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Following are excerpts from an interview with Abd Al-Bari Atwan, Editor-in-Chief of the Al-Quds Al-Arabi newspaper, which aired on ANB TV on June 27, 2007:
Interviewer: Do you feel that there is a process of détente and an American-Iranian inclination to reach a deal – a difficult deal, but a deal nonetheless?
Abd Al-Bari Atwan: Look, if there is a deal at the end of the day, it will be at the expense of the Arabs. I'm sad to say that we have no backbone now. If Iran reaches a deal with the Americans, what will be its bottom line? That Iran will have a nuclear program, and even if it does not manufacture nuclear weapons in the next 5-10 years, it will do so later. One of the fruits of such a deal would be a significant Iranian role in the region. Iran will remain a regional military power, which will threaten, or rather, will control and have hegemony over the region. If a war breaks out, where will the Iranians retaliate? If Iran is able to retaliate, it will burn the oil wells, block the Straits of Hormouz, attack the bases in the Gulf, and Allah willing, it will attack Israel as well. If the Iranian missiles strike Israel – by Allah, I will go to Trafalgar Square, and dance with delight if the Iranian missiles strike Israel.
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Iraqi President Saddam Hussein wanted to obtain weapons of mass destruction, and the Americans made him pay the price, with Arab collaboration. This shows you the stupidity of the Arabs – now they miss the days of Saddam Hussein. Now the Arabs realize how wrong they were to destroy Iraq, and to violate the balance of power with Iran. Now they are kicking themselves, particularly in the Gulf and Saudi Arabia, because Iraq has turned into anarchy, and there is nothing they can do about it.
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In Chirac's time, there was blood between Chirac himself and the [Lebanese] opposition. Chirac considered the assassination of Rafiq Al-Hariri to be a personal offense, a matter concerning a personal friend of his, just like the Saudi King Abdallah bin Abd Al-Aziz considered the assassination of Al-Hariri – Saudi Arabia's man in Lebanon – as a personal affront to him and to Saudi Arabia. That is the reason for the tension and disagreement with Syria. In addition to the political considerations, there were personal matters. Sarkozi does not have Chirac's desire for revenge. Where did Chirac go when he left the Élysée palace? He went straight to Al-Hariri's home. This shows you the depth of their personal relations. This was a disgrace. Is it conceivable that the president of France has no home, and has to go to Al-Hariri's? This is a disgrace for Chirac. He has begun to behave like an Arab, I'm sad to say.
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I am very pleases to see Blair leaving 10 Downing Street. Really, this man caused the greatest humiliation to the Arabs and Muslims, besides George Bush – and maybe even more than him. He is the only one in the Western world who supported Bush's wars in the Arab region. It was Tony Blair who encouraged the Americans to invade Iraq, and to wage the current war in it. This man employed lies, deceit, and deception. He discovered the British people and the entire world.
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The man is a liar. He should be held accountable, because he has blood on his hands. He is responsible for the killing of one million Iraqis, and for the destruction of the Arab state of Iraq...[...]
How can such a man serve as a peace envoy? This man is a war criminal, so how can he suddenly change? President Bush wanted to reward him for being his poodle, so he gave him this position, just like her rewarded the other warmonger, Paul Wolfowitz, by appointing him President of the World Bank, and thank God, he was removed by a certain Libyan woman.
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How can you reward this man by appointing him envoy to the Middle East? It is like a criminal who returns to the scene of the crime. You are sending Blair back to the scene of his crime. This is a problem. He should be pelted with rotten eggs and tomatoes, rather than receive this honor, because he destroyed us, and he hates us, as Arabs and Muslims.
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