US embassy cable - 05NEWDELHI6519

C O N F I D E N T I A L NEW DELHI 006519 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 07/27/2015 
TAGS: PREL, PTER, KDEM, IN, BG, India-Bangladesh, SAARC 
SUBJECT: NATWAR DECRIES BANGLADESHI DENIAL, QUESTIONS SAARC 
SUMMIT 
 
REF: NEW DELHI 6414 
 
Classified By: Ambassador David Mulford for Reasons 1.4 (B, D) 
 
1. (C) The Ambassador used an August 23 meeting with Foreign 
Minister Natwar Singh to probe Indian thinking on next steps 
in Bangladesh, underling our hope that we will be able to 
develop the same kind of fluid information exchange and close 
coordination of diplomatic strategies that characterizes our 
approach to the crisis in Nepal.  Natwar warmed quickly to 
the topic, recounting his frustration about the sense of 
denial he encountered when he raised concern about Islamic 
fundamentalism during his recent visit to Dhaka. 
 
2. (C) Natwar explained that he had gone to Bangladesh in 
hopes of clearing the air and setting the stage for a 
positive visit by Prime Minister Singh during the November 
SAARC Summit.  "I went there to send the message that we 
meant well," the Minister exclaimed, but when he asked about 
Indian terrorists taking refuge in Bangladesh, the answer he 
got is "there's nobody."  He contrasted this state of denial 
with Musharraf, who at least acknowledges a problem with 
radical Islamists in Pakistan. 
 
3. (C) Natwar was predictably critical of Bangladesh Minister 
of Industry Motiur Rahman Nizami's public suggestion that 
India was to blame for the August 17 bombings, calling him "a 
communalist and a jihadi."  After acknowledging the 
Bangladesh Foreign Minister's clarification that Nizami's 
statement was a personal view, Natwar expressed concern that 
"Bangladesh is a secular state sliding into chaos and 
fundamentalism." 
 
4. (C) Natwar had no good answers in response to the 
Ambassador's request for practical suggestions about how to 
reverse Bangladesh's slide towards radicalism.  For the first 
time since August 17, the Minister privately questioned the 
November SAARC Summit, stating that "I don't know whether the 
SAARC Summit will take place" given the current climate of 
violence.  Concluding, he labeled the Bangladeshis "a decent 
people governed by a group that doesn't inspire confidence." 
 
5. (C) Comment: Natwar's bitter private comments on the 
August 17 bombings contrast with the GOI's careful public 
line (reftel), and reflects a deepening sense of Indian 
impatience about the GOB's failure to come to terms with the 
threat posed by terrorist groups inside Bangladesh.  The 
upcoming visit to New York (and perhaps Washington) by 
Foreign Secretary Saran is a good chance for us to have a 
frank sharing of views about what lies behind the August 17 
bombings and what we can do together to help Bangladesh 
restore a stable and secular democracy. 
 
Visit New Delhi's Classified Website: 
(http//www.state.sgov/p/sa/newdelhi) 
MULFORD