US embassy cable - 05NEWDELHI3458

S E C R E T NEW DELHI 003458 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/08/2015 
TAGS: PREL, ETTC, KNNP, UK, IN, NSSP 
SUBJECT: REQUEST FOR GUIDANCE: INDIA AND PROLIFERATION 
SECURITY 
 
REF: A. NEW DELHI 3334 
 
     B. IIR 6 844 0339 05 
 
Classified By: Charge Robert O. Blake for Reasons 1.4 (B, D) 
 
1. (C) In the run-up to Defense Minister Mukherjee's planned 
June 27 arrival in Washington, Mission continues to be 
approached by senior GOI officials inquiring about US 
deliberations on India's admission to the PSI core group.  In 
this context, MEA officials cite the April 15 discussion 
between the Secretary and Foreign Minister Natwar Singh, 
during which Natwar indicated strong GOI interest in PSI, and 
flagged this as topic for the Indian Defense Minister's 
upcoming visit to Washington.  As reported ref A, British NSA 
Nigel Sheinwald heard a similar pitch from the MEA, linked to 
the GOI desire to associate itself with PSI before a planned 
fall 2005 PSI exercise in the Indian Ocean.  Pressed on the 
need for India to declare support for the PSI Statement of 
Interdiction Principles, Sheinwald's interlocutors asked 
whether such a statement would lead to membership in the PSI 
core group. 
 
2. (S) As a practical matter, the GOI has already begun to 
associate itself with PSI-type activities.  Ref B, for 
instance, describes a recent engagement in defense 
intelligence channels through which the Indian Navy boarded a 
vessel of interest to acquire ownership and crew-list data 
sought by US agencies.  Natwar Singh and other senior GOI 
officials have also begun to speak publicly of the need for 
new arrangements to combat the proliferation of WMD 
technology. 
 
3. (C) Action Request: Against this background, and bearing 
in mind bilateral discussions going back to Secretary 
Powell's March 2004 visit to New Delhi, mission requests 
guidance we can use in responding to GOI queries about the 
status of US deliberations on India's request for membership 
in the PSI core group. 
 
BLAKE