The reiteration of the US and UK's commitment to Iraq and a peace settlement in the Middle East by US President George Bush and British Prime Minister Tony Blair leave many in the Arabic press unimpressed.

Commentators highlight what they see as the deteriorating situation in Iraq and contrast it with the two leaders' promises, and there is continued criticism for President Bush over his support for Israel's withdrawal plan from Gaza.

Bush and Blair's meeting at this critical moment has a number of implications... The most important is that they have both realised the dilemma they have caused for their countries and the world... A year after the Iraq war, the two leaders want to escape from the crisis they have fallen into... The UN was totally ignored a year ago, so it is too late to seek help from it.

Al-Watan - Saudi Arabia

The US government has lost the war and peace in Iraq.

Al-Quds Al-Arabi - London-based

The US political plan has fallen on its face... Iraq has become the opposite of what the US administration promised.

Al-Hayat (Commentary by Salah al-Din al-Jurshi) - London-based

Joining one of the all too many militias infesting Iraq nowadays is not deemed illegal. This is how these militias have grown into the awesome organisations they are today, under the nose of the Coalition Provisional Authority, to assume almost full control in the streets, taking the law into their own hands and intimidating ordinary citizens the way the Baathist bullies used to do.

Al-Mu'tamar (Commentary by Zuhair Kadhim Abbud) - Iraq

Handing over power to Iraqis will only be partial. Iraq is likely to have the same status as Puerto Rico, which has been a US colony for many years.

Al-Zaman (Commentary by Muhammad al-Shaqrah) - London-based

Iraq, Afghanistan, the Palestinians, Libya or Sudan pose no threat to the USA... The real threat to the USA is its own policies.

Al-Dustur (Commentary by Abdallah al-Khatib) Jordan

Bush's statements announced the death of his initiative known as the "road map". Palestinians have no option but to continue resisting after the peace process was aborted following the signing of its death certificate by Bush.

Al-Jazirah - Saudi Arabia

What happened is a slap in the face to all Arabs... The US administration has given Israel much more than the Israelis had asked for... It is as if a fool has thrown a stone into a well and now 1,000 mentally sound people are needed to retrieve it!

Al-Ra'y (Commentary by Sultan al-Hattab) - Jordan

The US administration has been snatched by a group of new Zionist conservatives and all its resolutions are made to serve Israel's hostile settlement plan.

Al-Quds Al-Arabi - London-based

Bush is no longer the US ruler. He is the president of the Security Council as well as the UN secretary-general, a plenipotentiary secretary of the UN Court of Justice, and a Sultan of the world. It is not an exaggeration as he has cancelled all international resolutions connected to Palestine.

Al-Riyadh - Saudi Arabia

The UN has criticised US support for Sharon. This confirms that Egypt and the Palestinians are not the only ones against Sharon's plans.

Al-Ahram - Egypt

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.