Cartoon of the day
(al-Sabah al-Jadeed, September 6)  Standing behind the cement blocks that protect government buildings from attack, an official tells the interview, "That proves we are transparent- they come in different sizes.”

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Editorial: Fuel Crisis: From Temporary Fixes to Strategic Vision
(Al-Adala, Sep, 4 2006, By Hamdi Hassan)  The media have produced many articles about the fuel crisis, and this pressured the government and oil ministry to work hard to resolve the problem in two days. Now there are no long petrol queues, and no black marketeers on the streets. We want to thank all those who had a hand in stopping a problem that Iraqis had endured for months. We would have preferred it if the solution had been the fruit of a strategic plan rather than being forced by media pressure. We hope the oil ministry will provide a supply of oil products that exceeds the need, so that prices stabilise and there is no black market. The success needs to be sustained, and the oil ministry must put in place a permanent plan to eliminate the possibility of further crises.
(Al-Adala is issued daily by the Supreme Council of the Islamic Revolution in Iraq.)

Editorial: Call for Rapid Solutions
(Al-Sabah al-Jadeed, Sep 3, 2006, By Ismail Zair)  As the violence escalates, people have lost faith in promises that it will come to an end. They have run out of patience. Whenever there is a sign of light at the end of the tunnel, American and other western media depict the situation as if civil war was about break out at any more. They suggest that Iraqis are doomed to sectarian and civil warfare. Meanwhile, our neighbours do not help resolve the crisis but just look on as the bloodshed – the work of people who have slipped over the border into Iraq - continues. Despite the prolonged chaos, these states have shown no sign of assisting the reconciliation project. It seems they are busy with more important matters. We hope that those involved in the reconciliation plan will realise that every day that passes without a solution being reached means more loss of life, and less of a chance of bridging the gaps that divide the various actors in the process. As well as being surrounded in pessimism, the reconciliation process is proceeding too slowly. The argument that the groundwork for the plan has not been done adequately will no longer wash with people who want to wake up one day and see the nightmare at an end.
(Al-Sabah al-Jadeed is an independent daily paper.)

Opinion: The Flag Issue
(Al-Mashriq, Sep, 6, 2006, By: Sabah al-Lami)  The flag problem has come up again – we might call it "the independence complex". [The article refers to a proposal to replace the Iraqi flag with the Kurdish one on public buildings in the north. The Iraqi government has blocked the move.] Kurdish regional president Massoud Barzani can postpone the issue to another time, especially since he has stated that the Kurdish flag has not been raised over buildings in the region. The Iraqi government ought to have drawn Barzani’s attention to the fact that the suffering of Iraqis is a bigger issue than his complex about the flag, and that anything that divides people should be avoided. The issue is really about the former regime, rather than the flag itself. Iraqis used to hate anything associated with the regime, even though - to be honest - many good things happened then, such as the nationalisation of oil, free education, the eradication of illiteracy. The arrogance, dictatorship and bad conduct of the former president Saddam Hussein meant these positive aspects were lost. Saddam added nothing to the flag except the words "God is Great", and parliament later changed the style it was written in. Iraqis believe the flag represents their unity. If it is to be changed, parliament should deal with it. The Kurds are represented in the parliament, so they can submit a proposal to change the flag through the legislative channel, rather than by personal decree.
(Al-Mashriq is published daily by Al-Mashriq Institute for Media and Cultural Investments.)