A sterile Arab summit preoccupied the pundits of the Egyptian press this week, writes Gamal Nkrumah Acrimony over the treatment of Iraqi prisoners by US forces, coupled with indignation over the impotence of Arab leadership in the face of mounting and multifaceted crises and the futility of the Arab summit in Tunis dominated the headlines of the Egyptian press this week. The Israeli sweep through Gaza Strip camps was given wide coverage in the press as well. "The tragedy of the returnees from the hell of American concentration camps in Iraq," ran the front page headline of Tuesday's edition of the opposition daily Al- Wafd. "The atrocities of torture in the prisons of northern Iraq surpass the war crimes committed in Abu Ghraib," the paper continued. "An Iraqi chemical scientist dies of injuries sustained during torture." "The martyrdom of 11,678 Iraqis by the bullets of the occupying forces in the past two months," the paper continued. The Arab summit in Tunis was treated with utter derision. Pundits scoffed at the childish altercations and petty squabbles among the Arab leaders at the summit. "A summit that cannot protect a child," wrote Assem Kamel in the back page of Al- Wafd 's Tuesday edition. The writer noted that a Palestinian boy pleaded on satellite television channels for Arab leaders to show compassion, saying he deserves a decent home, a classroom, books and at least one new toy as he decried the heartlessness and passivity of Arab leaders. Arab satellite channels also televised the predicament of a Palestinian woman whose house was demolished in Rafah and who demanded the immediate attention and assistance of Arab leaders. Official papers were somewhat apologetic. "The Tunis Declaration calls for an end to the occupation of Iraq and the protection of the Palestinians," ran the front page headline of the national daily Al-Ahram on Monday. In an article, "And after the Tunis summit?" Osama Saraya, editor-in-chief of Al-Ahram Al-Arabi acknowledged, "there is nothing much that the Tunis summit can accomplish." But he quickly added that, "against the backdrop of Arab fears -- presumable of American military might -- all should be exonerated. They have all come under intense fire, they all suffer the terror of war... It is only our Arab region that experiences war and danger. The region has become a byword for economic failure and political confusion." "An Iraqi female prisoner calls on Arab leaders to help," ran Sunday's front page headline of Al-Wafd. "Failure looms large over the Arab summit." On a more upbeat note, the national daily Al-Gumhouriya took a more philosophical attitude to the Arab summit. "Mubarak expounds the Egyptian vision at the summit," ran a front page headline on Monday. "We need to have a common Arab stance on reform. Coordination on the question of reform is sorely needed." The paper stressed that coordination can only be made through the good offices of the Arab League. Al-Gumhouriya 's Chairman of the Board and Editor-in-Chief Samir Ragab, writing from Tunis, claimed in the paper's Monday edition that Arab leaders -- or rather the handful who patiently tarried in Tunis -- were in "total agreement". He stressed that they rejected "stances that contradicted international legitimacy and the practical foundations for peace". In much the same vein, the national daily Al-Akhbar also spotlighted the more positive aspects of the summit. "Arab leaders pledge a new start for working closely together. Reform efforts are proceeding at a quick pace, propelled by the free Arab will to realise the betterment of Arab societies." The paper also stressed that there was unanimous solidarity with Syria "in face of international pressure and threatening measures" -- presumably in reference to the announcement last week of the imposition of sanctions against Syria by the Americans. Syria received scant attention in the Egyptian press this week; Iraq continued to make headlines. The independent weekly Al-Qahira spotlighted the torture and humiliation of Iraqis. "The torture of Iraqis was systematic and officially-sanctioned," ran a front page headline of the paper's Tuesday edition. "American intelligence oversaw the torture of Iraqi prisoners," the paper insisted. Al-Qahira also detailed the secret plans of Moqtada Al-Sadr, the maverick Shia leader battling the Americans in Iraq. Apparently he intends to found a Jaafari theocracy in Iraq which would be politically dependent on Iran. The paper also questioned Al-Sadr's motives for fighting the Americans. "Is Moqtada Al-Sadr really fighting the Americans?" In an anti-religious tirade, and on the domestic Egyptian scene, the paper revealed that the next battle of the Muslim Brotherhood is to "whip those who drink". Apparently, the Brotherhood is intent on promulgating laws that sanction public lashing of consumers of alcohol. The opposition weekly Al-Ahali, issued by the left-wing Al-Tagammu Party, launched a scathing critique of the extravagance of ministers before moving on to a rousing finale with an attack on the plans of Prime Minister Atef Ebeid. "Ministers move around in luxurious convoys at the expense of the state coffers and funds that could be better spent on the poor," Abdel-Sattar Heteta wrote. "Ebeid's call to sell government cars is restricted to old models. The Cherokees, Mercedes-Benzes and the lavish ministerial convoys that hold up the traffic are to remain in place." Heteta held nothing back. Deriding the look-at-me swankiness of the ministers, he continued with his full-blooded attack on the political establishment. "One billion Egyptian pounds spent annually on gas of the cars of ministers. What a waste of precious resources," he wrote.
