How neutral is Russia on Syria, really?

Al-Jazeera‘s Sunday web coverage plays up an article about perceptions of the Syrian opposition. It first reviews Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov’s speech at the weekend, in which he claims that “Russia does not take either side in the Syrian conflict and awaits the two parties’ arrival at a peaceful solution.” Then, however, Al-Jazeera proceeds to take Lavrov’s comment to task and pick away at his guise of neutrality.

It begins by pointing to Lavrov’s assertion that UN-Arab League envoy Kofi “Annan’s impending report is not by any means a call for Assad to step down.” It drives the point home by quoting Lavrov playing the blame game in saying that “the Syrian opposition must abandon its militaristic activities in order to reach an agreement with the Syrian regime.”

Then, as if to counter Lavrov’s critical talk of a military-based opposition, Al-Jazeera reports throughout the rest of the article on the Syrian opposition’s diplomatic strategy. It details a structural reorganization that was announced by members of the People’s Council, which aims to consolidate the various opposition factions in an effort to unite in the cause of bringing an end to Bashar Assad’s regime – a decidedly political move. And it cites support for the opposition from an unlikely strategic partner – Israel’s Kadima opposition head Tzipi Livni, quoting her stressing the importance of assuming a more proactive role in supporting the Syrian opposition and cooperating with the Arab League.

In the two paragraphs about Livni’s support, the word “diplomatic” appears four times – highlighting international recognition of the Syrian opposition’s political legitimacy as yet another shot at Lavrov.

Turkey and Iran in a power struggle

A-Sharq Al-Awsat, the pan-Arab Saudi daily, highlights the various foreign players battling for influence in Syria.

It notes two major developments from the key non-Arab Muslim players in the region – Turkey and Iran. On the Iranian front, it plays up reports of the “delivery of arms to Assad’s military forces (from Iran) via Iraq.” On the Turkish front, it reports Turkish “collaborations with Egypt to advance  the Arab League initiative for a local Arab solution to the conflict, which will include Turkey as an integral broker – given its role taking in Syrian refugees.”

The paper suggests wide implications for the Turkish-Iranian disagreement over Syria, especially given the growing uncertainty concerning Egypt’s role in the region. There is a vacuum in the region, it suggests, and Turkey and Iran, which represent two very different political approaches, will now vie for influence in Syria in hope of becoming a future major force in the Middle East.

Although the paper doesn’t explicitly take sides, it appears to lean toward the Turkish approach — in Syria and beyond. It presents the Turkish Deputy Prime Minister, Bashir Atalay, as a reasonable moderate in his dealings with Iran, and it appears to empathize with the anti-Assad cause, in part by accompanying the article with a picture of a mass Syrian opposition protest in Idlib.

Erdogan postpones his trip to Germany

The East-Jerusalem publication Al-Quds, on its Sunday front page, highlights Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s decision to postpone a visit to Germany – where he was supposed to receive an Award.

Erdogan’s official explanation: a recent NATO plane crash in Afghanistan which led to the death of 12 Turkish soldiers. But the true reason, the paper suggests, is the opposition he feared he would encounter. “22,000 demonstrators assembled in Germany to protest Erdogan’s arrival even after it was announced that the trip was postponed,” it notes. It quotes some of the rhetoric uttered by some of the Turkish-born protesters – “I am a foreigner here, and I was a foreigner back in Turkey” said one protester; “Erdogan made it so that Kurd and Alawite Turks have no home anywhere,” ventured another. It also quotes the slogans on some of the signs: “Erdogan is a wolf in sheep’s clothing” and “Erdogan is regressive to true democracy.”

The paper adds that it is still not clear whether Chancellor Angela Merkel will meet with Erdogan if and when he decides to visit Germany – another factor that might have led to his decision to postpone the trip.

The publication notes that the award Erdogan was supposed to receive, the Steiger award, was to mark Turkey’s 50-year friendship with Germany. Good friendship indeed.

Egyptian election enthusiasm

Al-Ahram, Egypt’s leading daily, covers preparations for the upcoming presidential elections. Members of parliament are working on the exact terms for the presidential nominations – from the duration of the nomination window, to the number of signatures needed for a nominee, to the degree of parliamentary support needed.

A poll it conducted shows that 89% of voting-age adults plan to vote; 9% do not; and 2% say they do not care either way.

American girl tattoos Arab poet’s poem

Kul Al-Arab, the Nazareth-based weekly, offers its readers an interesting story from a tattoo parlor.

An American girl, it reports, tattooed on her arm an entire poem by renowned Palestinian poet Samih Al-Qasim. Apparently, she was so moved when she read the poem in its English translation that she tracked down the original Arabic text and now has it immortalized upon her body.