Michael Jansen
Long-standing US allies Jordan and Kuwait have condemned Monday's suicide bombings in Iraq which killed nearly 40 people, all but one were Iraqis.
The Jordanian Foreign Minister, Mr Marwan Muasher, said such "aggressions" targeted Iraq's security and stability and add to the suffering of the Iraqi people. The Kuwaiti Foreign Minister, Sheikh Muhammad al-Sabah, said terrorist attacks would hamper efforts to restore order.
Elsewhere, official reactions appeared in semi-official and other media which blamed the US for failing to provide security for Iraqis but castigated the bombers for targeting the Red Cross, a humanitarian organisation, and civilians.
Al-Khaleej, an independent liberal daily published in the United Arab Emirates, said the co-ordinated attack by five suicide bombers "serves the occupation and extends it instead of ending it".
Saudi Arabia's al-Riyadh said: "The political bubble has burst in Baghdad," then asked: "Will it be followed by other explosions or will the voice of reason prevail over the American dream of hegemony?"
Cairo's Al-Akhbar wrote: "The only way to disentangle from the impasse in which the United States finds itself and to avoid becoming mired in a swamp is to speed up the handover of power to Iraqis."
Beirut's al-Safir came out strongly against the bombers. "What happened . . . is more disgraceful than a crime: it is a deadly political mistake. Such political mistakes help the occupation to justify its horrible crimes."
In the view of Yemeni journalist Fares Ghanim: "If the security situation continues [to deteriorate], it will provide a fertile ground for Muslim extremists who want to take revenge on Americans."
The Jordan Times predicted: "The US is getting only a taste of the quagmire into which it plunged itself when it decided to bypass the UN and go to war without a shred of international legitimacy."