EGYPT

EGYPT
Egyptian Gazette, Cairo: Two months after the ouster of Saddam Hussein's regime, neither the Iraqis nor the Americans appear satisfied. The U.S. troops are displeased over what they see as the Iraqis' ingratitude to their "sacrifices." The U.S. soldiers, a number of them already slain in hit-and-run attacks over the recent weeks, are regarded as occupiers, not liberators by the locals.
This fact, however, comes as no surprise for most people and politicians across the world. After all, occupation is not a pleasant word. And the longer it is in place, the deeper is the bitterness associated with it.
Plans to set up an interim local government, to steer the country into a new era, are faltering. There has been a recent increase in attacks and ambushes targeting the U.S. troops in Iraq. To say that the assaults are masterminded and unleashed by loyalists to Saddam is a gross understatement. The U.S. is putting the lives of its soldiers on the line by continuing to cling to Iraq.
Resentment is surging among the Iraqis, who are beset by a troubling present and uncertain future. Their country, devastated by three wars in two decades, is descending into lawlessness and chaos, with no sign on the horizon of recovery.
GREAT BRITAIN
The Daily Telegraph, London, on Donald Rumsfeld: Donald Rumsfeld has once again put the cat among the European pigeons by suggesting that Nato move its headquarters out of Belgium. The U.S. defence secretary objects to the universal jurisdiction asserted by Belgian courts, allowing them to prosecute foreigners for war crimes anywhere in the world.
Tommy Franks, commander of American forces in Iraq, has been among their targets, and Mr. Rumsfeld has demanded that this absurd right be revoked. The effect is not as bad as it sounds, in that the Belgian justice ministry, aware of the potential damage of such proceedings, has opted to deflect cases involving serving officials to courts in their own countries. Universal jurisdiction, however, is just one of the Bush Administration's grouses against Brussels, which has shown itself consistently hostile to Washington in recent years. After September 11, Belgium was notably unhelpful to the Americans over hunting down al-Qaida members.
GERMANY
Sueddeutsche Zeitung, Munich: Some in power in Iran, and not just close to reformist president Mohammad Khatami, would have no problem sorting things out with the United States. For years they have tried to take first steps, discretely and so far without success. For a policy that would make Iran a valuable economic and security partner, Tehran would have the support of the Europeans. Certain groups with interests in the oil and gas, gold, uranium and the nuclear business are moving in this direction.
On the hard road to Washington, the Iranians cannot bypass Tel Aviv. Exploratory talks between Iranian and Israeli envoys are said to have taken place in Greece. The obstacles lie in religious-ideological grounds, not in the field of realpolitik, history or sentiment. There is a hard anti-Zionist core in the Tehran power structure, led by spiritual leader Ali Khamenei, the leader of the orthodoxists.