On anti-terrorism campaign

The first guarantee for the success of the international campaign against terrorism is that the world powers, influential in solving the Middle East crisis such as the United States, the EU and Russia, help in establishing, soon, the sovereign Palestinian state. The Palestinians' sentiment of despair and frustration, on one hand, and Israel's continued aggressive policy, on the other hand, lead to a mounting wave of violence and terror in the Middle East.

Everyone knows that hopelessness is one of the main reasons behind terrorism and that the presence of a sovereign state, such as a Palestinian state, means that there exists a real authority and a government capable of maintaining peace on its territory and of controlling all political powers to prevent them from exercising any act that destabilizes peace and security.

It is irrational to ask the Palestinian Authority to prevent violence while it does not possess the state's potentials which enable it to carry out its real duty in maintaining peace and security.

-- Al-Ahram, Cairo, Egypt