Morsi blinks first in face-off with the judiciary; and Kuwait increasingly suffers from a drug problem
The face-off between Turkey and Syria continues to lead Arabic print news on Sunday, closely followed by the tug-of-war between Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi and his country’s judiciary.
“The opposition: the Free Syrian Army controls 60% of Syria by day and 90% by night,” reads the headline of Saudi-owned daily A-Sharq Al-Awsat, featuring a photo of a Syrian man crying next to a bombarded house. The caption claims that he had lost a family member as a result of aerial strikes in the town of M’irat Ni’man.
‘The practical solution is an operation from within the regime… a bloody solution of one single bullet’
The regime of Bashar Assad has not been able “to fulfill its promise of imminent military triumph,” reads the staunchly anti-Assad daily.
“One bullet is enough!” reads the title of an op-ed Sunday by columnist Imad Al-Din Adib, plainly calling for the assassination of Bashar Assad after all other solutions to the crisis have failed.
“Classic war, an invasion from the outside, or civil war, are not the solution,” writes Adib. “The practical solution is an operation from within the regime… a bloody solution of one single bullet to end the regime chief who has lost his mind and rejected all forms of political resolution that could spare the lives of the patient Syrian people.”
This is the first time that A-Sharq Al-Awsat, a mouthpiece of the Saudi regime, directly published a call for Assad’s assassination.
Turkey “will take revenge on Syria without hesitation,” if its sovereignty is breached by Syria, reads the headline of London-based daily Al-Hayat, quoting Turkish foreign minister Ahmet Davutoglu.
In an op-ed in Al-Hayat, Saudi columnist Khaled Dakhil calls on Saudi Arabia to put its money where its mouth is on the Syrian regime
Qatari news channel Al-Jazeerafocuses on Turkish prime minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s scathing criticism Saturday of the UN Security Council for disabling a solution to the Syrian crisis.
Meanwhile, in an op-ed in Al-Hayat, Saudi columnist Khaled Dakhil calls on Saudi Arabia to put its money where its mouth is on the Syrian regime.
“Clearly, Saudi Arabia has removed its support from the current leadership of the Syrian regime, and by doing so it has clearly passed the point of no return,” writes Dakhil. “But for the third time, it has become clear that Riyadh is not acting in accordance with its stated position on this matter. Despite everything said about Saudi Arabia aiding the Syrian opposition with arms, alongside Qatar and Turkey, the regime’s ground and air supremacy prove that most of what is said [about Saudi support] is exaggerated by the [Syrian] regime and its allies.”
“Saudi Arabia’s position on Syria, in fact, is not significantly different than Egypt’s. The noteworthy difference between them… is that Riyadh considers Iran a fundamental part of the problem in Syria, claiming that it cannot be part of the solution, whereas Cairo and Ankara believe that the opposite is true.”
Facing off with the judiciary, Morsi blinks first
Egyptian dailies’ headlines all agree Sunday that President Morsi “backed down” in his dispute with prosecutor general Abdul Magid Mahmoud.
Morsi had threatened to sack Mahmoud, but on Saturday agreed that he maintain his post following a meeting with the country’s high judicial council. Independent daily Al-Masry Al-Youm dubs the outcome “a new defeat for the ruling establishment before the judiciary.”
Egyptian liberal political Amr Hamzawy tells Al-Youm A-Sabi’, an independent daily, that Morsi has acted ‘like a dictator and despot’ with the prosecutor general and must apologize to him
Morsi had appointed Mahmoud as ambassador to the Vatican, an appointment Mahmoud refused to accept. Arab dailies consider this the second victory of the judiciary over the Muslim Brotherhood-led government: The first was a judicial decision to dissolve parliament, which Morsi was eventually forced to accept.
“Egypt: Morsi retreats under pressure of a ‘judiciary Intifada,’ ” reads the headline of A-Sharq Al-Awsat, featuring a photo of Mahmoud speaking to a crowd of supportive legalists in the high hall of justice in downtown Cairo Saturday.
Meanwhile, Egyptian liberal political Amr Hamzawy tells Al-Youm A-Sabi’, an independent daily, that Morsi has acted “like a dictator and despot” with the prosecutor general and must apologize to him.
Kuwait’s drug problem
Saudi news site Elaph reports that drug abuse is increasing in Kuwait.
According to the website, Kuwait has 50,000 drug addicts, and law enforcement is unable to tackle the problem. Rumor has it that some policemen even enable the smuggling of drugs into the country through its porous borders. Drug trade even takes place inside the country’s central prison, Elaph reports.
Official statistics claim that only 15 percent of drugs smuggled into the country are confiscated by police.
Suleiman Al-Khudari, a mental-health expert, tells the site that “social and political instability” have added to the spread of drugs in Kuwaiti society, especially among the young.
