Press Review [Archives:2001/47/Press Review]

Attariq weekly 13 Nov. 2001
Columnist Khalid Ali Tuaiman says in an article on the role of press that undoubtedly the negative reality the press in our country is facing and the many difficulties and hindrances, all stand as barrier against performing its role. It’s obvious that our press role is to be mainly focused on fighting all forms of corruption, exercising objective criticism aimed at straightening mistakes and ill practices. Unlike to what is claimed against it, the press is not after detecting faults and practicing blackmailing. 
Many indications point out that the ruling elite is still finding much difficulty in living in harmony with other opinions and views. In many cases this elite tries to strangle the other opinion by putting pressure on the press, especially the independent newspapers.
26 September weekly, organ of Yemen Armed Forces, 15 Nov. 2001
In its editorial titled ” stop shedding blood” the newspaper says the enormous destruction inflicted on Afghanistan throughout the years of civil war and the most recent the consequences of the American missiles and bombs dropped on it, imposes humanitarian and ethical duty on the international community. The international community has to stand by the Afghan people and support them to reconstruct what the war has left behind.
The most significant process of reconstruction is that related to rehabilitating the Afghans depressed psychology that is suffering from very deep wounds. This rehabilitation should guarantee restoration of conciliation, trust and understanding among the various segments and political organizations and tribes of the Afghan people and they should sit together at the negotiating and discussion table for building a better Afghan future.
The editorial maintains that this is the big challenge the Afghan people have to take and stand against it. The most important of all is that it should be done without and away from foreign interferences in Afghan internal affairs and influences, under any title or justification whatsoever. The past interferences have produced more complications , conflict and destruction. What Afghanistan is mostly in need of is calmness, stability and peace. It needs curbing the war lords and their ambitions and to head towards work and contribution to enable the country recover from its wounds and to begin play a positive role regionally and Islamically.
Al-Balagh weekly 13 Nov. 2001
The newspaper’s editorial for this week says the American terror the United States is practicing on the Afghan Muslim civilians and the Zionist terrorism perpetrated by the Zionist entity against the Palestinian people, no one has pointed at or talked about it. Whoever watches scenes of the Afghan civilians killed in the American bombardment and air attacks would realize well that America does not believe in democracy, justice or human rights in their full sense. America raises these slogans at times it needs them, but it is ready to tread on them for achieving its iniquitous policy against others and to impose domination of America and Israel over the world.
America may be able to drive Taliban out of Kabul but the battle between Taliban and the American occupation would not stop at that extent.
Al-Wahdawi weekly, organ of the Naserite People’s Unionist Organization, 13 Nov. 2001
The newspaper’s editorial says that the language and style used by the U.S. president George Bush before the UN General Assembly a few days ago were lacking the courtesy that should be characterizing the one who is in his position as president of the most powerful country in the world.
Bush has in his speech confiscated the right of the United Nations with regard to defining an agreed upon meaning of terror. He has merely come to dictate on the audience his administration’s understanding and definition of terror and to demand the world to state its stance regarding that definition. He considers those who side with his definition as being on the right course otherwise he is aligned with terrorists destined to be taught by America the lessons it has begun against Afghanistan.
These instructions and dictations are in themselves represent terror and their danger lies in being supported with a show of power and threat of annihilation and destruction for any one resisting them.
Al-Ihya’a Al-Arabi weekly, organ of the Nationalist Arab Baath socialist party, 13 Nov. 2001
This week’s editorial of the newspaper written by Dr Qassem Salam says that history recalls to mind a record full of changes and contradictions, victories and defeats. History reminds us that military power and wars would not be capable of making political stability and would not lead the world to peace, security and stability. Also, history informs us that the call for dialogue among civilisations under dominance of the language of missiles, killing and destruction could not achieve prosperity or liberate the poor from their miserable situation. Such a dialogue would build a new world order prevailed by democracy and freedom.
History is at present showing one of its cycles on behaviour of the American empire whose crimes are run from the U.S. White House.
America has become addicted to its hostile policy towards the Arab nation and Muslim peoples, believing itself that it would be away from counter- deterrence and retaliation. Nowadays it is besieging its own people and broadening the circle of terror among them mainly because of its reckless policy it had pursued towards the Arabs in Palestine, the people of Iraq and today towards the people of Afghanistan.
The American people are leading a state of horror and concern, have themselves become the victim of their administration’s arrogant policy regarding political dealing and reading chapters of history.
Al-Wahda weekly, 14 Nov. 2001
Columnist Mohammed Al-Zubaidi has said in an article that it was a grave mistake the Arab and Moslem countries committed when they took the initiative in sympathizing with the United States while declaring war on terror, even before reaching an agreement by all on a specified definition of terror. Arab and Muslim unconditioned sympathy represented a rather temptation for exceeding the right concepts of terror to use them for realization of political aims, all in favour of the Zionist entity, in particular. The American administration has made larger the list of those it describes as terrorist organisations to include some organisations resisting the Zionist occupation in Palestine and southern Lebanon. Here comes the confusion in concepts and the stark bias by the American administration to the Zionist entity and against the Arabs, Muslims and international legitimacy is confirmed. 
Now after the emergence of the ill-famed developments, confirming that the Arabs and Muslims have remained in the centre of enmity, the inclusion of the People’s Front for the Liberation of Palestine, Hisbullah and Hamas in the list of terror, has come in response to dreams of the notorious terrorist Ariel Sharon.
Al-Ayyam newspaper, 13 Nov. 2001
Mr Mohammed Zeinulkaf says in his article that the coming challenges and the regional and international situations are no longer engulfed with ambiguity as were the events of 11 September. They are moving in an accelerating rhythm constituting a warning to every Arab and Islamic regime. It means there is a necessity for raising the state of alertness and awareness towards what the situation would be if matters got so complicated and developments escalated in an unexpected manner. Political, economic and security courses in more than an Arab and Islamic country indicate that the negative impact is centered on collapses and consequences would take place here and there due to the results of the war in Afghanistan. 
It is thus very important that the national conciliation should be based on enhancing the internal front and to open the opportunity for national integration inside and outside. Meaning that there must be a participation by all political activities to work together in this national reconciliation for building, development and democracy.
We are in dire need of a realistic review of what is going on around us. All of us must take the initiative to take the practical step for a national reconciliation grouping all without any exception.
Al-Jamaheer weekly, organ of the Arab Baath Socialist party, 11 Nov. 2001
Editor in Chief of the newspaper writes that some American newspapers, as part of their campaign on what is called as terror, are still focusing on Yemen, saying it is not a terrorist country but there are terrorist elements on its territories and that is enhanced because there is no central authority capable of holding sway over Yemen and that it needs help for this dangerous media marketing. This is drawn up by specialised circles seeking to place Yemen in this position to pressure the state in order to back down from its supportive attitudes towards Arab and Islamic issues.
This evil media does no doubt not go beyond or outside the frame of the general trends aimed at other Arab countries through accusing them of not having central states, or states harbouring terror or others that have not defined clearly their stand towards terror.
This question needs to be paid attention to and this designed information should be exposed as for its dangerous dimensions. There must be a counter and intensified information elucidating facts and confirming the existence of central authorities in the Arab countries. There should an emphasis that Islamic organisations and movements are not terrorist but rather liberationist movements that have not gone beyond the frame of their struggle for liberation of Palestine and restoration of Arab legitimate rights in Lebanon and Syria. There must be an effort for holding an international conference defining terror and defining the necessary steps and means for ending it.
Ath-Thawri weekly, organ of YSP 15 Nov. 2001.
Mr Khalid Salman says in his article that the battles taking place in Afghanistan would not be a victory in a certain geographic area scored by a certain party among the parties of the conflict. It would not draw completely the curtain on terror prevailing over the international arena.
Apart from deciding or denying whether Afghanistan is a strategic depth and haven for some active forces acting against their regimes or against leadership of the new world order, violence has the ability to restore the initiative the time it wishes. Forces of violence also have extensions covering the entire world and violence has it own many reasons in line with the numerity of targets and demands. We do not think that all these branches are grouped only in the hands of Taliban. If these forces have links with Kabul they would remain to be limited and would not give the world an amount of security by merely liquidating Taliban, as long as the causes remain hidden in more than one circumstance and more than one place.
Whatever the positive results that Washington and its allies think they would achieve as a result of re-arranging the situations in Afghanistan, the real causes are bigger than Afghanistan forces and more complicated than Taliban’s simplified addresses towards the duality of tyranny and justice.

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