February 27, 1998
AFTER IRAQ, MIDEAST PEACE PROCESS, IRAN EMERGE AS ISSUES
Foreign commentators saw the resolution--for now--of the crisis with Iraq as turning the spotlight back on the stalled Middle East peace process and the prospect of the U.S.' opening a dialogue with Iran. These were the major views discussed:
'DOUBLE STANDARD' FOR ISRAEL AND IRAQ?--Commentators in Israel, France and Belgium saw the UN secretary general's accomplishments in Baghdad as revealing the limits of U.S. power in the region, which could result in greater pressure on Israel to compromise with the Palestinians. Damascus's government-owned Al-Baath declared, "What has been imposed on Iraq should also be imposed on Israel. The policy of double standards is no longer acceptable." The West Bank's semiofficial Al-Hayat Al-Jadeeda called on Washington to "reconsider" its approach toward Israel and the Palestinians, charging that "the Palestinian issue represents the last chance for the United States if it wants to salvage its lost respect and threatened interests" in the Middle East. Pundits in Germany, Belgium and Spain saw Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu as adroitly anticipating new international attention and pressure with his proposal earlier this week for Camp David-like negotiations on the final status of the Palestinian territories. Judging that "public relations campaigns are no substitute for the peace process," a German analyst asked, "Why should the Palestinians be willing to exchange a bird in hand--an internationally recognized agreement--for two in the bush?" Tel Aviv's mass appeal, pluralist Maariv forecasted that, despite Israeli concerns, there would be "no American pressure" on Israel from either President Clinton or Vice President Gore.
IS IRAN COMING OUT OF ISOLATION?--Journalists also tried to ascertain the Iraqi crisis's implications for Iran's continuing "rapprochement" with the West, especially with the U.S. Alleging that Washington has undergone a "reversal of 'alliances'" from Iraq to Iran, Brussels' socialist La Wallonie remarked, "The United States is only seeking one result: to weaken Saddam Hussein on the regional chessboard and force Iran to adopt a less tough line in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Washington is bound to succeed in this field." A British editorialist, referring to a study from the U.S. Army War College, suggested that Washington should take heed of the "political realignment" in the Gulf region and initiate a process for addressing security concerns in the region that would include the participation of Iran and Iraq.
This survey is based on 23 reports from 13 countries, February 25-27.
EDITORS: Bill Richey and Gail Hamer Burke
ISRAEL: "We Missed"
Senior analysts Ron Meiberg and Amnon Dankner wrote in popular, pluralist Maariv (2/27) under the headline above: "In late February 1998 Binyamin Netanyahu appears to be comfortably and confidently occupying the driver's seat.... One of Netanyahu's most effective tools in perpetuating his leadership is his demonization of the Palestinians, which he has managed to convey to us with considerable success. Needless to say that Palestinian anti-Israeli demonstrations--such as their pro-Saddam 'rooftop dancing'--plays right into Netanyahu's hands.... As a matter of fact, there is nothing like Palestinian violence to guarantee Netanyahu's reelection.... Oh, yes, American pressure. Well, forget about American pressure, certainly as long as Al Gore has anything to say about the matter.... Israelis who have met Clinton recently came away with feeling that Netanyahu was right in forecasting no American pressure."
"Poor U.S. Performance"
Anti-Netanyahu analyst Hemmi Shalev wrote in popular, pluralist Maariv (2/27): "President Clinton emerged from the Iraq crisis badly bruised.... The Iraqi president won the P.R. contest.... The Iraq crisis exposed America's weakness under stress.... The U.S. administration is becoming weaker and the last things it would want now is to get bogged down in the peace process quagmire.... The flaw of the American bridging proposal on the Palestinian track does not reside in its contents but in the lack of resolve to fight for it and put enough pressure on both sides to accept it."
"The Window Has Closed"
Anti-Netanyahu analyst Akiva Eldar wrote in independent Haaretz (2/25): "Saddam has forced the world's strongest power to recognize and acknowledge its own handicaps.... What happened in the Persian Gulf this week marks an immense victory for the opponents of a negotiated settlement with the Arabs. The United States was able to advance the peace process because it was perceived as the central, if not the only, world power.... But the Iraq crisis proved that the United States is not omnipotent. The Arabs have realized that you can say 'no' to the United States and stay alive. The Israelis have learned that they must put their trust in missiles, plastic sheets and antibiotics."
WEST BANK: "Palestine Is America's Last Chance"
According columnist Hasan Al-Kashef, writing in semiofficial Al-Hayat Al-Jadeeda (2/26), "The United States has come out with heavy political losses in the Iraqi crisis. The biggest winner enjoys the fruits of his steadfastness. The United Nations has also won and regained its role and respect. French diplomacy has also won and France was involved as a moral superpower. The U.S. administration is at a crossroad. It must reconsider its policy in light of this heavy loss. On the other hand, the U.S. might choose to continue in the path of further loss of its influence and in turn become merely a colonial military power which is good in nothing except oppressing people and threatening them with its military prowess. The Palestinian issue represents the last chance for the United States if it wants to salvage its lost respect and threatened interests."
EGYPT: "And Now The Arab-Israeli Dispute"
According to pro-government Al Ahram (2/26): "With the Iraqi crisis having been settled there should be concentration on the real crisis in the region, namely the Arab-Israeli dispute. The Iraqi crisis has emphasized the need to respect international resolutions which should be
demanded of Israel as well. The crisis also placed the United States before its real responsibility as the biggest superpower, so that it should pressure the Hebrew state, as it did with Iraq, to commit to international legitimacy. As the peaceful solution was reached by the UN role, there is renewed confidence in repeating that role in the Palestinian issue."
"Illusive Initiative"
Opposition daily Al Wafd wrote (2/25): "Israel continues to deceive Arabs. The proof is this illusive initiative that Netanyahu announced. The Iraqi problem with the United States has been solved. Now is the time to solve the peace problem with Israel, so that the peoples of the region will enjoy peace."
"UN Secretary General To Tel Aviv"
Galal Dowidar, editor-in-chief of pro-government Al Akhbar, observed (2/25): "If the American UNSC succeeded in ending the Iraqi crisis by Annan's mission, we hope it sends the UN secretary general to Tel Aviv to solve the problem of Israel's rejection to implement international resolutions."
JORDAN: "The First Beneficiary From The Iraqi Crisis"
Senior editor Saleh Qallab penned this piece in independent, mass-appeal Arabic daily Al-Arab Al-Yawm (2/26): "The Palestinian issue was completely absent during this recent Iraqi crisis. No one, not even the Palestinians, spoke about the promised U.S. pressure on Netanyahu and his government. This proves that the Palestinian cause is always the first to suffer whenever the Arab body bleeds anew. It also shows that Israel is always the first to benefit from such peripheral struggles in the Arab world.... There is no hope that Netanyahu will abandon his positions and policies. The only way out is for the Arabs to regain the minimum amount of solidarity and unity. If the Arabs don't respect themselves, no one will, not the United States and not Israel."
"Now That The Iraqi Crisis Is Resolved"
Center-left, influential Arabic daily Al-Dustur stated (2/26), "Now that the specter of war is over and the people of this region managed to breathe a sigh of relief, the international community should focus their attention on two Middle East affairs. The first is lifting the sanctions from Iraq.... The second is using the important achievement of the United Nations to revitalize the peace process, particularly since the Israeli government has used the Iraqi crisis to turn its back to all its commitments to the peace process.... We hope that the United States will not go back to its policy of double standards, that it will abandon its blind bias in favor of Israel and will use this great political opportunity to revive the peace process."
SYRIA: "Disappointment In Israel"
Government-owned Tishreen editorialized (2/25): "There is a widespread disappointment in Israel over Annan's success in Baghdad. Netanyahu hoped that an America attack against Iraq would divert attention from his government' s attempts to bury the peace process.... It is crystal clear that Israel was behind the American-Iraqi crisis.... Israel's disappointment on the success of Kofi Annan's mission was reflected in Washington circles; American officials say they support the deal with Iraq, but continue to make threats to use their military might.... Will Washington bury its head in the sand to avoid seeing the Netanyahu government violate Security Council's resolutions? Or will the U.S. government learn a lesson from its recklessness and regain the credibility it lost in the Arab and Islamic world?"
"What Is After Iraqi Crisis Settlement?"
Government-owned Al-Baath judged (2/25), "The United States and the UN are on trial today. What has been imposed on Iraq should also be imposed on Israel. The policy of double standards is no longer acceptable as it poisons international relations and jeopardizes all efforts to establish a new world order with justice for all nations."
QATAR: "Right Thinking About Iran In The West"
The semi-independent, English-language Gulf Times stressed (2/25): "Khatami seems determined to improve Iran's relations, not only with European countries, but also with the United States.... We are sure the two countries will continue their efforts for creating better mutual understanding and gradually normalizing their relations."
"Unless Arafat Rebels Against Israeli Authorities"
Semi-independent Al-Watan editorialized (2/25): "Despite differences in details, the present condition of the Palestinian question does not differ in essence from the Iraqi situation before Baghdad decided to launch a mutiny. Both reached a dead end due to the intransigence of a foreign power: The United States supported by Israel in the case of Iraq and Israel supported by the United States in the case of Palestine. The Palestinian leader's problem is that he has surrendered to Israel and the United States...hence the international powers that supported Iraq, such as Russia, France, and China, did not do the same to help the Palestinians against the Israeli-American alliance. These powers will not move unless Arafat also rebels against Israeli authorities."
TUNISIA: "What Is The Palestinian Part In The Issue?"
Co-editor in Chief Fatma Karray commented in independent, Arabic-language Ash-Shourouq (2/25): "One of the benefits of the Baghdad agreement is the return of confidence and credibility to the UN organization. And because this credibility came with the diplomatic language and dialogue, the expectations from the UN organization are to turn to the essential issue in the Middle East, which means the Palestinian issue. It is high time for the UN to...solve international differences...within the framework of international law.... The UN is the only one that can remove the stigma of the policy of double standards from the Arab mind by promulgating justice and equality in dealing with the issues."
BRITAIN: "A New Gulf?"
The independent Financial Times featured this editorial (2/26): "In the past year attention in the Middle East has focused overwhelmingly on the Iraq crisis and...the implosion of the regional peace process. But closely linked to these events is the slow political realignment taking place in the region. Enmities that seemed engraved in stone are being set aside--and this is making a mockery of U.S. policy.
"Since the allied victory in the Gulf War against Iraq in 1991, the main pillars of Washington's policy have been the settlement of the Arab-Israeli conflict through the exchange of conquered Arab land for peace, and the isolation of Iraq and Iran as 'rogue states.' The peace process is moribund, not just because of the intransigence of Netanyahu, but because the Clinton administration has been unwilling or unable to do anything about it. Iran has broken out of isolation, and Arab disgust at Washington's double standards toward the Middle East is helping Saddam Hussein's Iraq to do the same.... A study released this week by the U.S. Army War College...suggests that Washington should instead sponsor Gulf cooperation on security and arms control--including in Iran and Iraq. The United States and Europe should consider some such process, addressing security concerns in the region and including a policy of engagement with Iran. The alternative may be that arrangements will be arrived at in opposition to the West and in consequence of its misfired policies in the region."
FRANCE: "America's Arrogance"
Jean-Marie Colombani opined in left-of-center Le Monde (2/26): "(The recent Iraqi crisis) has revealed the failings of a system that was to be 'a new world order' and which is in fact nothing other than U.S. monopoly and hegemony.... (While) not all of Clinton's policies are to be condemned...lobbies in the United States seem to hold foreign diplomacy hostage, as in the case of the Middle East peace process.... The Pentagon, which oversees NATO issues, which is very anti-French and is in favor of embargoes, seems to have been guiding the president.... Washington's number-one fiasco in foreign policy is the Middle East.... The United States will regain its original level of influence (in the Middle East) only when it has forced Netanyahu's hand.... There are in the Arab world forces which merit attention rather than confrontation--Arafat...the Iranian voters...certain countries of the Maghreb and Egypt.... America's provincialism sometimes has its charm, but its power should...be free from lobbies or the likes and dislikes of Jesse Helms.... Washington is looking for two privileged allies: Poland on the Eastern front, Great Britain on the Western front. Its goal is to progressively dismantle the policies of the European Union, to refuse the existence of a political Europe with Franco-German leadership, in favor of a British-American controlled NATO."
"Bibi Under Pressure"
Philippe Waucampt wrote in regional Le Republicain Lorrain (2/25): "The United States has just measured the limits of its influence in the Arab world.... For the immediate future, Washington's interpretation of this latest Iraqi crisis will lead it to apply renewed pressure to get the peace process back on track.... With a weakened U.S. position in the Arab world, Washington is going to adopt a more forceful attitude so that UN resolutions in the Middle East conflict are respected--just as for Iraq. This explains Netanyahu's 'new Camp David' offer. Like always, he is playing for time. But for the first time, the Iraqi crisis has not played in his favor."
GERMANY: "Bibi's' Trial Balloon"
Left-of-center Frankfurter Rundschau (2/25) noted: "The provisional end to the crisis has now pushed another subject back to the top of the agenda again: The question of how and whether the Middle East peace process should go forward. The Israeli premier obviously possessed the instinct to foresee the end of the Iraq conflict and this is why he, during prime time, presented his idea of a new summit.... But once the air comes out of Bibi's trial balloon, then there is not too much left. The proposal to set aside the Oslo interim agreement and instead agree on something that is final is not new and is not promising. Why should the Palestinians be willing to exchange a bird in hand--an internationally recognized agreement--for two in the bush?... It would be much better to speak plainly and to agree on concrete confidence-building steps. Public relations campaigns are no substitute for a peace process."
BELGIUM: "Spectacular Turnabout!"
Laurent Monseur exclaimed in socialist La Wallonie (2/27): "What a spectacular American turnabout! Despised since the shah's downfall--in 1979!--and since the ayatollahs' takeover, the Tehran regime is again considered as frequentable by Washington.... The outcome of the crisis between Iraq and the United States, thanks to the UN mediation, while marking the failure of U.S. diplomacy has hurried this strange rapprochement.... After having played Iraq against Iran, by overarming the former over eight years of war...Uncle Sam is playing the reverse.... Thanks to this reversal of 'alliances,' the United States is only seeking one result: to weaken Saddam Hussein on the regional chessboard and force Iran to adopt a less tough line in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Washington is bound to succeed in this field."
"The Trap Of The 'Double Standard'"
Conservative Catholic La Libre Belgique (2/27) published a byliner by Israeli Ambassador to Belgium Harry Kney-Tal: "Contrary to Iraq, Israel never flouted binding Security Council resolutions.... The peace process with the Palestinians is presently undergoing serious turmoil. But discussions go on and attempts are being made to find solutions even though, in the present state of negotiations, calculated risks and security imperatives confronting one of the parties are hardly reconcilable with the other side's expectations. It is therefore deplorable that the president of the Palestinian Authority has once again, in Brussels, urged the international community to act in order to force an imposed solution instead of devoting minimum efforts to a negotiated settlement.... To mention a 'double standard' about Israel and Iraq amounts to falling into the trap of falsification and playing in the hand of dictators without scruples whose real objective is to make Israel the eternal scapegoat, source of all evils in the region."
"Netanyahu Quick As A Flash"
Laurent Monseur commented in socialist La Wallonie (2/25): "Quick as a flash, Benjamin Netanyahu did not wait for the announcement of the content of the agreement signed between the UN and Iraq to propose a series of negotiations on the final status of the Palestinian territories. Surprising? Not at all. The peaceful outcome of the second Gulf crisis...embarrasses U.S. diplomacy.... Benjamin Netanyahu has very quickly understood that the attention of the 'international community' was going to focus on him. Why? Because, thanks to its active mediation, the UN has shown for the first time in its history that it was able to force a country to abide by a resolution of the Security Council. The Israeli prime minister knows--like the entire international community--that Resolution 242 of 1967 ordering the Israelis to withdraw from the territories occupied after the Six Day War...is still not enforced. Cleverly, Benjamin Netanyahu gives the impression that he wants to abide--of his own initiative--by this resolution before the 'international community' imposes it on him. Because--and this is also a lesson from this crisis--the latter will no longer be able, behind the United States, to continue to conduct its double standard policy."
SPAIN: "Netanyahu's Gambit"
Liberal El Pais explained (2/25), "Only hours after the Iraq deal was announced by the UN secretary general in Baghdad, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu launched a new proposal for definitive peace talks with Yasser Arafat. This initiative was taken in order to head off the announcement of a new American proposal some of whose features he would find objectionable, and to keep alive a peace process in accordance with his unique understanding thereof."
SINGAPORE: "U.S. Losing Its Grip In The Middle East"
The pro-government Business Times (2/25) carried a commentary by its Washington correspondent Leon Hadar: "Seven years after 'Desert Storm,' when pundits were suggesting that the defeat of Iraq and the establishment of the new Pax Americana in the Middle East was a symbol of the emerging new world order, Washington is finding itself in square one.... It is becoming more and more difficult for Washington to continue to secure the foundations of the four pillars of its Middle Eastern Pax Americana--bringing the Arab-Israeli peace process to a successful conclusion; maintaining the policy of 'dual containment' of Iraq and Iran; preventing outside players, including Russia and a French-led European Union (EU) from challenging its regional supremacy; and making sure that the costs of its Middle Eastern juggling act does not damage its other global tasks, including resolving the East Asian financial crisis.... The only realistic choice that has remained open if the United States wants to maintain its position in the Middle East is to work with its Arab allies, Russia, the EU and the UN Security Council to fashion a compromise that would allow the return of UN inspection teams to Iraq but is bound to lead to the gradual removal of sanctions against Iraq.... If anything, the conclusion of the Iraq crisis suggests the Middle East is entering the post-post-Gulf era, in which U.S. hegemonism in the region is being challenged."
For more information, please contact:
U.S. Information Agency
Office of Public Liaison
Telephone: (202) 619-4355
2/27/98
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