US embassy cable - 05NEWDELHI7693

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 NEW DELHI 007693 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/04/2015 
TAGS: PGOV, PREL, ENRG, KNNP, IS, IN, NSSP 
SUBJECT: INITIAL INDIAN OUTREACH TO THE NUCLEAR SUPPLIERS 
GROUP 
 
REF: A. NEW DELHI 7662 (NOTAL) 
     B. STATE 166864 
     C. OTTAWA 2909 
 
Classified By: PolCouns Geoff Pyatt for Reasons 1.4 (B, D) 
 
1.  (C) Summary:  India has begun to lobby Nuclear Suppliers 
Group (NSG) members in advance of the 19-20 October meeting 
of the Consultative Group (CG), MEA Joint Secretary for 
Disarmament and International Security Hamid Ali Rao told 
PolCouns and PolMilOff on 3 Oct.  So far, the GOI has engaged 
foreign missions in New Delhi and recently made its case to 
the some NSG members in Vienna.  PolCouns strongly encouraged 
the GOI to amplify its outreach to policy makers in key 
cities, including Jerusalem, and to highlight steps India 
has already taken to strengthen its export control regime. 
End Summary. 
 
2.  (C) Echoing Ambassador Mulford's comments to Foreign 
Secretary Saran on 30 Sept (Ref A), PolCouns expressed 
 
SIPDIS 
appreciation for India's vote on Iran, adding that such a 
decision, in addition to advancing India's security 
interests, will have a positive impact on Congressional 
support for the July 18 civil nuclear agreement.  Rao 
mentioned that he had been busy through the weekend dealing 
with the domestic political repercussions of the IAEA vote on 
24 Sept, adding, "We have to be reassured about what we'll 
get for these decisions."  He went on to discuss India's 
proposed amendments to the Suppression of Unlawful Acts of 
Terrorism (SUA) Convention as an example of changes to 
international regimes to assure the government's critics of 
the benefits of such costly decisions (septel). 
 
3.  (SBU) Note:  Rao was not the only one dealing with the 
political repercussions of the Iran vote over the weekend. 
An article in The Hindu on 3 Oct reports on a 1 Oct meeting 
of the Congress Party "Core Group:"  Sonia Gandhi, Prime 
Minister Manmohan Singh, DefMin Mukherjee, and others, to 
discuss the IAEA vote.  According to the article, the PM 
explained that the decision did not undergo a wider 
consultation process within the cabinet because key ministers 
were out of town.  DefMin Mukherjee supported the decision 
and dismissed criticism that the vote may "annoy" minorities 
and hurt Congress party electoral prospects.  According to 
the article, one immediate positive outcome of the vote was 
Canada's recent decision to end the seven year moratorium on 
civil nuclear cooperation with India (Ref C).  The article 
cited senior Congress sources criticizing those who suggested 
a rift in the UPA cabinet over the Iran vote.  End Note. 
 
4.  (C) PolCouns described our efforts to engage Congress and 
seek political support in other capitals for the July 18 
framework (Ref B).  He asked about the GOI strategy to win 
support in the NSG in advance of the 19-20 October meeting of 
the CG.  Because India is not a member of the NSG and cannot 
participate in the upcoming meeting, Rao reported that Dr. 
Sheel Kant Sharma, India's PermRep in Vienna, and MEA Under 
Secretary Nutan Kapoor made a presentation to the NSG Troika 
 
SIPDIS 
on 29 Sept to state India's case for access to nuclear fuel 
and technology.  According to Rao, the presentation was 
"well-received." 
 
5.  (C) Rao went on to explain that the GOI had also engaged 
various missions in Delhi, e.g., Japan and the Europeans. 
PolCouns strongly encouraged the GOI to make a parallel 
effort to target policy makers in key capitals, adding that 
the USG would welcome efforts to coordinate strategies if the 
GOI is interested.  Echoing earlier conversations, we urged 
the GOI to advertise its recent moves to strengthen its 
export control regimes, including harmonization with the NSG 
and MTCR.  To address the concern that making concessions for 
India will set a precedent for others that will weaken the 
NPT regime, PolCouns urged the GOI to use its considerable 
leverage from its military relationship with Israel to seek 
Jerusalem's support.  Further, PolCouns asked about efforts 
to enlist India's private sector in the lobbying effort 
include allowing private sector competition in the civil 
nuclear energy sector.  Rao was agreeable, but reiterated 
that managing the repercussions of Iran was consuming much of 
his office's time. 
 
6.  (U) Visit New Delhi's Classified Website: 
(http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/sa/newdelhi/) 
Mulford