Jury still out
Will the declaration of a governing council hasten the end of the occupation of Iraq, asks Salah Hemeid

Losing in Faluja
This week the US army decided to substantially reduce its troop presence in Faluja. It amounts to an admission of their failure to govern there, reports Graham Usher in Faluja

The embers smoulder
Israel remains determined to exacerbate, rather than redress, Palestinian grievances, writes Khaled Amayreh

Arafat vs Abbas
The tug of war between Arafat and Abbas has been contained for the moment, but as Khalid Amayreh reports, there are no guarantees it will last

Partial Syrian withdrawal from Lebanon
Syria has scaled back its military presence in Lebanon in the fourth major redeployment in three years. Mouhalhel Fakih reports from Lebanon

Setting America above the law
Bowing to US pressure, Cairo has agreed to grant US officials immunity from prosecution by the International Criminal Court. Soha Abdelaty investigates

Busy session in the balance
While a parliamentary report was full of praise for this year's session, independent analysts were far less enthusiastic. Gamal Essam El-Din reviews the assembly's harvest

Egypt:

Bribery business
This week's sentencing of former Giza Governor Maher El-Guindi to seven years in prison may have far reaching implications for other powerful officials, reports Gamal Essam El-Din

The road to extradition
Although Egypt doesn't have an extradition treaty with Uruguay, the South American country has turned over an alleged Islamist militant to Egyptian authorities following four years of legal wrangling. Jailan Halawi reports

Region:

Daggers and roses
The tribes of southern Iraq continue to hold the reigns of power despite efforts by the occupation forces to establish their own version of law and order, writes Karim El-Gawhary in Basra

Kurdish collision course
Kurdish militants killed six people in two attacks in southeast Turkey last week, further exacerbating the crisis in Ankara's ties with Washington. Gareth Jenkins reports from Istanbul

To hell with it
The sixth round of Sudanese peace talks in Kenya ended abruptly when Khartoum rejected the mediators' proposals for a peace deal. But in an exclusive interview with Gamal Nkrumah , United States Special Envoy to Sudan John Danforth said he remained confident that peace can be achieved

Press review