European press review

Spain's newspapers analyse the accord reached between Madrid and Rabat over the Mediterranean island of Perejil.

In Italy, a political row follows hard on the heals of the Sicilian rail crash. Schumacher's Formula One success is celebrated. And a Romanian daily views "a different kind of meeting" between Jacques Chirac and Vladimir Putin.

The islet of a storm

"The opportunity provided by the defused Perejil crisis must not be wasted," says Spain's El Pais, which sees the Perejil agreement as a chance for the two countries to repair their damaged relations.

ABC, on the other hand, believes there may be more trouble ahead.

US mediation demonstrates the EU's inability to assert itself on the international diplomatic stage

El Pais -Spain

It says "Morocco has embarked on a long-term strategy of defiance", with the ultimate aim of regaining the Spanish North African enclaves of Ceuta and Melilla.

La Razon praises EU Commission President Romano Prodi and US Secretary of State Colin Powell for brokering the agreement.

El Pais however, sees US involvement as a demonstration of the EU's inability to assert itself on the international diplomatic stage.

The agreement, it says, comes as a relief to the EU member states, "but it is another demonstration of their weakness when it comes to resolving problems between partners and allies".

Geneva's daily Le Temps notes that the dispute "will have lasting repercussions for the already tense relations between Spain and Morocco".

"The crisis has strengthened the Rabat-Washington relationship, which has been very strong since the rule of the late King Hassan II," Le Temps says.

Morocco, "Washington's Arab ally during the Cold War and a useful partner for contacts with Israel, has also distinguished itself recently in the fight against terrorism by dismantling several networks reportedly linked to Al-Qa'idah," the paper says.

The newspaper is also of the opinion that the crisis has "widened the North-South confidence divide", and failed to solve contentious issues between the two countries.

The French daily Le Monde agrees that the agreement between Madrid and Rabat primarily as "a major diplomatic success for Washington which values the support of both countries in its war against terrorism and in its peace initiative in the Middle East".

Off the rails

The Italian papers devote their front pages to Saturday night's train crash in Sicily in which eight people died.

Rome's La Repubblica focuses on the political row that erupted just hours after the accident.

The paper reports that both the Greens and the unions have accused the government of failing to invest in the modernisation of railways in the South. Instead, critics say, it is focusing on trying to build a costly bridge linking Sicily with the mainland.

The paper says Transport Minister Pietro Lunardi in his turn has accused the opposition and unions of exploiting people's grief, and said the government is taking steps to upgrade the line where the accident occurred.

Another dispute, the paper says, is erupting between Deputy Economy Minister Gianfranco Micciche and Greens leader and former Environment Minister Alfonso Pecoraro Scanio.

The paper quotes Micciche as saying that the Palermo-Messina railway would have been modernised 10 years ago if the Greens had not stopped the project.

The Greens leader reacts by saying these are "outrageous statements" and has asked Micciche to apologise.

The consumers' associations and unions on their part blame the Italian Railways for "the poor quality of the railway in several southern regions, many sections of which were built in the 19th century" the paper says.

In Palermo, La Sicilia concentrates on the as yet unknown causes of the crash.

An article headlined "Rail disaster, a tragedy without an explanation", offers four possible causes for the crash: human error, deterioration of the embankment, brake failure, or an object on the line.

Schumi's triumph

But Italians find something to celebrate in Michael Schumacher's achievement at being only the second man in history after Juan Fangio to win five Formula One world championships - driving a Ferrari.

Households will be flying the red Ferrari flag alongside the German flag.

Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung - Germany

La Repubblica, carries a picture of a delighted Schumacher with his wife beaming in delight as Schumacher says: "I love this Ferrari".

Corriere Della Sera prints a picture of an emotional Schumacher embracing Ferrari team leader Jean Todt with the headline: "Schumi goes into legend like Fangio".

The German papers are also predictably delighted, leading with pictures of a triumphant Schumacher with his fists in the air.

The Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung sees in Schumacher "a hero for the living room" which the paper says Germany badly needs.

The paper says households will be flying the red Ferrari flag alongside the German flag.

"You only see more national colours after good football world championships, but those are as rare as German successes over the last decade. But Schumi drives and wins year after year," the paper remarks.

"On the Formula One circuit Michael Schumacher's status cannot be questioned, he is a living legend...," it adds.

Informal summit

The Romanian daily Romania Libera comments on French President Jacques Chirac meetings with Russian President Vladimir Putin last week.

Emphasising the "informality" of Chirac's visit to Russia, the paper says that "Putin has confirmed his reputation of being a maestro of informal meetings".

This characteristic, the paper says, helped the Russian leader establish close relations with US, British and German leaders.

"Making jokes with the French chef in charge of their dinner, Chirac and Putin have demonstrated that informal meetings are more efficient than official summits," the paper says.

The European press review is compiled by BBC Monitoring from internet editions of the main European newspapers and some early printed editions.