Arab media focus on Syria, anxious over Egypt vote

Arab media coverage of Egypt's first democratic elections reflected nervousness over a historic vote that could raise pressure for more reforms and bring to power Islamists who could change traditional foreign policies.

Arab rulers watched in dismay as popular uprisings seemed to come from nowhere this year to topple friend and ally leaders who ran Egypt and Tunisia with an iron fist with the approval of the United States.

Gulf rulers scrambled to stop the revolutionary movement spreading to the most conservative area of the Middle East, where all governments are controlled by ruling dynasties and only Kuwait has a parliament with real powers.

Qatar seized the initiative in backing rebels in Libya who eventually succeeded in ousting Muammar Gaddafi with the help of NATO air bombardments.

But its Al Jazeera television channel also ignored a pro-democracy protest movement in Bahrain that Gulf media presented as being driven by Shi'ite sectarianism and fomented by Shi'ite power Iran.

Qatar and Saudi Arabia have led efforts at the Arab League to impose economic sanctions on the Syrian government, sensing the potential fall of a key Arab ally of Iran.

Gulf state media focussed attention on Syria more than Egypt on Monday.

Newspapers in Bahrain ran stories trumpeting Syrian sanctions, attacking opposition parties and accusing Iran of interference in the Gulf.