Regional press condemn 'Arab silence' on Syria
- Published
As Syrian forces reportedly begin a third day of their assault on the port of Latakia, newspapers in the region have expressed anger about Arab states' failure to respond to events in that country.
Several commentators strongly criticise the "shameful Arab silence" towards the Syrian authorities, with one saying that it amounts to handing over the country to "anarchy."
Syrian papers, on the other hand, express defiance, with one saying that Syria was strong enough to overcome any hostility.
KHALID AL-KHARRUB IN JORDAN'S AL-DUSTUR
It is no longer acceptable to see this shameful Arab silence towards the crimes being committed by the Syrian regime… At a time when Arabs let Syrians down in the face of a regime that does not hesitate to commit horrible massacres and shell cities with tanks, the only solution now is to have foreign intervention… what can people do now after rising up peacefully against a dictatorship for several months?... There is a need for a joint Egyptian-Gulf stance to face the tyranny of this regime. It's true that Egypt is facing chronic problems internally, but this stance would keep it in a leading position in the region.
ALI AL-KHUSHAYBAN IN SAUDI AL-RIYADH
The people who think they're saving the Syrians from armed gangs are those who are handing it over on a silver platter to the world of anarchy, revenge and total collapse... What is happening in Syria cannot go on and Arab and international silence is unacceptable. Saudi Arabia was not the only country to condemn the killing of civilians but its voice was louder than any other, given its regional standing... Stability in Syria is very necessary for the Arab world but it should not be at the Syrians' expense.
TARIQ AL-HUMAYD IN PAN-ARAB AL-SHARQ AL-AWSAT
Arabs should not be content with the positions they have taken so far against the barbarism of Bashar al-Assad's regime in Syria. What is required is an escalation of Arab positions parallel to the escalation of the situation and the escalation of crimes by al-Assad's regime.
BASSAM HASHIM IN SYRIA'S AL-BAATH
Some brothers in the Gulf called for the 'killing machine' to stop in Syria even though they know very well that they are the ones with such killing machines. It is enough to follow Al-Jazeera and Al-Arabiya TV [pan-Arab TV channels] and read the headlines of Egyptian and Tunisian newspapers to realise the tremendous sabotage that is being done by Gulf-based associations in some Arab societies.
IZZ-AL-DIN DARWISH IN SYRIA'S TISHRIN
Syria was not and will not be surprised by the positions taken by some 'brothers' towards its crisis… It has enough experience to know that these positions will backfire. Syria knows that the positions of those Arabs are not self-motivated but are in submission to US desires... In a nutshell, Arabs attack the Syrian leadership because it is pan-Arab... we say to these ungrateful Arabs: Syria with its people and leadership is bigger than you.
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