US embassy cable - 04NEWDELHI7090

C O N F I D E N T I A L NEW DELHI 007090 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/05/2017 
TAGS: PREL, EAID, PGOV, PHUM, IZ, IN, India-Iraq, Human Rights 
SUBJECT: INDIAN ASSISTANCE TO IRAQ 
 
Classified By: Deputy Chief of Mission Robert O. Blake, Jr. 
for reason 1.4 (b,d) 
 
1. (C) Indian Joint Secretary for the Americas in the Indian 
Ministry of External Affairs Dr. S. Jaishankar called DCM 
November 5, to inform the USG about the specifics of Indian 
assistance to Iraq to help prepare for the upcoming Iraqi 
elections.  Jaishankar said India is offering a 3-part 
assistance program: 
 
-- The Indian Election Commission will provide training for 
thirty Iraqi election officials for a period of two weeks. 
 
-- India will commit five million dollars to the 
International Democracy Fund under the aegis of the UN. 
 
-- The Indian Election Commission also will offer to assist 
Iraq to draft regulations for the conduct of the Iraqi 
Elections.  Jaishankar said India is prepared to invite Iraqi 
Election Commission officials to India to consult on the 
draft regulations, if that would be helpful. 
 
2. (C) DCM welcomed news of the Indian offer and asked 
whether India had communicated the specifics of its program 
to the Iraqis.  Jaishankar responded that thus far India had 
only communicated with the United States and the UN on this 
matter.  DCM urged Jaishankar to have the appropriate MEA 
officials contact the Iraqi's directly. 
 
3. (C) DCM also asked whether India intended to make its 
offer public.  Jaishankar responded that an oblique reference 
to the assistance had appeared for the first time publicly in 
Prime Minister's Monmohan Singh's congratulatory letter to 
President Bush.  Given the continued sensitivities in India 
about Iraq, Jaishankar indicated that it would be best from 
India's domestic political perspective to keep news of 
India's program in a UN context.  He requested that the 
United States not make public news of India's electoral 
program, so that India could manage how and when to do so. 
 
4. (C) Comment: India has undertaken this Electoral 
Assistance Program primarily as a gesture to the United 
States.  As Jaishankar's comments reflect, any kind of 
assistance by India to Iraq is likely to be sensitive here 
and subject to criticism by Left and others.  Mission 
requests that all addressees respect the GOI's request that 
the U.S. not publicize news of this offer until the GOI 
itself has done so. 
 
5. (U) Minimize considered. 
MULFORD