US embassy cable - 05NEWDELHI8746

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 04 NEW DELHI 008746 
 
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FOR THE SECRETARY; U/S BURNS 
USUN FOR JOHN BOLTON 
IO FOR A/S KRISTEN SILVERBURG 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/17/2015 
TAGS: PREL, KDEM, PHUM, IN, UNSC, GOI 
SUBJECT: FOREIGN SECRETARY SARAN URGES USG TO CORRECT 
INDIAN MISPERCEPTIONS ON UNSC SEAT 
 
REF: NEW DELHI 8682 
 
Classified By: Charge Robert Blake, Jr. for Reasons 1.4 (B, D) 
 
1.  (C) Summary:  In his November 15 meeting with Senior 
Advisor on UN Reform Ambassador Shirin Tahir-Kheli, Foreign 
Secretary Shyam Saran expressed general GOI support for most 
 
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of the USG's UN reform agenda, with some minor disagreement 
on the oversight mechanisms.  He reinforced the GOI's 
determination to win a permanent seat on the UNSC and 
affirmed that many in India are now convinced that the US is 
opposed to New Delhi's campaign.  He urged the USG to make a 
public effort to correct this misperception.  Saran also 
confirmed that the GOI is prepared to accept an end to the 
G-4, but will not walk out.  The Left parties and the 
opposition are gaining political traction with their claims 
that the USG wants Indian support for UN reform without 
backing India's UNSC candidacy.  This is limiting the GOI's 
options, as it does not want to make public moves that would 
provide more fodder for the critics.  The GOI is looking for 
some public show of support from the USG to demonstrate that 
it benefits from its support for UN reform.  Tahir-Kheli 
affirmed that while India can make a strong case for its 
candidacy, the divisiveness of the UNSC expansion issue at 
present necessitates earlier movement on other priority 
issues such as management and human rights reform.  End 
Summary. 
 
UN Reform is a Top US Priority 
------------------------------ 
 
2.  (C)  In her November 15 meeting with Foreign Secretary 
Shyam Saran, Senior Advisor to the Secretary of State on UN 
Reform Ambassador Shirin Tahir-Kheli affirmed that the UN 
reform agenda has "moved and not moved" in the past year, and 
Secretary Rice remains very engaged.  Tahir-Kheli emphasized 
 
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that the USG wants to make its case to important countries 
like India to make it clear that we share a common agenda and 
that UN reform is not just an American issue.  We now have a 
chance to use all our equities to rebuild the UN from the 
ground up, as the Secretary pointed out in her address to the 
General Assembly in September. 
 
3.  (C) Tahir-Kheli pointed out that Secretary Rice has 
stated that UN reform implementation is urgently needed.  In 
her call for a permanent revolution of reform at the UN, she 
has identified management (encompassing ethics, oversight, 
mandates and personnel), the creation of a robust Human 
Rights Council, the Convention Against Terrorism, and the 
Peace Building Commission.  The US supports a Human Rights 
Council with a higher threshold for membership which would 
exclude human right violators.  Tahir-Kheli said that if 
countries such as India would speak out in favor of a strong 
Human Rights Commission, we could make progress on this issue 
by the end of the year. 
 
The GOI is Supportive - with Caveats 
------------------------------------ 
 
4.  (C) Secretary Saran replied that there is no real 
difference between the US and India on human rights and UN 
reform issues, adding that the GOI agrees with the USG that a 
two thirds vote in the Human Rights Commission should be 
sufficient to prevent the membership of offending states.  He 
pointed out that the GOI wants new entrants into the UNSC to 
have greater weight than some of the candidates mentioned to 
date and wondered if the US and India can't look into a 
"higher bar" for consideration.  Saran affirmed that India 
has supported UN reform for some time, especially when it 
comes to accountability and transparency in regard to the 
General Assembly. 
 
5.  (C) Saran stated that the GOI concurs with the USG on the 
Peace Building Commission, is in general agreement regarding 
the parameters for the Security Council and in full agreement 
on terrorism issues, and will work hard on these issues. 
However, he pointed out, the GOI has some doubts about the 
proposed oversight body, in that accountability should be the 
responsibility of the member states, and should not detract 
from the General Assembly as the final arbiter.  Saran 
asserted that there is no need for another layer of 
bureaucracy, emphasizing that an independent auditor could 
issue a report on irregularities that is issued to the 
public.  Ambassador Tahir-Kheli replied that the US proposal 
is for an oversight body that does not report to the 
Secretariat, but is independent and thus credible. 
 
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Tahir-Kheli emphasized that reporting to the GA would 
politicize the issue. 
 
And India's UNSC Candidacy Remains a Sticking Point 
--------------------------------------------- ------ 
 
6.  (C) Saran pointed out that the Indian popular perception 
is that UN reform does not mean very much unless it addresses 
the UNSC.  The question is how to address this issue, as 
there is now a deeply-rooted perception in India that the US 
is opposed to Indian membership on the UNSC; this means that 
the GOI must maintain a balance to defend its stance with the 
Indian public.  Japan has proposed that there be a new 
category of "semi-permanent" UNSC membership, but this is 
totally unacceptable to the GOI.  India is happy to work with 
the US on other issues, where there are no major differences, 
but the USG will have to "do some thinking" regarding Indian 
candidacy for the UNSC. 
 
7.  (C) Saran emphasized that the USG was projecting the 
message that it was close to deciding on India's candidacy 
for the UNSC and had conceded that India plays an important 
international role, which most in India interpreted to mean 
that the US was close to supporting the Indian stance.  He 
pointed out that subsequent US opposition on the G-4 issue 
obscured this, leading many in India to state that the GOI 
was "led up the garden path" and the US is actually siding 
with China to oppose India's UNSC seat.  Although Saran 
acknowledged that this was "not reality," positive statements 
from the Secretary regarding India no longer seem as 
credible, with many in India believing that the US is "on the 
warpath to keep us out." 
 
8.  (C) Tahir-Kheli replied that both the Secretary and U/S 
Burns had addressed the growing and important role of India 
in UN matters and institutions.  Further, the USG respects 
the GOI stance and has expressed support for limited UNSC 
expansion in order to preserve UNSC effectiveness.  The USG 
has supported carefully crafted language on criteria.  UNSC 
expansion is an issue that the President and the Secretary 
will decide.  The issue of a veto for new UNSC members will 
be divisive, especially between the G-4 and the African 
Union. 
 
India to Stick with the G-4 
--------------------------- 
 
9.  Saran noted that while the US claims to hold a different 
position from China, the Indian people have come to feel that 
both countries have come out against the G-4.  Saran conceded 
that the G-4 may have run out of steam, but confirmed that 
the GOI is still pursuing it.  He confirmed that India will 
not "walk out" of the G-4, as the process brings the Indian 
UNSC candidacy to a higher level, noting that the G-4 has 
been successful in mobilizing wide support, although the 
Africans have been a problem.  If the G-4 disbands, India 
will accept it, as the GOI has always been aware that it will 
have to "go it alone" and the G-4 just provides a framework 
within which to pursue the UNSC candidacy.  To put things 
back into a positive light, the GOI needs clearer USG 
support.  Saran noted that the GOI view is that the G-4 is 
not the problem, but the internal dynamics of Africa, where 
there is a lack of unity and the African states cannot get 
together to present a common position.  He claimed that the 
campaign against the G-4 has been "massive," but has not 
really bothered India, as some countries will always oppose 
such efforts.  Saying that the G-4 may not continue and may 
come to an end, Saran confirmed that India will not take the 
first step, as it has made too large an investment in the 
group and owes something to its G-4 supporters. 
 
10.  (C) Tahir-Kheli indicated that the G-4 proposal was 
divisive within the UN and cost us the entire month of July, 
when nothing productive was accomplished.  The problem is 
that not every member of the G-4 carries the same weight and 
the group has been ineffective.  She predicted that if the 
G-4 proceeds, it will result in the loss of more valuable 
time. 
 
Management Reform Critical 
-------------------------- 
 
11.  (C) Tahir-Kheli noted that it would be helpful for the 
overall UN reform effort if the US could have India's public 
support for management reform.  She told Saran the US hopes 
for progress by December on the Convention on Terrorism, the 
Human Rights Commission, and the Peace Building Commission. 
She underlined that it would be important for the US to have 
this progress in hand by the time US budget discussions begin 
in January, as this would discourage attempts to limit the US 
assessed contribution.  She explained that public support 
from influential countries such as India would be 
particularly important.  Saran took the point and promised to 
be in touch with India's Permanent Representative to ask him 
to make a supportive statement.  Tahir-Kheli said such a move 
would be valuable, since India's Permanent Representative has 
made some unhelpful statements in the past, suggesting that 
the UN is working fine and does not need reform (Tahir-Kheli 
did not have USUN cable reporting Ambassador Sen's remarks on 
the UNSC at the time of her meeting with the Foreign 
Secretary.) 
 
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Comment - Supportive but Adamant on UNSC Membership 
--------------------------------------------- ------ 
 
12.  (C) Saran, ever the effective diplomat, clearly stated 
that while the GOI supports UN reform in principle, and is 
willing to say so publicly and it is intent on gaining UNSC 
membership and will not relent or be sidetracked.  The GOI 
wants UN reform, but within its own parameters, meaning that 
it cannot offend or distance India from its supporters in 
other developing countries, and must not appear to be a 
process dominated by US concerns.  The GOI, for example, does 
not want to appear to be abandoning the G-4 process at USG 
behest, even though it is ready to concede that the G-4 may 
have already outlived its usefulness.  Indian foreign policy 
has come to play a dominant role in domestic politics, with 
the Left and opposition parties quick to characterize the UPA 
government as too compliant to US wishes.  The UPA must 
therefore step carefully, lest it provide further ammunition 
to its opponents. 
 
13.  (U) Ambassador Tahir-Kheli has cleared this message. 
BLAKE