Comrade Khaled: and Al-Akhbar

"“What is astonishing is that he condemned violence, but he didn’t say a word about what the United States did in Iraq,” said Khaled Saghieh, the executive editor of Al Akhbar, a Lebanese daily newspaper that leans toward Hezbollah. “If you want to call for a new beginning, you should at least apologize for tens of thousands of victims in Iraq.”"

PS Let me make this point to Western correspondents in the Middle East. Most of you don't know Arabic, so you rely second-hand services and opinions to judge trends in Arab media. I don't speak for Al-Akhbar but I will make a point or two. When Al-Akhbar is described as "leans toward Hizbullah" I suspect an opinion made by critics of Al-Akhbar. Al-Akhbar is a leftist independent newspaper: I dare say that it is the only Lebanese newspaper that has not received funding from Hariri or Saudi Arabia (even As-Safir has received funding from Saudi Arabia and Hariri Inc over the years), and for that it is defamed by its enemies. Al-Akhbar is a newspaper that has championed women's rights and gay rights (most unusual in the Arab press) and Hizbullah is a reactionary, sexist party that does not give a hoot about women's rights, and gay rights. Most of the people who are at the paper are leftist (and some even come from right-wing Lebanese Forces background). Having said all that: it is true that AlAkhbar supports resistance against the Israeli usurping entity but prefers that resistance is undertaken by communist groups. I have criticized and mocked the Iranian president and Khumayni at the paper, and Khaled Saghieh himself provided the best critique of Hasan Nasrallah's recent speech about May 7th, and just today comrades Faraj and Hicham wrote strong words against Hizbullah. If you are not sure what the paper is, just ask me.