King Assures India on Energy Needs
Raid Qusti & M. Ghazanfar Ali Khan, Arab NewsNEW DELHI, 27 January 2006 — Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah, who was the chief guest at India’s Republic Day parade yesterday, was enthralled by the annual event that showcased the country’s military might and cultural diversity in an 85-minute extravaganza.
The Arab News continues its front-page coverage of King Abdullah’s travels in Asia. Earlier this week, it was all-China; now it’s all-India. The Kingdom is certainly making efforts to expand its economic and political ties beyond the West. In fact, these moves parallel those being made by the US gov’t, which has discovered India as its new best friend and China as both a marketer’s dream and a national security problem.
The Republic Day parade in New Delhi is quite something to see. It’s probably the closest thing outside the communist world to imitate the May Day parades in Moscow. Perhaps Beijing’s is bigger; perhaps Pyongyang’s more threatening.
The King’s travels, though, have messed up some of my appointments in the KSA as many of the top editors and journalists are traveling with the King. It does give me a chance, though, to meet with some of the others whom I only know through phone conversations and e-mails.
Tomorrow is packed with appointments in Jeddah, then I fly back to Riyadh in the evening. I’ve unfortunately picked up a nasty cold in the UK. That winter cold is now a summer cold in Jeddah’s 80F climate. Good thing that today is the local equivalent of Sunday and I can spend most of the day in bed.
More, later.
This article, though somewhat sycophantic in an inimitable Arab media way, gives a good overview of the Kingdom’s goals in China.
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