Bill Clinton, however, spoke to the media about how the US was planning to help the Haitians. Mr Bush reportedly hesitated before accepting the assignment because he felt embarrassed to travel outside the US after he tarnished the US image throughout his term.

It was also reported that the US president Barack Obama took this step in order to embarrass Mr Bush and his Republican party. Underneath is an ongoing conflict between the two parties caused by the heavy legacy inherited from the ex-president, spanning political, economic and military crises. Mr Obama seems to be grappling with an agenda that he has to implement including a staggering reform of medical care. He and his team believe now that it will be hard to achieve all his targets by the end of the current presidential term in 2012. Mr Obama feels he is doomed to live with his predecessor's relics as he enters the second quarter of his term as president of the US.

"Turkey's importance to Arabs comes not only from religious and historic considerations, but also from its present role as a bridge between the Arabs and Europe as well as its part in mediating the peace process in the Middle East," the Saudi newspaper Al Watan wrote in its lead article.

Within this scope came the visit of the Turkish premier Recep Erdogan to Riyadh, where he stressed during his meeting with King Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz the growing worries of the Muslim world towards Israeli crimes, and he expressed clearly the position of his country. "There is no doubt that Mr Erdogan's statements in Riyadh will be added to his record in regard to Israel. And although the Turkey's attitude remains a moral stance, it reflects an effective support to authentic Arab positions."

Moreover, since Saudi Arabia and Turkey are both concerned about the situation in Iraq, this issue was discussed at length between the two leaders. Turkey under the leadership of Mr Erdogan has won high credibility among Arabs and Muslims, which has entitled it to increase the size of its economic and cultural co-operation with Arab capitals, especially Riyadh.  Very recently, Mr Erdodgan was awarded the prestigious Faisal International Prize in recognition of his efforts towards Arab and Muslim issues, primarily the Palestinian cause.

"By meeting the Israelis again, the German government sent a clear message to all, primarily the Arabs, that its relations with Israel are special. It was clear evidence that Germany is biased and could hardly take a balanced attitude toward the Israeli-Arab conflict," wrote the UAE newspaper Al Khaleej in its editorial. Germany's military support to Israel is known, and it appears that, during the term of the German chancellor Angela Merkel, it has increased.

Germany's continuous support for Israel further encourages Israel to relentlessly pursue its repressive policy against the Palestinians and to increase its settlement activities. "When supporting Israel, Germany behaves similarly as other western countries: it ignores the occupation, its crimes and acts upon a permanent sense of guilt for what the Nazis did decades ago to Jews."  Meanwhile, Palestinians have to undergo hard times and be the subject of systematic displacement by the Israelis in complicity with the West.

Germans have embraced the Israeli occupation and by extension backed war criminals in Israel, which is a new contempt for Arabs and their causes. * Digest compiled by Mostapha Elmouloudi @Email:[e-mail]