11-17-2005, 11:45 PM
http://www.atimes.com/atimes/South_Asia/GK18Df01.html
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->India oils its Saudi Arabia ties
By Siddharth Srivastava
NEW DELHI - It has taken a half century for a Saudi monarch to visit India but the main guest for the country's Republic Day celebrations on January 26 will be King Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz.
King Saud was the last monarch from Saudi Arabia to visit New Delhi - in 1955 - and the record of Indian leaders traveling to the kingdom hasn't been much better. Former prime ministers Jawaharlal Nehru and Indira Gandhi visited Saudi Arabia in 1956 and 1982 respectively, though Cold War alignments made the two nations extremely suspicious of each other.
The arrival of King Abdullah, who is also prime minister and hence head of government as well, is not a routine matter. A foreign head of state or government being invited to be chief guest at the Republic Day parade in the heart of India's capital that showcases India's military might as well as democratic traditions, is considered a measure of the importance India attaches to its relationship with a country.<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->India oils its Saudi Arabia ties
By Siddharth Srivastava
NEW DELHI - It has taken a half century for a Saudi monarch to visit India but the main guest for the country's Republic Day celebrations on January 26 will be King Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz.
King Saud was the last monarch from Saudi Arabia to visit New Delhi - in 1955 - and the record of Indian leaders traveling to the kingdom hasn't been much better. Former prime ministers Jawaharlal Nehru and Indira Gandhi visited Saudi Arabia in 1956 and 1982 respectively, though Cold War alignments made the two nations extremely suspicious of each other.
The arrival of King Abdullah, who is also prime minister and hence head of government as well, is not a routine matter. A foreign head of state or government being invited to be chief guest at the Republic Day parade in the heart of India's capital that showcases India's military might as well as democratic traditions, is considered a measure of the importance India attaches to its relationship with a country.<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->