AP
Arabs Wary of Next U.S. President
Date: Sat, Oct 09, 2004
By PAUL GARWOOD, Associated Press Writer
CAIRO, Egypt - Rolling his eyes toward heaven, Bakry Omar said there was no chance war-weary Arabs would get a better deal from John Kerry (news - web sites) than from President Bush (news - web sites).
"Bush invaded Iraq (news - web sites) and things are worse for the Palestinians," said the chain-smoking 45-year-old, zig-zagging his battered cab through Cairo's traffic-choked streets. "And Kerry is pro-Israel. He is the other side of the same coin, and maybe worse than Bush."
Bakry's view is a common one across a region where people view the entire U.S. presidential campaign, not to mention the candidates, with doubt and skepticism.
No matter who gets elected, people from Tunis to Tehran believe the U.S.-led war in Iraq will keep raging; feel Washington will continue pressing perceived rogue states, like Iran and Syria, to stop backing anti-Israeli militants; and fear Bush and Kerry want to protect Israel at any cost, no matter what that means for the Palestinians.
"We think there is a kind of competition between the current administration and a possible Kerry one for who is going to do better for Israel, not for who is going to do better for the peace process and the region," said Zakaria al-Qaq, director of the Jerusalem-based Israel/Palestine Center for Research and Information. "It seems peace is the casualty here."
Palestinians feel a special animosity toward Bush, who they feel has left them at the mercy of Israel. Student Serene Shaar, 25, is praying for his defeat.
"Bush's mandate has been marked by wars in Iraq and Afghanistan (news - web sites) and massacres in Palestine," she said.
Khaled Aref, a senior official of Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat (news - web sites)'s Fatah (news - web sites) faction in a sprawling Palestinian refugee camp in Lebanon, called Bush "the worst U.S. president we have ever seen." But he was reserving judgment on Kerry.
"If Kerry is elected president, we will judge him through his attitudes toward the Palestine issue," he said.
Both candidates praise Israel's democracy and deep friendship with Washington, while denouncing Arafat as a failed peace partner. Neither opposes Israel's plans for a 425-mile security barrier in the West Bank that has drawn international condemnation.
Bush and Kerry mentioned Israel in their first televised debate, broadcast live and replayed on Arab satellite TV stations, but only in the context of Iraq. The Palestinians weren't discussed. They have also told Jewish audiences they are committed to Israel's security, while Vice President Dick Cheney (news - web sites) and Kerry's running mate, John Edwards (news - web sites), voiced support for Israel during their debate.
Some Arab analysts, however, lean toward Kerry, whose comments about reaching out to the Islamic world and repairing America's damaged international image resonate in a region where Bush's approach following the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks has badly damaged America's standing.
Qatar's Daily Times said Kerry beat Bush in their first debate, but said the "oppression of the Palestinians did not merit a single word from either candidate, despite Bush's claim to support the road map plan that Israel has negated."
The U.S.-backed road map for Mideast peace seeks the creation of a Palestinian state by 2005. But with Israeli-Palestinian violence showing no signs of abating and U.S. foreign policy firmly in the Jewish state's favor, the plan appears unraveled.
There is also distrust in Syria and Iran, whose relations with the Bush administration are cool, and whose contacts with a Kerry White House could be just as strained.
Bush accuses Iran, a fierce foe of Israel, of pursuing nuclear weapons and says Syria supports anti-Israeli Palestinian groups and has done not enough to stop foreign fighters entering Iraq to attack coalition forces.
Kerry, who says halting nuclear proliferation will be a priority if he becomes president, believes Bush should have done more diplomatically to curb Iran's alleged nuclear weapons ambitions, which Tehran denies it has. Kerry also accuses Syria of sponsoring terrorist operations.
Iranians had mixed views about the candidates. Political analyst Kavoos Emami praised Kerry for mentioning the need for dialogue and understanding with Iran.
"If Kerry is elected, a U.S. military attack against Iran would be off the table or a very remote possibility," he said. "The presence of Bush and his hawkish advisers in the White House will be a potential danger to Iran."
But 22-year-old secretary Noushin Faraz had little time for either.
"During the last 25 years, no American president has taken a single step to help Iranians achieve freedom," she said. "So I personally do not care about the U.S. presidential campaign."
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Associated Press reporters Ahmed Mantash in Lebanon and Ali Akbar Dareini in Iran contributed to this report.
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