Arab World Reaction: Shock and Dismay

By John P. Egan

Arab leaders and Arab newspapers expressed shock and dismay at revelations that the United States was sending arms and spare parts to the Ayatollah Khomeini's government at the same time it was branding Iran a "terrorist nation." Arab leaders sharply criticized President Reagan's statements on the scandal but expressed no particular surprise at Israel's prominent role in the deception.

On Nov. 21, Jordan's King Hussein called the sale of US arms to Iran "an insult to all Arabs," and "a big shock and disappointment to all of us."

The same day Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak said he had been astonished to learn of the sale, and that he had sent a message to President Reagan "asking him...to do something in order not to lose (US) credibility in the Arab world."

Commenting on the potential strategic impact of the arms sale, King Hussein said, "What happened will not help end the (Iran-Iraq) war but will escalate it to an extent that it will threaten not only Iraq but the entire Arab world." An Egyptian military source said an Iranian victory in the six-year-old Gulf war "would be a catastrophe" and "would have an impact on the internal stability of all the Arab world."

The Reagan administration was also widely criticized for its apparent inconsistencies in the Iran-Iraq war. In a November 16 editorial, Al-Ahram, Egypt's semi-official newspaper, wrote: "The American government is now facing a new crisis involving the contradiction between what is said and what is done. (This) entails a loss of confidence and credibility and the consequent decline in dignity and prestige." On Nov. 24, from the United Arab Emirates, the Dubai-based Al-Bayan editorialized: "This deceptive diplomacy pursued by Washington in the Middle East further undermines US credibility in the region."

"What is left of Washington's credibility in the Middle East and with its European allies after it becomes clear that it has...concluded such a cheap bargain with Iran?" the Kuwaiti newspaper Al-Watan asked.

Commenting on Israel's role in the controversy, Chedli Klibi, Secretary-General of the Arab League, said he was astonished at the "ease with which Israel succeeded in dragging the United States into this dubious affair," which, he predicted, would "introduce a new element of tension between the Arab world and the US government."

"We hope that the United States will come to a clearer understanding of the negative role that Israel always tries to play in hampering any constructive action aimed at restoring peace to the region," Klibi said.

In its Nov. 19 edition, the United Arab Emirates daily Al-Ittihad reported the Reagan administration had asked Israeli Foreign Minister Shimon Peres to convince the pro-Israel lobby in Washington to help soften criticism of President Reagan. Quoting an unnamed high-ranking US official, Al-Ittihad said that Peres, who was on a visit to the US at the time, met with leaders of American pro-Israel lobby groups in an attempt to help save President Reagan's reputation.

This report may not be as far-fetched as it initially sounds. When President Reagan was seeking congressional funding for the anti-Sandinista contras, he called in the pro-Israel lobby, noting that it was the most potent foreign policy lobbying group in the United States. It is quite possible, therefore, that the Great Communicator would turn to the Israel lobby in order to save his presidency, and his place in history, when both were under withering fire from Congress and the media. Further, judging by reports beginning to appear in the Jerusalem Post and other Israeli newspapers by Washington correspondents such as Wolf Blitzer, it appears that signals already have gone out to Israel's obedient supporters in Congress to cool their criticism of the President.

Special thanks to the American-Arab Press Institute for their translations of articles in the Arab press.