US embassy cable - 05NEWDELHI8008

UNCLAS NEW DELHI 008008 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
 
DEPT FOR SA/A PMOON 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV, PREL, ELTN, EAID, IN, AF, India-Afghanistan 
SUBJECT: MEA ESTIMATES ZARANJ-DELARAM ROAD COMPLETION BY 
DECEMBER 2007 
 
REF: A. STATE 184232 
     B. NEW DELHI 7798 
 
1.  (SBU) Further to Ref A demarche, PolCouns and Poloff met 
on October 14 with MEA Joint Secretary (Pakistan, 
Afghanistan, Iran) Dilip Sinha, who reiterated that, because 
of delays in procuring supplies and fuel for the 
Zaranj-Delaram road project from Iran, the completion date 
has slipped from March 2007 to December 2007.  Sinha added 
that construction is proceeding, and he would review the 
project's progress with India's Ambassador to Afghanistan 
Rakesh Sood during Sood's October 17-21 consultations in New 
Delhi. 
 
2.  (SBU) Sinha also relayed rumors he had heard that the USG 
is focusing on deadlines to prepare for an imminent departure 
from Afghanistan.  Drawing on the Secretary's remarks in 
Kabul, PolCouns underlined that the US would not leave 
Afghanistan prematurely.  Sinha welcomed this reassurance, 
noting that India was strongly opposed to any premature 
withdrawal of coalition forces from Afghanistan. 
 
3.  (U) Visit New Delhi's Classified Website: 
(http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/sa/newdelhi/) 
BLAKE