Discomfort in Cairo
Arab editorials voice their disappointment with both Egyptian candidates, and Iraq’s Shiite leaders try to remove the prime minister
Elhanan Miller is the former Arab affairs reporter for The Times of Israel

The killing Friday of over 100 civilians in the Syrian town of Houla continues to the lead the headlines of Arab dailies on Monday, with speculations beginning to emerge that President Assad may finally be forcibly removed from power as a result.
“Russia thwarts Security Council efforts to bring officials to justice over the ‘Houla massacre,'” reads the headline of London-based liberal daily Al-Hayat. The daily claims that Russia blocked a UN condemnation of Syria and a demand to bring Syrian officials to justice.
A-Sharq Al-Awsat leads its front page with a call by Syrian opposition leader Burhan Ghalioun, head of the Syrian National Council, for Syrians to “wage a battle of liberation” through reliance on self-power if the international community continues to refrain from direct intervention.
Referring to a New York Times article discussing the possibility of Assad being forced out like Yemeni president Ali Abdullah Saleh as a result of a coordinated Russian-American effort, editor-in-chief Tareq Homayed asks “Will Assad leave the Yemeni way?”
“It is difficult to answer this question for a number of reasons,” writes Homayed. “What is taking place in Syria today has surpassed Yemen without comparison… who will be responsible for all of this blood? The mere disclosure of negotiations between Assad and the Russians will not only enrage the rebelling Syrian street, but will unleash the anger of the circles surrounding Assad.”
Al-Quds Al-Arabi displays on its front page a gruesome photo of two bodies of Houla victims, an adult man and a young girl, which were placed on the hood of a UN vehicle during their funerals. The headline reads, “The Security Council discusses the Houla massacre and Moscow hints at a veto; the Syrian National Council calls for ‘liberation through self-power.'”
The daily, normally sympathetic to the Assad regime, pleads with the regime to allow the UN to partake in a government investigation of the Houla massacre, promised by the Syrian foreign ministry.
“We do not question the existence of armed gangs on Syrian land, fighting to weaken the security and political capabilities of the regime,” writes editor Abd Al-Bari Atwan. “But why won’t the government admit the existence of extremist terrorist gangs loyal to it which carry out similar counter-acts of vengeance indignantly and against the law of the land?”
Egypt: And now for the next round
Arabic newspapers analyze the results of the first round of Egyptian elections, where former Mubarak prime minister Ahmad Shafiq and Muslim Brotherhood candidate Muhammad Morsi won the largest number of votes.
A-Sharq Al-Awsat reports that “civil political forces” have drafted documents for both candidates to sign on, guaranteeing that Egypt under their rule will not deteriorate into an Islamic Republic or a military dictatorship.
According to the daily, Morsi will need to commit to maintaining Egypt’s “civil” (as opposed to religious) character and appoint a Christian deputy with effective powers. Shafiq will need to promise not to pardon deposed president Hosni Mubarak — who faces a court ruling next Saturday — and not to intervene in court decisions.
In an editorial titled “The open Egyptian test,” Al-Hayat editor-in-chief Ghassan Cherbel seems displeased with the choice facing Egyptians, who on June 16 will have to decide between “the general and the sheikh.”
“Shafiq will need to disperse reassurances that he is not the candidate of ‘returning to what was.’ He has in fact begun to do this. Mursi will need to disperse reassurances that he began [implementing] his program. The following days will be filled with maneuvers, promises and commitments. We must wait and see which president will lead which Egypt,” writes Cherbel.
Cherbel’s colleague George Samaan echoes those sentiments, stating that “Egyptians will face two choices, both bitter.”
A-Sharq Al-Awsat columnist Abd Al-Rahman Rashed likens the possible victory of Ahmad Shafiq in two weeks to the return of a Gaddafi family member to power in Libya or the appointment of Maher Assad as Syrian president in place of his brother, Bashar.
“The victory of Shafiq will certainly not recreate the Mubarak regime, since Shafiq will be a weak president, fearful of youth protests. However, if the Brotherhood wins, it will rule Egypt totally, through the presidency, the government and both houses of parliament.”
Iraqi convergence to topple Iraqi Prime Minister Maliki
Arab media are widely reporting on a surprise meeting on Sunday between two Iraqi Shiite leaders, Ammar Hakim, head of the Islamic Supreme Council of Iraq, and Muqtada Sadr, a powerful political leader.
The two men met in the holy city of Najaf to discuss withdrawing political support from Prime Minister Nuri Maliki, a Shiite himself. According to Saudi-owned news website Elaph, the two leaders could not agree on a mechanism to remove the controversial prime minister, but a political Kurdish coalition insisted it would find a constitutional way of doing so.