Syria's official Tishrin newspaper claimed this week that Prime Minister Ariel Sharon has agreed in principle to meet Yasser Arafat in a bid to improve his image at the world level. "Sharon does not want to be identified as a notorious war criminal and killer of innocent Arab civilians but actually as a new figure seeking to probe peace solutions. However, his obsession with expanding Israeli settlements, Judaising the whole of Jerusalem and tightening the military grip on the West Bank and Gaza Strip has already started to unfold" Tishrin stated. As for Sharon's new government, Tishrin says, "it includes a large group of extremist and racist figures; therefore, no one in the world pins any hope on such a government for the realization of peace in the region."



Egypt's Al-Ahram also voiced its displeasure with the new National Unity Government in Israel. The paper declared this week that "Israeli violence is born out of their instinctive faith in power on which the Jewish State is based. On the other hand the Palestinian right is born out of anger, deprivation and desire to sacrifice their lives; a struggle which is incompatible. Choosing Sharon and his Ministerial Assembly comprising a number of the most fanatic Israelis makes this clear."