An Event and a Regional Tendency

Sharm esh-Sheik’s meeting resulted in measures taken by the Palestinian authority in the West Bank to start disarming Palestinian resistance under the title of the unity of the legitimate weapons in the hand of the authority, in return for Israeli promises to ease crossings’ measures in the West Bank.
Sharm esh-Sheik’s meeting reflected differences concerning Gaza that prevented issuing the final statement due to Abbas and Olmert’s agreement on termination in Gaza under the title of restoring the authority’s control there.
Observers said President Mubarak stressed the call for resuming Palestinian dialogue despite his talk about supporting Abu Mazen’s legitimacy. This Egyptian stand reflects a special sensitivity concerning intersections between Egypt and Gaza, and Egyptian keeping of distance that allows Cairo to work as an acceptable mediator if the besieged arrangements fail despite the Israeli cooperation with he Palestinian authority and the US support to this tendency, which will be offered in the quartet’s meeting in Jerusalem.
Meanwhile, Israeli defense minister Ehud Barak continues preparing the elite force, which consists of twenty thousand soldiers in order to invade Gaza if all the other attempts to eliminate resistance fail.
Some Western writers and experts in the area’s affairs, including Patrick Seale, expected that Palestinian resistance factions under Hamas leadership will emerge from this confrontation more powerful due to the recklessness of the US, Israeli and some Arab sides’ stand.

An Event and a Lebanese Tendency

US Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice’s visit to Paris and her scheduled meeting with Lebanese Prime minister Fouad al-Siniora changed into an event in the Lebanese press, the because Lebanese topic topped the agenda of Rice-Sarkozi’s meeting and also her talks with Arab League Secretary General and the UN Secretary General.
Rice’s interest in Lebanon focuses on preventing any progress in any initiative related to Lebanese-Lebanese dialogue, as represented in her pressures on Sarkozi’s government to oblige it to announce bias to the loyals’ team.The French foreign minister responded to these pressures in the joint press conference with his US counterpart. But this bias does not mean obstructing the French initiative which was started by ambassador Kosran by announcing keeping equal distance from the loyals and the opposition within the context of calling to a dialogue forum, which was delayed due to US pressure.
The same US pressures obstructed the Arab League’s mission and concentrated on curbing any French-Syrian dialogue, while all the information point out that Washington prepares with Ban Ki Moon to raise the issue of entering the resolution 1701 in the seventh chapter after the attack on the UNIFIL forces.
The US also works to escalate its movement that aims at internalizing the Syrian-Lebanese borders.

Arab Press

Arab news papers and press agencies quoted the Spanish Defense Minister, who visited the Spanish unit in South Lebanon as saying that the car which was used in the terrorist attack that killed six Spanish soldiers came from outside Lebanon.
The press also pointed out that the UN Secretary General Ban Ki Moon pledged to implement completely the resolution 1701 in the aftermath of the attack.
Arab press and French press agency said President Nicholas Sarkozi said in his answering message to President Emile Lahoud that France supports Lebanon through achieving 3 priorities: forming the international Tribunal concerning al-Hariri’s assassination, South Lebanon’s stability and implementing the decisions of Paris 3 conference.
The Emirate paper al-Khalij said Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert did not talk about any essential issue at Sharm esh-Sheik summit. The only thing he did is that he bribed Mahmud Abbas through promising to release 250 Fateh members from Israeli prisons.
The same paper said in its editorial that bloody events in Iraq, Palestine, Lebanon, Somalia and Sudan resulted from the Arabs’ inability to know the sources of threats against their national security. The Arabs left the area in a strategic vacuum despite their economic and political potentials.
The paper goes on to say that this allowed Israel and the US to form a joint strategy to dominate the area.
The Emirate paper al-Bayan said the condition in Lebanon is nominated for more deterioration in the aftermath of the Arab League’s mediation’s failure.

Lebanese Press

Al-Akbar said prime minister al-Siniora seeks Rice’s help to guarantee French support to his government.
The paper pointed out that Damascus held Washington responsible for security deterioration in north Lebanon saying this targets resistance’s weapons.
Ad-Diyar pointed out that Fateh al-Islam warned Abu Ammar group to evacuate Nahr al-Bard camp in 24 hours.
Al-Hayat said France gave up dialogue with Syria and Washington imposed sanctions on Syrian and Lebanese personalities accused of destabilizing Lebanon.

International Press

The Israeli paper Ha’aretz said an attempt to arrange a meeting for Shimon Perez, when he was deputy premier,with high-ranking Saudi officials failed due to Riydh’s rejection.
The Israeli papers said an Israeli military committee decided yesterday to reduce the rank of the former Israeli captive Tananbaum, who was captivated by Hizbullah, from colonel to a solider due to crimes like drug trafficking and forging.
David Ignatius said in an article published in the Washington Post service that Bush continues to lose public and Congress support.
A political analyst in the Israeli paper Ha’aretz said dark clouds cover the sky of Sharm esh-Sheik meeting, and Muslim brothers from Gaza, Jordan and Egypt will be over the heads of the four leaders, while the Jewish religions right wing is lurking around 50 it is difficult to guess from where danger will come.

Arab Satellite Stations Interviews

Al-Arabiya
Special Interview
Prime minister of the deposed Palestinian government Ismael Hanniyeh said what Hamas did in Gaza is aimed at curbing some corrupt sides, pointing out the he did not sever relations with President Mahmud Abbas, because Hamas’s goal is preserving the homeland’s unity and integrity.
He added that his government adopted a national program and represented all the Palestinians.

Television Stations News in Lebanon

Al-Manar said the attack on the Spanish force in South Lebanon happened after the predictions from some leaders of February 14 and in the aftermath of threats from fundamentalist organizations.
The NTV said the aggression on the UNIFIL is a message to everybody, and what is most dangerous is that the attackers were able to reach the south.
On its part, the NBN said the attack reflected fears from expanding the circle of violence, while the LBC said moving terrorism to the south turned priorities upside down, while the Future said questions on the goals and the side that stand behind this operation did not stop yet.