The fact that Powell spoke to the Security Council showed that it was the United Nations which must decide, Mussa

CAIRO, February 6 (IslamOnline & News Agencies) - Arab League Secretary General Amr Mussa said Thursday, February 6, that evidence against Iraq provided by U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell was not more insufficient information and must be checked by the U.N. weapons inspectors.

“The proofs and accusations contained in Mr Powell’s speech to the Security Council are no more than information which must be supplied immediately to the U.N. inspectors to deal with,” Mussa told journalists.

“Mr Powell’s speech contains new information ... but these proofs are insufficient and at the end of the day it is up to the inspectors to check this information and pursue their mission.”

The fact that Powell spoke to the Security Council showed that it was the United Nations which must decide, Mussa said.

“It is still possible to avoid war,” Mussa added, “The inspectors must continue and intensify their work and the Iraqi government must at the same time redouble its cooperation with the experts to reply to the questions raised in Mr Powell’s report.”

Powell Report “Unconvincing”, Prelude to War: Jordanian Press

Meanwhile, Jordanian newspapers said Thursday that Powell’s report to the U.N. on Iraq was unconvincing and a prelude to war, and stressed that weapons inspectors should be given more time.

“Even if we give the United States the benefit of the doubt, these new elements did not amount to convincing evidence of Iraqi non-compliance or that Iraq presents any real or imminent danger to any party,” said the Jordan Times.

“The information presented by the United States can only be answered by allowing the U.N. inspectors the time, resources and support needed to carry out the mandate unanimously endorsed by Resolution 1441,” it said.

The English-language daily questioned the authenticity of the audio-tapes, satellite pictures and other information supplied by Powell in a 90-minute address to the U.N. Security Council on Wednesday, February 5.

The daily added that U.S. claims that Iraq has links to the Al-Qaeda terror network “increase irrational fears about terrorism” and had been contradicted by several leading intelligence agencies.

New Myths

“Creating new myths about ‘evil’ individuals in order to achieve a political goal does not help,” it said.

Echoing Jordan’s official line, the newspaper also urged Iraq to cooperate with U.N. inspectors “in order to avoid giving any party a pretext for an unjust and devastating war”.

For the Arabic-daily Al Arab Al Yawm, Powell acted like a prosecutor who presented a charge sheet that was weak and unconvincing in order to pave the way for a military action on Iraq.

“Powell’s presentation is a prelude to a war that would be launched soon on Iraq,” it said.

The Star newspaper blasted Powell’s presentation as a sales pitch “rich in multimedia gadgetry, spy satellite imageries, phone-tapping, power point slideshows and background information on the horrors of biological weapons”.

“But it was short on delivering a damning evidence,” the weekly English-language newspaper said.

“Put together Mr. Powell’s case to incriminate Iraq for deceiving the U.N. inspectors and maintaining illicit relations with Al-Qaeda make up for one big pile of circumstantial evidence,” it added.

“Mr. Powell rambled on and on and the delegates and the world waited for a spectacular finale, but there was none,” said The Star, backing Russia’s call for more time to be given to U.N. weapons inspectors charged with disarming Iraq.

The newspaper also wondered whether Powell’s “indictment session” did not in fact show that “the U.S., too, was involved in its own deception scheme and bent on resorting to a military solution”.

Baseless Allegations

In Lebanon as well, Evidence of Iraq’s misdeeds presented by Powell failed to convince Thursday’s Lebanese press, which said Washington was determined to make war on Baghdad in any case.

“Powell’s Proof Lacks Proof,” said the front page of the daily Al-Kifah Al-Arabi, which said that “for 90 minutes the Secretary of State only spat out baseless allegations and accusations.”

“Powell’s ‘Proofs’ Did Not Convince Opponents of War,” said the French-language daily L'Orient-Le Jour.

Ad-Diyar for its part spoke of weak information and evidence, while concluding that “Powell’s speech triggers the countdown to the U.S. war on Iraq.”

As-Safir said that Powell’s dramatic expose had provoked “objections and calls for inspections to continue”, in a report headlined, “Washington Enters Final Stage of Offensive against Iraq.”

“It is clear that Washington sought through Powell’s speech to win both a media and a diplomatic battle, because the Secretary of State is the best choice to address a public opinion that is reluctant or opposed to a war for which it sees no justification”, an As-Safir editorial said.

An-Nahar said that a war already decided upon was now seeking its own justification, adding that Powell’s well-prepared presentation “gives the United States sufficient pretext to launch its offensive”.

Baghdad's media said Thursday that Powell’s U.N. report alleging Iraqi concealment of banned weapons comprised lies aimed at providing a cover for a US-led war.

“We do not think Powell’s lies - that not even a newborn would believe and which he presented to the Security Council members yesterday - have surprised anyone in the world,” said the official Al-Qadissiya newspaper.

“Everyone knew ahead of time that the ‘bomb of intelligence evidence’ which (U.S. President George W.) Bush alluded to in his last speech before Congress would not explode, and this is exactly what happened,” said the daily.

Powell made a presentation at the Security Council Wednesday, disclosing tapes and imagery that allegedly prove that Iraq was concealing and still developing weapons of mass destruction.