Papers ponder Bush 'secret' visit

Initial media reactions in the Middle East to the lightning visit by President Bush to Iraq reflect the secrecy of the operation.

Israeli papers - as well as an Iranian radio commentary - agree it was something of a propaganda coup.

The visit came too late for most Arabic papers to report, but one suggests the president should count himself lucky his plane was not hit by a rocket.

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The most secret operation that brought the US president for the first time to Baghdad was exactly the medicine Bush's position needs at the beginning of the home straight in the race for four additional years in the White House.

After long months of blows to the chin... Bush yesterday landed another propaganda blow on Saddam. There is nothing more American than a Thanksgiving roast turkey, and a US president serving it to his soldiers at the very airport that once bore the name of the deposed tyrant is a deep insult, victory of the Texan chilli over the Iraqi ambah (pickled mango).

Ma'ariv - Israel

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This was the greatest distance a serving US president ever went for dinner... But in less than a year, if and when Bush is elected for a second term, commentators will point to this journey as the start of his long journey towards another four years at the White House.

Such public relations exercises that entail personal risk on the one hand, and massaging the national ego on the other, have a great influence on the Americans. There is no doubt that Bush will rise in polls this week, provided his army does not suffer painful terrorist attacks in the next few hours or days.

Yediot Aharonot - Israel

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The main objective was to boost the morale of the American troops in that country. According to recent reports the morale of the American soldiers is low because of the increasing number of casualties... Of course, George Bush's other major objective in this visit was to pursue his own presidential election campaign. In fact the main objective of the proposal to set up an interim government in Iraq was to exploit the situation for next year's election campaign.

Iranian radio

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Bush's visit was supposed to be a public event... However this did not happen. President Bush visited Iraq by sneaking through the back door. His visit was kept totally secret...

President Bush should thank God profusely that his plane landed safely in Baghdad and took off safely, without any opposition rockets being fired at it. Bush's visit merely confirmed the extent of the US quagmire in Iraq and the failure of the US administration both in war and in peace.

Al-Quds Al-Arabi - London-based (in Arabic)

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May God, by next Eid al-Fitr, return Iraq to our brothers the Iraqis and let them by then enjoy peace and security. And may it by then be a free and happy nation, which enjoys sovereignty and stability, one unified in people, territories and institutions.

Al-Dustur - Jordan

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Any delay in the transfer of authority to Iraqis will change the pledges by the US and the transitional Governing Council to mere ink on paper, rendering them void of their original objective... Anything less will be very risky for everyone, without exception.

Al-Ahram - Egypt

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If US losses are to be reduced and progress made towards reviving Iraqi sovereignty, then there is no alternative to the UN.

Al-Mustaqbal - Lebanon

BBC Monitoring, based in Caversham in southern England, selects and translates information from radio, television, press, news agencies and the Internet from 150 countries in more than 70 languages.