The following are excerpts from editorial opinions from newspapers from around the world which may be of interest to Royal Gazette readers.

Khaleej Times, Dubai, United Arab Emirates, on the genocide in Darfur:

The United Nations secretary general's visit to Sudan will look nice on paper, but unless quick and concrete steps are taken to address the worsening situation in Darfur there will be little left to salvage from the country's ongoing disaster. ...

The breakout of bitter fighting within the ranks of the region's notorious Janjaweed militia seems to have vindicated refugees' fears that the toning down of late of rape, killing and plunder was little but just another lull before yet another storm. ...

It is unfortunate that the chief reason for the delay in peacekeeping forces is the West's reluctance to appreciate the gravity of the situation.

Indeed, there can be little doubt that AU forces can do little without much-needed logistical support and attack helicopters that were to come from a seemingly concerned West.

And Secretary General Ban ki-Boon can look around Darfur and surroundings to his satisfaction. But the 200,000 dead, two million displaced, Arab-Arab war, janjaweed killing off the rebels, inter-rebellion-factions tussle, etc., that make for the orgy of death, rape and plunder that is modern day Darfur cannot wait for more sightseeing and further analyses pending on ground action.

The concerned talk needs to be replaced with action now. There is simply no more time to be lost.

The secretary general's return must be followed by a stern call to action by the international community. Anything less will reflect poorly on their sense of commitment.

The Hindu, Madras, India,–on Pakistani politics:

As two deadly bomb explosions in the garrison town of Rawalpindi on Sept. 4 signalled the intensifying spread of deadly terrorism in Pakistan, President Pervez Musharraf's claim to be serious about tackling the extremist challenge appears increasingly untenable. ...

Political parties will not be able to defeat terrorists in the battle for hearts and minds unless they can demonstrate that they are steadfast champions of the public interest. ... The data from recent surveys of public opinion underscore this reality. According to these polls, Nawaz Sharif, who has openly challenged the military-based regime, is by far the most popular leader.

In trying to co-opt the PPP (Pakistan People's Party), which could otherwise be a political force of some credibility in the struggle for democracy in Pakistan, General Musharraf is not mobilising political forces for the campaign against terror but is in fact undermining them.

In these circumstances, Benazir Bhutto's approach is highly retrograde. She was given a rare chance to work with other political parties to establish a sound democratic order in Pakistan. Today, a vast majority is no longer willing to put up with the military's proclivity to intervene in politics and governance.

As the mass movement for the re-instatement of the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court has shown, the people are more than ready to fight for their democratic rights. This is the right moment for the political parties to come together and prevail upon the non-democratic components of the power structure to subscribe to a constitutional order. ...