Bottom Lines

"I will ask the permission of my people to go to Jerusalem." -- Hosni Mubarak, Egypt's president Al-Ahram

"The Egyptian economy has achieved what could be called a miracle." -- Atef Ebeid, Egypt's prime minister Al-Wafd

"The objective of [releasing new video tapes] is to emphasise that Al-Qa'eda members carried out the 9/11 attacks. And thus those who were in doubt about any of this should just be quiet!" -- Said Sonbol, Columnist Al-Akhbar

"We had no clue, none, that Bin Laden was planning to take the war to the US." -- Turki Al-Faisal, Former Saudi security official Al-Hayat

"The Iraqi people need to restore full sovereignty over their daily life and political affairs. I believe it is important for the UN to lead the way through which Iraqis will regain sovereignty." -- Michele Alliot-Marie, French minister of defence, Asharq Al-Awsat

"We are currently facing the most difficult moment in the peace process since the signing of the Oslo Accords. The [threats] are not just about me; rather they are about the intention of the Israeli government to eliminate the Palestinian side in the equation of peace." -- Yasser Arafat, Palestinian president, Al-Ittihad