The blame game on Syria commences

As the internationally brokered ceasefire in Syria came and went nearly unnoticed yesterday, the Arab media are trying to guess when international envoy Kofi Annan will officially declare it dead; pessimism seems to be the name of the game.

“The Assad regime attacks on land and air, and Annan calls for a 48-hour stay,” reports Saudi-owned daily A-Sharq Al-Awsat, probably the most vociferous opponent of the Assad regime.

“The regime of Syrian President Bashar Assad did not abide by the international stay,” leads the daily, reporting that no fewer than 50 Syrians were killed Tuesday as a result of government bombing across the country. The article is accompanied by a photo of smoke rising from the city of Homs.

The daily also features a photo of Annan visiting a refugee camp in Turkey, where he told reporters that Assad’s forces may have retreated from some areas, but have reentered others.

London-based daily Al-Hayat‘s headline reads “Annan criticizes the Syrian conditions and demands Assad to change his behavior.” The daily quotes the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a London-based watchdog, as saying that government forces never withdrew from the cities, as promised.

Saudi-owned news website Elaph brings testimonials of fleeing Syrians, who report that Assad’s military is using civilians as human shields, contravening international law. The witnesses say that soldiers have forced women and children to run ahead of advancing tanks in order to prevent opposition attacks on them.

Meanwhile, the killing of Lebanese journalist Ali Shaaban in cross-border fire Monday has caught the attention of many commentators. Elaph reports that his death has reopened the issue of demarcating the Syrian-Lebanese border. Lebanese parliament member Khadar Habib blames the Syrian regime Wednesday for procrastinating in fulfilling its commitment to demarcate the border.

Al-Hayat columnist Randa Taqi Din dedicates a column to Shaaban, titled “We are all Ali Shaaban.”

“A new crime from the oppressive Syrian regime which cannot stand the broadcast and writing of the truth. This is a regime that denies the ongoing reality, from the head of state to the foreign minister who told his Russian counterpart that the regime welcomes ‘objective journalism.’ The greater tragedy is not that the Syrian regime believes its claims, but that minister Lavrov gives it cover.”

Abd Bari Atwan, editor of the Arab-nationalist daily Al-Quds Al-Arabi, is as usual more forgiving of Assad than his colleagues. In his column Wednesday, he blames both sides equally for the collapse of the cease-fire, arguing that “the intentions of all sides, without exception, are not pure with regards to fully implementing it.”

Egyptian court dismantles constitutional assembly

An Egyptian administrative court on Tuesday halted the activity of a constitutional assembly dominated by Islamists, pending a ruling on its legality. The Arab media are widely covering the story, which is interpreted as both a blow to Islamists and a relief to them.

Al-Hayat reports that the decision will serve the Muslim Brotherhood as a way to untangle the political knot with Egypt’s liberal parties, which have blamed the Brotherhood of monopolizing the assembly.

Establishment daily Al-Ahram reports that, while the Muslim Brotherhood said it respects the court ruling, the Salafist Nour party warned the court about violating the separation of powers. Liberal Egyptian parties hailed the decision as a “victory for the rule of law and the constitution.”

Meanwhile, Qatar-based daily Al-Jazeera reports that the Egyptian parliament will discuss Wednesday a bill banning members of the former regime from running for office.

Elaph reports that the proposed legislation is being hotly debated in Egypt, considering it seems to personally target the candidacy of Omar Suleiman.

Egyptian MP Issam Sultan, who tabled the bill, tells Elaph that he indeed devised it to thwart the candidacy of Omar Suleiman and former prime minister Ahmad Shafiq.

“It is time for the parliament to fulfill its role in protecting the revolution and preventing Mubarak’s cronies from coming to power,” Sultan says.

Palestinian Authority examines UN possibility once more

Muhammad Shtaya, a senior member of Fatah, told Palestinian Radio Wednesday that the PA may return to the UN in May or June to request recognition as a non-member state on the 1967 borders.

Shtaya referred to a meeting of the international quartet today in Washington, D.C., saying he does not expect any decision on the peace process, considering the United States, Europe and the Arab world are all engaged in more pressing matters.