US embassy cable - 05NEWDELHI3770

C O N F I D E N T I A L NEW DELHI 003770 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 05/30/2015 
TAGS: PREL, EAID, ASEC, IZ, IN, India-Iraq 
SUBJECT: INDIAN ENVOY TO REVIVE IRAQ ASSISTANCE OFFER 
 
REF: NEW DELHI 3402 
 
Classified By: Charge Robert O. Blake, Jr., for Reasons 1.4 (B, D) 
 
1. (C) On the eve of his May 22-25 mission to Baghdad, GOI 
mid-east envoy Chimaya Gharekhan told the Charge that "India 
needs to be move involved in Iraq" for its own interests, and 
indicated that he would convey to the Iraqi government "an 
open-ended commitment" to provide whatever assistance 
authorities in Baghdad would find most useful.  The Charge 
welcomed the GOI's public offer to help with the process of 
constitution drafting, but encouraged Gharekhan also to think 
of other areas where India could be helpful, such as police 
and security force training that would capitalize on New 
Delhi's counter-insurgency experience.  The Indian envoy 
replied that "we can do that kind of thing, but the Iraqis 
must show an interest."  Echoing what we heard earlier from 
the Foreign Ministry (reftel) Gharekhan indicated that the 
GOI was prepared to move quickly on assistance, but would 
want to focus on programs that can be offered in India, at 
least until the security situation stabilizes. 
 
2. (C) Discussing the broader issue of Indian involvement in 
Iraq, the Charge urged the lifting of the current GOI travel 
ban, noting that this denies economic opportunities to Indian 
workers and hobbles India's involvement there.  Gharekhan 
reported that New Delhi would name a Baghdad ambassador 
"soon," flagged Indian interest in reviving contacts with the 
Iraqi oil ministry (including on exploration and training) 
and indicated that he would encourage the Iraqi Prime 
Minister to send a senior delegation to New Delhi that could 
energize bilateral relations. 
 
3. (C) Comment: After months of ambivalence in the Indian 
approach to Iraq policy (fueled mainly by complicated 
coalition politics here in Delhi) the GOI is using the 
swearing in of the al-Jaffari government as an opportunity to 
demonstrate support for the Iraqi people and to begin 
reviving what was once India's most important Gulf 
relationship.  Beyond the political risks of his mission, 
Gharekhan and his MEA Adviser, Joint Secretary Sanjay Singh, 
were clearly anxious about the security climate in Iraq, and 
may approach Embassy Baghdad for advice.  In addition, the 
Department may wish to consider how we can capitalize on the 
GOI's newly enunciated "open-ended commitment" with a view to 
finding the best fit between Iraqi needs and Indian 
capacities. End Comment. 
 
4. (U) Minimize considered. 
BLAKE