SPECIAL MEDIA REPORT - COVERAGE OF POTUS AF-

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 NEW DELHI 002429

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STATE FOR NP, AC, PM

STATE FOR INR/MR

STATE FOR SCA/INS, PM/CBM, PM/PRO

STATE FOR SCA/PPD, PA/RRU

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USDOC FOR 4530/IEP/ANESA/OSA FOR BILL MURPHY

E.O. 12958:N/A
TAGS: KMDR KPAO PGOV PREL IN
SUBJECT: SPECIAL MEDIA REPORT - COVERAGE OF POTUS AF-
PAK SPEECH IN INDIAN MEDIA

SUMMARY: The majority of the reporting on the
President's speech on Indian television channels is so
far objective and straightforward. The timing of the
speech (0630 December 2 in India) means that commentary
and analyses as well as newspaper stories, are yet to
come. President Obama's call to PM Singh in advance of
the speech to preview its messages was reported
overwhelmingly positively in the morning's newspapers
and television reports. The telephone call is seen in
New Delhi as U.S. acknowledgement of India's
substantial role in Afghanistan. News stories pointed
out that this was the first time the President had
consulted New Delhi before a major policy statement.
The outliers were India's CNN-IBN news channel which
this morning criticized the speech saying, The
President "made no mention of the Mumbai attacks, or
the need to take on the Lashkar-e-Taiba," thereby
"leaving India in the cold," the channel said. The
reports further took issue with the strategy of
offering a withdrawal timeframe, which the report felt
thereby "encourages Al-Qaeda and the Taliban to stay
their course" until the U.S. vacates Afghanistan. It
is too soon to say if this will become a trend in
commentary - that seems unlikely at this juncture but
tomorrow's press will hold the answer. The Embassy
also put out a statement by Ambassador Roemer today,
reiterating India's role as a key partner on the way
forward in Afghanistan and Pakistan. End summary.

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U.S. LEAVES INDIA COLD: TV CHANNEL
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1. The speech appeared on major Indian news networks
soon after it was delivered. NDTV 24x7 headlined their
story "Nuclear-armed Pakistan big security threat, says
Obama," and quoted the President as saying the cancer
of terrorism has spread from Afghanistan to Pakistan
and that the danger will grow if the region slides
backwards. The TIMES NOW channel, in their story "US
sends nuclear alarm on Pakistan," said the President
described the stakes in the region being higher with a
nuclear-armed Pakistan.


2. The 24-hour CNN-IBN English news channel was,
however, hard-hitting in its reaction. The channel
said: "This was a message meant to reassure the
Americans and the Pakistanis, but it has ended up
leaving India in the cold. Obama has described the U.S.
relationship with Pakistan as key to the success of the
Af-Pak plan. He made no mention, though, of the 26/11
attacks on Mumbai, or the need to take on the Lashkar-
e-Taiba."


3. The channel's chief diplomatic correspondent Parull
Malhotra said: "When President Obama talked about a
time-bound withdrawal of American troops, what he
essentially did is encourage the Al-Qaeda and Taliban
to stay their course, because they know that within 18
months the American troops will be out of their
country. And during that time period, and even beyond,

NEW DELHI 00002429 002 OF 002


they will continue to work actively against Indian
interests."


4. "There was no mention of the Mumbai attacks. Obama
talked about the London bombings, 9/11, and even the
Bali bombings, but 26/11 found no mention in his
crucial address," CNN-IBN said.

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POTUS TELEPHONE CALL REPORTED POSITIVELY
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5. All newspapers highlighted the President's call to
PM Manmohan Singh before the speech. THE INDIAN EXPRESS
said the telephone call is being seen in New Delhi as
U.S. acknowledgement of India's role in Afghanistan.


6. THE TIMES OF INDIA said that while the phone call
was one of several that President Obama made, officials
said India's satisfaction was derived from the high
level of Obama's commitment to stay the course in
Afghanistan despite growing clamor in the US for an
early pullout.


7. THE TIMES OF INDIA'S diplomatic editor Indrani
Bagchi said: "The Obama-Singh conversation had another
important component for India: India's own presence and
activity in Afghanistan. The Indian takeaway here is
that the Pakistan "line" which, in some ways was
reflected in the report prepared by the top US
commander in Afghanistan General Stanley McChrystal,
that Indian activities in Afghanistan could be counter-
productive, was comprehensively discarded. Obama
reportedly told the PM that Indian activities were not
only appreciated but they should continue."


8. THE HINDUSTAN TIMES daily reported U.S. diplomatic
sources as saying that this was the first time the
President had consulted New Delhi before a major policy
statement.
ROEMER