Alone in a Storm

From the Arab Times, 21/8/06, by Ahmed Al-Jarallah - Editor-in-Chief ...

King Abdallah refuses to meet Assad

KUWAIT CITY: The Syrian regime is passing through difficult times after its President Dr Bashar Al-Assad recently called some Arab leaders “fake and decorative leaders,” and “half-men,” say sources.

Of late Syria has had no relations with the international community except some Arab countries which had good ties with Al-Assad’s regime. However, even these ties have gone into a deep decline after the Syrian President’s recent speech where he criticized important Arab leaders using unparliamentary words..... Al-Assad’s ranting against Arab leaders has left Syria a country without any friend.

Realizing his regime was in trouble, the Syrian President sought a meeting with the ....[Saudi] King Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz to explain his recent speech. However, the Saudi Monarch quite expectedly declined to meet Al-Assad. Saudi officials have informed Al-Assad that King Abdallah ... will not meet personally Al-Assad either now or in the future.

.... Earlier, Al-Assad had made a solemn pledge to Saudi authorities that he will protect the life of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Al-Hariri. However, the assassination of Al-Hariri angered Saudi authorities and forced them to call the Syrian President to tell him that he was not like his father, who used to keep his words.

According to highly placed sources Al-Assad’s regime has been left alone without any Arab or international friend. Al-Assad lost hope of returning to Lebanon when the Lebanese army was deployed in the southern parts of that country. To add to Al-Assad’s woes Syria’s relations with other Arab countries have become more tense than ever because of his speech. The whole world — including Arabs — is agreed Al-Assad has lost his credibility. Sources say currently Dr Bashar Al-Assad is a worried man, fearing the international court may accuse him of assassinating Rafik Hariri.

Also from the Arab Times editorial, 21/8/06, by Ahmed Al-Jarallah Editor-in-Chief ...

Cairo deepens Syria isolation

USUALLY high moral principles and prestige help Arab leaders to remain patient and give a measured response. However, the current situation has forced Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak to break the circle of patience and give an angry warning to the President of Syria Dr Bashar Al-Assad advising him to stop making cheap claims and interfering in the affairs of Lebanon.

President Mubarak, who is well-known for remaining calm even under trying situations, has preferred to reply in the name of all wise Arab leaders, who were recently criticized by Al-Assad. The conclusion we can derive from the Egyptian President’s response is that both Damascus and Tehran don’t have any useful objective except causing the destruction of Lebanon and Iraq.

The Iranian regime, which doesn’t respect life and cannot bear the prosperity of anyone, has given the people of Lebanon a paltry $150 million for braving Israeli bombs and missiles for over 30 days. What a cheap price for precious lives and heavy losses?

....President Mubarak has been unable to remain silent because the situation has gone beyond respectable limits, especially as the leadership of Dr Bashar, who inherited the mantle of his father, has been inappropriate and his silly stands can only bring more trouble to Arabs.

By aligning with Tehran, Dr Bashar has enabled the Iranian dragon to enter Iraq and Lebanon. The presence of this dragon and its insatiable greed for revolution will never allow the region to achieve stability and security.

President Mubarak’s stern warning to Syria will further the isolation of Damascus. It will also prepare the ground for shifting the military confrontation to Syria and finally Iran leading to a war where the heads of snakes will be targeted.