DENMARK

DENMARK
Politiken, Copenhagen, June 28: Iraqis hardly have reason for great celebrations even though it's one year ago Tuesday the temporary government was handed sovereignty from the American-led invasion force that had toppled Saddam Hussein.
The truth is that one year later unrest in the country is so great that even the U.S. speaks of revolts continuing not just for five or six years but up to eight, 10 or 12.
The Iraqis have maintained the political process which will lead the country to a new constitution and secure the newly won democracy.
In itself that's a great achievement. But it can also quickly be brought into peril if all the other problems, which every day make Iraqis' lives a bloody affair, aren't solved.
Rethink the strategy
Therefore it's important to rethink the strategy and -- not least -- to launch a much more direct effort to rebuild the country which is a focal point for stability.
The original occupation forces, including Denmark, must show more clearly they are determined to win the peace as much as they were to win the war, and that calls for quicker reconstruction of electricity, water and food supplies.
JAPAN
Asahi Shimbun, Tokyo, June 26: Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's stance is ... a scathing censure of the reform route mapped out by current President Mohammad Khatami, who was first elected to that office eight years ago. In this way, Tehran's political pendulum first swung from revolution to reform, and now, if Ahmadinejad has his way, it appears ready to move back to the revolutionary roots that were in place nearly three decades ago.
We do not think the Iranian people will fall readily into line behind attempts to reverse the reforms that have taken place. It is easy to call for a return to past values and beliefs, but harder to actually achieve.
Oil wealth
What will truly be demanded of the new president is a firm commitment to his campaign promise to equally distribute the nation's oil wealth, thereby responding to people's hopes of meaningful social reform. When it comes to tackling the thorny problems of runaway unemployment and inflation, there is no difference between what is expected of conservatives and reformists.
At the same time, allowing Iran to become even more globally isolated than it is already would inject a new element of uncertainty into the Middle East.