Al-Quds (East Jerusalem): Blair: Important matters 'under the surface' to be declared in weeks – The head of the international Middle East peace Quartet, Tony Blair, said he hopes for important progress regarding the daily lives of Palestinians in the next few weeks. In an interview with Al-Quds, Blair said important "under the surface" moves were taking place, and urged the Israeli authorities to change the realities that restrict the movement of Palestinians, especially the military roadblocks.
Az-Zaman (London; Iraq): Largest mass grave found in Mahmoudiya – Iraqis were shocked yesterday by the discovery of the largest mass grave in their modern history, with 4,020 bodies of mostly women, youth and men from Mahmoudiya and its surroundings. Local residents said the bodies belonged to victims of kidnappings and executions carried out by (Shiite) al-Mahdi Army, Badr, and al-Dawa militias in 2005 and 2006.
Al-Mustaqbal (Lebanon): Halat mass grave not found – Digging yesterday at Halat highway in Lebanon revealed lies and fabrications that a mass grave existed there. The truth has foiled attempts by certain parties to invest politically in human remains to try and distort public opinion by alleging that a former militia had killed and buried its victims there. The authorities briefly detained three people on the charge of giving false information to the press, by claiming that victims killed in 1990 were buried in the alleged mass grave.
Al-Thawra (Syria): Poll: 63 percent of Arabs hate Bush – The American war on Iraq in its sixth year has destroyed the image of the United States in the region and the rest of the world, according to public opinion polls. A poll conducted by the University of Maryland and the Zogby Institute in six Arab countries showed that eight of 10 surveyed held a negative opinion of the United States, while a majority said Iran does not pose a threat to the Arabs.
Al-Wasat (Bahrain): Second attack on Saudi diplomatic car in Athens – Greek police said yesterday that a second car belonging to the Saudi embassy in Athens was attacked by a Molotov cocktail, after the first one was targeted a night earlier. The Greek authorities blame such attacks on leftist and anarchist groups, which often target public and financial institutions, as well as foreign interests.