Where do the Arab states really stand on Arafat and Saddam?
Egypt, Jordan and Saudi Arabia seem to be seeking a face-saving way of complying with the Bush administration s demand that Palestinian President Yasser Arafat be sidelined and stripped of his executive prerogatives, according to the pan-Arab daily Al-Quds al-Arabi. It points to Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak s talks in Alexandria with Israeli Defense Minister Binyamin Ben-Eliezer, and his remark that he had spoken briefly with Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon by telephone. We don t know what Sharon told Mubarak but it wouldn t be surprising if he tried to issue him with directives and orders, such as that he stop dealing with Arafat or nominate a substitute who the Egyptian government would promote in Palestinian and Arab circles, the paper remarks. Sharon is famed for his contemptuous attitude toward and arrogant treatment of the Arabs, be they leaders or ordinary persons. But that is not so much a trait in his personality, as of the way Arab leaders continue dealing with him de
