MEDIA REACTION: U.S. FOREIGN POLICY,

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 NEW DELHI 000592 SIPDIS STATE FOR NP, AC, PM STATE FOR INR/MR STATE FOR SCA/INS, PM/CBM, PM/PRO STATE FOR SCA/PPD, PA/RRU STATE FOR AID/APRE-A USDOC FOR 4530/IEP/ANESA/OSA FOR BILL MURPHY E.O. 12958:N/A TAGS: KMDR KPAO PGOV PREL IN SUBJECT: MEDIA REACTION: U.S. FOREIGN POLICY, INDIA/PAKISTAN, GLOBAL ECONOMY. This countrywide cable reports on relevant media reaction/opinion from India's large non-English press. The Mission reports on English-language media via email through the daily "Early Edition" summary. -------------- U.S. FOREIGN POLICY -------------- ¶1. "BRIGHT INITIATIVES OF BLACK U.S. PRESIDENT" op-ed article in the March 26 right-of-center Urdu daily RASHTRIYA SAHARA by staffer Asad Raza: "Obama is implementing his election campaign promises. The U.S. can regain the lost trust of the Muslim world by stopping its blind support to Israel, and helping the shattered Palestinians. Iran's cold attitude toward President Obama's approach is justified as Bush Sr. and Jr. did considerable damage to U.S. goodwill. But President Obama's positive steps must be supported by the international community, particularly Iraq, Iran and Afghanistan." ¶2. "U.S. FOREIGN POLICY: TRYING TO COME OUT OF WHIRLPOOL OF THE PAST" analysis in right-of-center Urdu daily RASHTRIYA SAHARA: "Obama's willingness to establish a new relationship with the Muslim world on the basis of mutual interest and mutual respect seems to be turning into a reality. The U.S President has offered direct talks with Iran and announced withdrawal of the U.S forces from Iraq. He is also reaching out to good Taliban in a bid to end violence in Afghanistan. These praiseworthy initiatives, taken in a time span of merely two months, have certainly cooled down the region's temperature. We have to see what comes ahead." -------------- INDIA/PAKISTAN -------------- ¶3. "HOW CLEAN IS ISI?" editorial in the March 25 nationalist RASHTRIYA SAHARA Hindi daily: "Pakistan's Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi says the Inter- Services Intelligence (ISI) is clean and has nothing to do with terrorists. But many countries, including India, have evidences of ISI's supporting terrorism. The FBI also accepted ISI's involvement in its report on the Indian Embassy attack in Afghanistan.... ISI could have never imagined that the same terrorist structure it supported against India would one day turn against it... Qureshi's saying that he cannot vouch for ISI's activities prior to his tenure shows he is being non- committal." ¶4. "HIDDEN WAR: OPEN CONSPIRACIES" editorial in the March 27 centrist Marathi daily SAKAAL. "Pakistan does not seem to want peace in the Kashmir valley. Going by the series of encounters between the Indian army and infiltrators from across the border, Pakistan is almost waging an undeclared war against India. The Lashkar-e- Toiba, which has claimed responsibility for the encounters, cannot carry out such systematic violent NEW DELHI 00000592 002 OF 002 actions without the help of Pakistani military and intelligence." -------------- GLOBAL ECONOMY -------------- ¶5. "IN PLACE OF DOLLAR," editorial in the March 26 centrist NAVBHARAT TIMES Hindi daily: "Zhou Xiaochuan, governor of China's central bank, has proposed replacing the dollar as the world's reserve currency to help reform the global monetary system. He says that the use of a currency, which belongs to a sinking economy, would not help end the international financial crisis. Russia also recommended it recently and U.S. economist Joseph Stieglitz has been saying the same. The U.S. finance deficit has become more than 10% with Bush's and Obama's stimulus packages. It is clear that the continuation of the dollar as the international currency is not just dangerous for the world, but also for the U.S." WHITE