- CAIRO (Reuters) - Thousands
of Arabs seething with anger about a heavy U.S.-led bombing of Baghdad
protested for a third day on Saturday, amid concern the demonstrations
could threaten stability in the volatile region.
-
- With live footage of the fiery explosions and burning
buildings in Iraq beamed into most Arab homes, feelings are running high
over what many consider a sinister ploy to dominate the Arab world.
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- "Did you see all those bombs falling on TV? All
the poor people? And for what? America wants to subjugate the entire region
for the sake of Israel. They want to bring the Arabs to their knees,"
said 50-year-old Egyptian housewife Samia.
-
- Some analysts say the widespread and sometimes violent
anti-war protests, from Arab states in the Gulf to Morocco on the Atlantic,
have the potential to undermine stability in a region described by one
expert as a "cauldron of discontent."
-
- But most say the tough security services in Arab states
should manage to rein in the fury and ensure the protests do not threaten
government control.
-
- In Egypt, the region's most populous country with almost
70 million people, thousands of students staged anti-war rallies at universities
on Saturday amid tight police security.
-
- But unlike the past two days, there were no initial reports
of violence or clashes with police.
-
- In Damascus and Khartoum, police pushed back anti-war
protesters trying to storm toward the U.S. embassies.
-
- "Bush and Blair are war criminals," and "Stop
the war now!" chanted hundreds of demonstrators in the conservative
Gulf Arab sultanate of Oman, where protests are rare.
-
- "Bush is the new Hitler of this century. He won't
stop until he has control of all Arab lands," one Omani student said.
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- In Bahrain, which hosts the U.S. Fifth Fleet, protests
also continued, and the U.S. embassy stayed closed a day after hundreds
scuffled with police outside the fortified building.
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- WIDESPREAD CONDEMNATION
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- Amr Moussa, the head of the 22-member Arab League, said
"no Arab with any remnant of conscience can tolerate" the bombing
of Baghdad, once the proud capital of the Islamic world.
-
- "The bombing and violence we're seeing on satellite
TV should stir the ire of every Arab who sees it," said the secretary-general,
who has warned a war against Iraq could "open the gates of hell"
in the Middle East.
-
- While many Arabs have little sympathy for Iraqi leader
Saddam Hussein, they say they are furious about the suffering the war is
causing innocent Iraqis.
-
- "I cried and cried because when I saw the bombardment,
which is worse than anything you can imagine," said taxi driver Fouad
al-Nashed in the Yemeni capital Sanaa, site of bloody protests on Friday.
-
- Many Arabs also blame their governments for failing to
prevent the conflict, and accuse them of political impotence.
-
- "I feel sad and hurt because there's nothing we
can do. The Arabs are weak and America controls the situation," said
Saudi Walid Musharraf, a 29-year-old accountant.
-
- "Now everyone here hates America, and even some
Americans hate the American government," he said.
-
- In Gaza, where protesters have voiced greater support
for Saddam himself, around 10,000 Palestinians marched through the streets
holding pictures of the Iraqi president. "We are with you Saddam Hussein
and the people of Iraq," they chanted. "With our blood and soul
we will redeem you, Saddam!"
-
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- CHALLENGE FOR ARAB STATES
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- Some analysts say the war could pose an unprecedented
challenge for Arab governments, who have been at pains to contain restive
publics and convince them they did all they could to avert the war. States
including Egypt, Jordan and Morocco have appealed for calm and moderation.
-
- "There is the possibility of real destabilization
if the war continues for a long time and the war causes devastation and
lots of civilian casualties," said Hassan Nafaa, head of the political
science department at Cairo University.
-
- "Then the situation can possibly threaten the governments
of the region, including in places like Egypt and the Gulf states."
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- But many other analysts said that while the protests
could become more violent, regional governments were not at risk.
-
- "The protests could certainly degenerate into riots,
as popular frustration with the miserable economic situation and political
repression compounds anger about the war," said one senior Western
diplomat with 20 years of Middle East experience.
-
- "But I do not think this could threaten the regimes,
because the security forces remain firmly in control, and are behaving
in a very controlled manner," he said. (additional reporting from
Muscat, Manama, Riyadh and Gaza)
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