Bahrain offers Saddam exile while Arab world condemns 'colonial war'

Anger at the looming attack on Iraq was palpable across the Arab world yesterday as emirs and dictators tried to keep public protest under control.

In a last effort to avoid war, the King of Bahrain, Sheikh Hamad bin Isa al-Khalifa, offered Saddam Hussein peaceful exile on the Gulf island, an offer he was unlikely to take up.

Among Palestinians, usually friendly to Westerners, especially Europeans, there is a growing anger at the British as well as the Americans. "Are you not afraid to come here? That you will be punished for what Blair is doing in Iraq?" journalists were asked in the West Bank city of Nablus.

Already two foreign oil workers, an American and a Canadian, have been shot dead in Yemen. And, across the region, anger has surfaced even in the strictly controlled media of states friendliest to the US.

While Hosni Mubarak, the President of Egypt – the most populous Arab state – blamed President Saddam's intransigence yesterday for the conflict, a commentator in Al-Ahram, the largest official newspaper, which usually reflects the government line, accused the US of mounting a "colonial war".

Its editorial said: "The whole world believes that it is an unnecessary war. It was possible to resolve this crisis peacefully. It is also believed that it is irresponsible war."

The day before, the less strictly controlled opposition paper, Wafd, went further. "Bush, the most stupid leader in the world," it said, "with his herd of the US administration's hawks, have become experts and decision-makers deciding our destiny for the coming generations.

"This is a setback, which will be remembered in the history of our region for long time."

In Qatar, where the government is actively backing the war and allowing the US military to use its bases, the press, which enjoys more freedom than most in the Arab world, has condemned the war. "It is very clear that the Untied States is insisting in avoiding wisdom in dealing with the crisis," said an article in Al-Raya newspaper. "It has surrendered to the arrogance of power and its strong desire to impose its hegemony and will on the world.

"The United States wants to control the oil of Iraq and reshape the political map in the region to serve the American and Israeli interests."

In Jordan, King Abdullah is walking a tightrope between huge public opposition to the war and heavy US pressure for assistance. The government is insisting that US soldiers based in the country are there only to protect Jordan.

A commentator wrote in Al-Rai newspaper: "It is guaranteed that Iraq will become an American and Zionist base to control the entire region. It opens the doors for Israel to control the Arab oil."

Referring to the 1967 war in which Israel occupied East Jerusalem, the West Bank, Gaza Strip and Golan Heights, the article said: "The 1967 defeat was losing a battle and land. But the Iraq defeat is the defeat of a role ... It deprives our coming generation of any hope."

Only in Kuwait, which is the war's most fervent Arab backer, are there signs of widespread support. But even there, there is serious opposition, as witnessed by recent attacks on US soldiers.