Syrian opposition names new leader, Iraq fails to depose old one

The appointment of a new leader for the Syrian opposition abroad features high on Arab news Monday. The Kurdish Abdul Basit Sida was named head of the Syrian National Council this week, and his statements on the escalation in violence in Syria are widely quoted.

London-based daily Al-Hayat quotes Sida as saying that the Assad regime “has entered its final stages.” The death toll in Syria has reached 14,100, the daily reports in its headline, based on figures submitted by the London-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. A photo of Syrian soldiers patrolling the city of Duma, near Damascus, accompanies the article. Al-Hayat also profiles Sida in a separate article.

Al-Quds Al-Arabi, an Arab-nationalist daily published in London, quotes excerpts from Sida’s inauguration speech in Istanbul. Sida reassured minority groups within Syria, specifically the Alawite and Christian communities, that “the future Syria will be a pluralistic democracy,” respecting diversity and minority rights.

In an editorial titled “Syria and the Yemeni solution,” Al-Quds Al-Arabi editor Abd Al-Bari Atwan attacks the media associated with the Gulf for their “complete bias towards the opposition.” Atwan opines that the Gulf states are fearful of Syria’s revenge, considering its tight alliance with Iran, Hezbollah and Russia, countries known for their acts of vengeance.

‘It is time for Iran and its allies to return to their senses and understand that their provocation of the vast majority of the nation supportive of the Syrian regime will mean a senseless war which they will surely lose’

Atwan writes that Assad will only adopt the ‘Yemeni solution’ — the voluntary abdication of power – if the Syrian army collapsed and he felt he had no other options. Russia, which already lost two important allies in the region, Iraq and Libya, will hang on to Syria for as long as possible, writes Atwan. This will inevitably entail a protracted war of attrition, he concludes.

Al-Jazeera columnist Yasser Zaatrah blames Iran and its sectarian ambitions in exacerbating the violence in Syria.

“We believed and still believe that there is common ground with Iran and that understanding can be reached on positive neighborly relations that will grant Muslims a large place under the sun; however Iran’s vanity has thwarted this dream,” writes Zaatrah. “It is time for Iran and its allies to return to their senses and understand that their provocation of the vast majority of the nation supportive of the Syrian regime will mean a senseless war which they will surely lose.”

Who won in Egypt’s absentee vote?

According to Al-Hayat, Muslim Brotherhood presidential candidate Muhammad Morsi is leading “with a large margin” over his independent competitor Ahamd Shafiq following a tally of absentee votes in over 40 countries.

Saudi-owned daily A-Sharq Al-Awsat reports that Morsi is leading with 63% of the votes of Shafiq, who only 37%.

‘The next president and constitution will not solve the country’s problems. The solution lies in the hand of every Egyptian’

Arab dailies are widely covering a press conference held Sunday by Shafiq in which he blamed the Muslim Brotherhood of launching an incitement campaign against him, using mosques as their podium.

“Shafiq to the Brotherhood: I will give my life to save Egypt from you,” reads the dramatic headline of establishment Egyptian daily Al-Ahram.

Al-Ahram columnist Adel Sabri bemoans the poor choice facing Egyptians in the presidential vote. Morsi “cannot make a decision without referring to the Muslim Brotherhood General Guide,” whereas Shafiq “is a pilar of the deposed Mubarak regime.” The answer, he writes, is self-reliance.

“The next president and constitution will not solve the country’s problems. The solution lies in the hand of every Egyptian, who can begin by working, producing, and protect himself and others. What we have lost during the previous regime will not be regained through a new president, whether Morsi or Shafiq. We as Egyptians will determine the future of Egypt and its place among the nations,” he writes.

Iraqi prime minister saved from impeachment, for now

Rescuing victory from the jaws of defeat, Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri Al-Maliki managed to avert impeachment as President Jalal Talabani announced Sunday that he did not receive the minimal number of parliamentary signatures needed to legally depose the prime minister.

‘How can the educated Iraqi partake in solving the political crises plaguing the country if his voice is not heard?’

Dubai-based news channel Al-Arabiya reports that Talabani received the needed 160 signatures, but 11 signatories withdrew their signatures. Maliki’s opponents in the Iraqiyah, Kurdish and Shiite Sadrist blocs vowed to continue their efforts to replace Maliki.

Salah Hassan, an Iraqi writer, bemoans the decline in the status of the “Iraqi intellectual” in the current political climate.

“How can the educated Iraqi partake in solving the political crises plaguing the country if his voice is not heard?” writes Hassan in Al-Hayat. “By this we do not mean that the government alone suffocates this voice, but we also mean the opposition, the militias and the forces of terror. The voice of the independent intellectual is against anything that may harm the country’s future and the honor of its people.”