Jeddah-based 'Arab News', commenting on the results of the Indian general elections, said the results of the midterm elections to the Lower House of the Indian Parliament made two things very clear. First, an overwhelming majority of Indians do not believe that their country is shining economically or politically under the leadership of Atal Behari Vajpayee and his Bharatiya Janata Party. Many in fact think that the BJP-led coalition has blackened India's face with an ideology based on narrowly defined Hinduism . Second, India's oldest party, the Congress, has regained some its sheen under the leadership of Sonia Gandhi, the Italian-born widow of the assassinated Former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandi.
On the visit of US Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld to Iraq, Jeddah-based Al-Bilad newspaper said the quick visit made by Rumsfeld to Iraq in the last few days had come at very difficult and complicated circumstances for the occupying forces in Iraq. The visit of Rumsfeld was accompanied and surrounded by the scandal of Abu Ghareeb Prison and the unsuccessful attempts of the US Administration to distract the attention of the American public opinion from that scandal. The big question is this: will Rumsfeld succeed in whitening the face of America in Iraq after the scandal of Abu Ghareeb Prison?
We should take into consideration the fact that Rumsfeld is viewed as one of the hawks of the US Administration, and at the same time, in Arab minds, is seen as an example of American arrogance. In addition, he is one of the sympathizers with the Zionist plans in the region in his capacity as one of the neo-conservatives in Washington.
On a domestic issue, Abha-based Al-Watan newspaper highlighted the vigilance of the security men, and said they had successfully apprehended the killer of an Egyptian child in the Eastern Region. 'The vigilance of the security men at this critical time when they are busy with terror crimes and pursuing terrorists is an essential matter for enhancing security and stability in the country, said the paper. This success, it added, was preceded by other achievements, and will also be followed by other achievements in the future.
