MEDIA REACTION: PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA'S 100

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 NEW DELHI 000891 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: PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA'S 100 DAYS, PAKISTAN/AFGHANISTAN, TERRORISM REPORT, NEPAL; NEW DELHI. 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. -------------- PRESIDENT OBAMA'S 100 DAYS -------------- ¶1. "OBAMA'S CONFIDENT BEGINNING," op-ed article by columnist Rashmi Bhure in May 5 centrist Marathi daily SAKAAL: "It is commendable that despite being surrounded by multiple domestic challenges, President Obama has given precedence to foreign policy issues. He wants to regain America's lost supremacy in global affairs. He believes in dialogue - dialogue with allies as well as with countries like Iran and North Korea. His tour of Europe was therefore a crucial component of his foreign policy, as was the interface with G-20 countries. The beginning is good and the future holds promise." -------------- PAKISTAN/AFGHANISTAN -------------- ¶2. "PAKISTAN ON THE RIGHT TRACK," editorial page article in May 4 right-of-center DAINIK JAGRAN Hindi daily by Commodore C. Uday Bhaskar, defense and strategic affairs expert: "The Obama Administration is following the strategy of President Bush's Administration -- putting its money on the Pakistan Army. But the Obama Administration deserves credit for conveying to Pakistan in very clear terms that its real enemy is not India, but militants within Pakistan. This U.S. advice to Pakistan is absolutely correct and in India's favor. If Pakistan is now going hammer and tongs after the Taliban, then it is on the right track." ¶3. "HOW EFFECTIVE IS THE PAK GOVERNMENT?" editorial in May 4 right-of-center Urdu daily SIASAT: "Pakistan's government seems to be losing ground steadily to the Taliban. It is a very worrisome situation, Pakistan being a nuclear state. If Pakistan's nuclear arsenal falls in the wrong hands, the whole of South Asia could face unimaginable catastrophe. If Pakistan's government does not wake up, the country's very existence will be endangered." -------------- TERRORISM REPORT -------------- ¶4. "MOST AFFECTED," editorial in May 4 RASHTRIYA SAHARA Hindi daily: "India is one of the countries worst hit by terror, but the Indian government's counterterrorism efforts remain hampered by its outdated and overburdened law enforcement and legal systems, a U.S. State Department report has said. This report should be an eye- opener for us. We should accept that our security and judicial systems are flawed. There is a need for radical NEW DELHI 00000891 002 OF 002 changes in the police training system; more people should be recruited, and it is necessary to ensure better coordination among security agencies." -------------- NEPAL -------------- ¶5. "ANARCHIC NEPAL," editorial in May 5 independent Bengali daily ANANDABAZAR PATRIKA: "If Prime Minister Prachanda and his Maoist associates do not relent, Nepal may fall into grave political uncertainty. It would not be surprising if the Nepalese prefered a military coup to a Maoist dictatorship." ¶6. "VIOLENCE IN 'SECULAR' NEPAL," editorial in May 5 right-of-center Gujarati daily MUMBAI SAMACHAR: "Nepal is witnessing yet another round of political tumult due to the military-government standoff. The Maoist-backed Prachanda government has failed to deliver on the economic front, and hence is trying to deflect the people's attention from the core issues plaguing the economy. While it was easy to dislodge the monarchy, there is a total lack of vision among the leaders to take the Himalayan kingdom forward on the path of progress and development." ¶7. "NEPAL: YET ANOTHER OPPORTUNITY FOR INDIA," editorial in May 5 centrist Gujarati daily DIVYA BHASKAR: "Instead of endangering the budding democracy in Nepal, Prime Minister Prachanda opted to resign. There were fears, subsequently doused by this move, that Pranchada might adopt a confrontational attitude... but Prachanda's Communist Party of Nepal (CPN) won't remain mute spectators if they have to sit in the opposition. India should not forget that Prachanda has the backing of China. Hence, India's effective and timely role in ensuring stability in Nepal will leverage the balance of power in India's favor in the subcontinent." ¶8. "ANOTHER RESTLESS NEIGHBOR," editorial in the May 5 centrist Marathi daily LOKMAT. "The fall of Prachanda's infant government is bad news for India. With a political crisis brewing in Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh, India could have done without an additional worry in another border region. Nepal's political crisis has an obvious effect on the peace in Asia..." BURLEIGH