MEDIA REACTION: INDIA-PAK RELATIONS, INDIA-

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 NEW DELHI 000074 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: INDIA-PAK RELATIONS, INDIA- BANGLADESH RELATIONS, ASIA, CLIMATE CHANGE; 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. -------------- INDO-PAK RELATIONS -------------- ¶1. "RESUMPTION OF INDO-PAK TALKS ESSENTIAL," editorial in January 13 right-of-center Urdu daily ETEMAAD: "India-Pakistan talks have been taken hostage by the Mumbai terror attacks and people-to-people contact is virtually dead. India-Pakistan tensions are in the interest of neither nation. When India requested World Bank for a watershed project in occupied Kashmir, it was told that the particular area is a disputed one and it does not belong to India. It shows the world community considers Jammu & Kashmir a disputed territory." -------------- INDIA-BANGLADESH RELATIONS -------------- ¶2. "A NEW CHAPTER IN INDIA-BANGLADESH RELATION," editorial in January 14 Guwahati Assamese AJIR DAINIK BATORI: "India sought to strengthen its ties with Bangladesh in order to curb terrorist activities. Sheikh Hasina, on the other hand, also understands that she has to take strong steps against these disruptive forces in the interest of her own security and the country's stability. No matter what foreign policy objectives Hasina has in mind, she requires India's cooperation to succeed in this endeavor." -------------- ASIA -------------- ¶3. "ASIA'S NEW POLITICAL EQUATIONS," editorial in January 15 centrist Marathi daily, PRAHAR: "India has recently had a round of bilateral talks with a series of countries, the latest being Japan when the Japanese Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama and Indian premier Manmohan Singh discussed ways to increase economic and defense ties and possible investment in civilian nuclear energy projects. It is possible that Japan wants to strengthen ties with India, and that's mainly to counter a fast-rising China. But India also needs these firm ties and trade exchanges. Similarly, Japan has also extended its hand of friendship towards Australia. At this juncture, the people-to-people relations between India and Australia are not very healthy. But India should realize that, like Japan, Australia could also be a long-term ally, in various sectors." -------------- CLIMATE CHANGE -------------- NEW DELHI 00000074 002 OF 002 ¶4. "INDIA IN CHINA'S TRAP," op-ed in January 14 right- of-center Hindi daily, DAINIK JAGRAN: "On some counts China is a developing country. On certain other fronts, it is a rising superpower. At the recent Copenhagen climate summit, China played the former role, and escaped without making any binding commitments on emissions. The real loser was carbon-light India, which sacrificed its interest by getting bracketed with the world's largest polluter. India unwittingly presented itself as a major global polluter by making common cause with China." ROEMER