Gestures and reminders

The Indians are not playing ball, and for good reasons. India is standing up to the Americans and has said no to Washington. India will not be sending troops to Iraq. They are not joining the British and the Poles in helping the Americans to police Iraq. They will not be coerced into facilitating the occupation of Iraq.

We take off our hats to India. The decision of the Indian government to stand up to American pressure rekindles old memories of the tradition of post-colonial solidarity between Egypt and India.

India's symbolic gesture feels like a throwback to the era of Bandung, the Non-Aligned Movement, third world solidarity and the swinging 1960s. India has, over the decades, remained a good friend to Egypt and the Arabs. The decision not to participate in the policing of Iraq as an occupying force is a reminder of the days when Jawaharal Nehru made his memorable visit to Egypt in the early 1950s. We are reminded of his meeting with the young Free Officers during Nehru's visit to Egypt, and the special symbolism it conveyed.

Next week Egypt will celebrate the 50th anniversary of the declaration of the republic. Again, it is time to reflect on the past, and on the heritage bequeathed us. We stand at a crossroads and need to examine the relevance of the past to our present lives.

Half a century on and the world has changed beyond recognition. Iraq has been under an American-led occupation for more than three months. But the Iraqi people are resisting the occupation as never before. More than 70 American soldiers have been killed in Iraq since US President George W Bush declared the end of hostilities.

Resistance, the refusal to bow to superpower pressure, solidarity with people under occupation: these are the most pertinent issues that spring to mind when we think of India's principled and courageous gesture