The handing over and subsequent treatment of Iraq's report on its weapons holdings to the United Nations has featured prominently in Iraqi and other Arab media since the weekend.

On Monday, Iraq's Al-Jumhuriyah voiced scepticism that the report would be taken seriously.

Bush, without even knowing the report's contents... has started whingeing, lying and threatening Al-Arab al-Alamiyah

"The American administration is not seeking to convince itself that Iraq has no arms of mass destruction", it said. "It is rather implementing its new foreign policy, the first step being the destruction of Iraq."

London-based, pro-Libyan Al-Arab al-Alamiyah was more personal in its language.

"Bush, without even knowing the report's contents... has started whingeing, lying and threatening... alleging that he has got evidence of the existence of hidden weapons of mass destruction."

It castigated Arab leaders for not responding to the American claims.

War of words

On Tuesday, Iraq's ruling Baath party paper Al-Thawrah accused the British media of following the American line on the report.

"Every artificial escalation in America's threatening

What is now required from all the parties to the Iraqi crisis is to stop issuing statements and declaring their stances until the Iraqi report is scrutinised Al-Ahram

language against Iraq coincides with the spontaneous zeal of the British media in carrying statements hostile to Iraq made by British officials", it said.

Egypt's mass-circulation Al-Ahram called for clear heads as the war of words over the report escalated.

"What is now required from all the parties to the Iraqi crisis is to stop issuing statements and declaring their stances until the Iraqi report is scrutinised by the relevant international bodies probing Iraq's weapons' programme."

The paper appealed to the UN, and the Security Council in particular, to "hold all the ropes of the Iraqi crisis in its own hands."

'Act of piracy'

An act of blackmail aimed at trickery and finding a cover for aggression Al-Iraq

Iraqi and pan-Arab media made much on Wednesday of the Americans obtaining and copying the UN report. Al-Iraq and Al-Jumhuriyah both spoke of an "act of piracy" in their news reports.

Al-Iraq called it an "act of blackmail aimed at trickery and finding a cover for aggression".

Qatar's Al-Jazeera TV carried remarks from the head of the Iraqi National Monitoring Directorate, Husam Muhammad Amin, who also spoke of "piracy" and said he did not rule out the possibility that the US would tamper with the report.

The USA quickly took the original copy of the Iraqi report and trivialised it Al-Dustur

Other Arab media were also critical. Saudi Arabia's centrist Ukaz said: "The USA wants to impose its interpretation of the report on the Security Council and does not want the task of interpreting to be spread out to others."

Jordan's pro-government Al-Dustur accused the Bush administration of not taking the report seriously.

"In its haste to strike a devastating military blow on Iraq... the USA quickly took the original copy of the Iraqi report and trivialised it," it said.

It called the US behaviour "a direct slap in the face of the UN".

'US isolated'

Thursday's editorial in Al-Iraq continues to portray the US as isolated. "Outside America, no state believes what Washington says.

It is the historic duty of Arabs and Muslims to realize that the savagery used by Bush in his threats is meant to destroy the Arab-Islamic nerve that Iraq represents Al-Iraq

"The arms inspection teams will expose to the world the American lies if they discharge their current mission with honesty and professionalism," the paper says.

It calls on other Arab states to stand firm behind Iraq.

"It is the historic duty of Arabs and Muslims to realize that the savagery used by Bush in his threats is meant to destroy the Arab-Islamic nerve that Iraq represents. It is a savage aggression that must be avoided by every effort."

Meanwhile, Egypt's Al-Ahram appeals to the UN Security Council to hold its nerve.

"The burden being placed on the permanent members is increasing and it is up to them to bear the burden and settle this raging conflict," it says.

"If they don't do so, they will be held responsible for all the disastrous results that may possibly arise from a deterioration of the situation."

BBC Monitoring, based in Caversham in southern England, selects and translates information from radio, television, press, news agencies and the internet from 150 countries in more than 70 languages.