While the Jordanian authorities have not decided on the identity of those behind the attack on Al Aqaba, Egypt immediately denied that rockets had been launched from the Sinai Peninsula, wrote Yasir al Zaatra in a comment piece for the Jordanian daily Addustour. Egypt accused Palestinian factions, but overruled the possible involvement of groups affiliated with "global jihad". Israelis held the same opinion, condemning Hamas.
Egyptian newspapers affirmed that the Islamic movement was still pursuing a policy that jeopardises Egyptian interests, describing it as ungrateful to the humanitarian assistance Cairo had offered to Gaza's population in alleviating their sufferings. The official newspaper Al Goumhuriya, in a report on Wednesday, accused Hamas for sharing links with the Muslim Brotherhood that undermine the supreme interests of the country.
Jordan was reluctant, however, to accuse any party, whether Hamas or Islamic Jihad, on the grounds that neither of these organisations has ever undertaken any action outside the Palestinian Territories. The writer suspects it was the Sinai Bedouins, who for years have been in conflict with the Egyptian regime and perhaps would like to prove that they are able to disturb it if it continues a repressive policy. He also accused al Qa'eda affiliates and the Iranians, who will be interested in demonstrating that they are able to act on many fronts and instigate violence at many levels.
In a comment article for the pan-Arab newspaper Asharq al Awsat, Mohammed Alaarbi al Messari reviewed the latest incidents in Ceuta and Melilla that saw excessive power used by Spanish police forces against Moroccans on the border. This will naturally occur as long as Spain continues to occupy the two enclaves, which are the transit site of more than 28,000 people a day. And similar incidents may continue as the economic situation worsens.
To help understand the tense situation in the two cities, we need to look at the rising xenophobia among settlers, "who have failed to acquire the democratic culture prevailing in Spain for the last three decades. At the same time, we should not ignore the hard feelings of thousands of Moroccans living under the occupation." Amid such mutual animosity, high unemployment adds to the havoc. According to local press in Melilla, more than 10,000 are jobless in a city of less than 74,000 people. The financial crisis has crippled the local economy at a time when Madrid reduced its logistic support as part of drastic measuresw to reform the macro-economy. This racks the nerves of settlers, putting the impatient police on alert to preserve the public order. For such reasons and others, the two neighbours need to maintain their strategic partnership by seeking new avenues "to refurbish their cooperation".
It is hard to pin down the reasons behind the lack of a minimum consensus among Iraqi politicians to form a national government nearly four months after the legislative elections, noted the UAE newspaper Al Bayan in its editorial. But a closer look into the Iraqi political scene shows that the differences relate not to a competition between political blocs in pursuit of the best interests of the community, but rather to personal pursuit of power.
"There is another explanation for this situation that many rush to invoke, linking the present stalemate to loyalties of some political actors to external powers." While both explanations could provide an explanation, one thing is sure: there are few solutions in sight. This prompted the UN security council to call upon the Iraqi politicians to quickly establish a government that reflects both the local political mosaic and people's will and expectations. While this call is timely and welcome, it is regrettable to see the council involved in such a manner as to dictate explicitly to Iraqis what they should do about their own government. It should be a wake up call, however, for the political class. This newspaper agrees with the message of the UN secretary general Ban Ki-moon on Iraq, and we share with him the hope to see a change towards a new Iraq endowed with efficient political institutions.
The ongoing battle over between producing and consuming countries over BlackBerry smartphones also exposes a digital gap that determines who monopolises the information and codes it and who simply uses it, notes the Saudi newspaper Al Riyadh newspaper in a leading article.
"In the developing world, which depends entirely on the products of advanced countries, there is no control over the import of military and civil equipment as well as over high-technology computers that are at the heart of critical economic and social secrets. Exchange of calls and information are but one example." Much has been said about the values brought by the BlackBerry to users in the developing world to avoid state control. However, this has not prevented such countries as the US, Britain, India, Saudi Arabia and other GCC states to raise concerns over security aspects. They challenged the absolute monopoly of the Canadian manufacturer over the phone codes.
This change of attitude by many consuming countries will help them to impose their own conditions, forcing the manufacturer to review its policy in fear of the collapse of its shares. At the end of the day, what is at stake is matters of information and no country will be ready to "gamble" with this. * Digest compiled by Mostapha El Mouloudi @Email:melmouloudi@thenational.ae