Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
04NEWDELHI7090
2004-11-05 13:14:00
CONFIDENTIAL
Embassy New Delhi
Cable title:  

INDIAN ASSISTANCE TO IRAQ

Tags:  PREL EAID PGOV PHUM IZ IN 
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This record is a partial extract of the original cable. The full text of the original cable is not available.
C O N F I D E N T I A L NEW DELHI 007090 

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/05/2017
TAGS: PREL EAID PGOV PHUM IZ IN
SUBJECT: INDIAN ASSISTANCE TO IRAQ

Classified By: Deputy Chief of Mission Robert O. Blake, Jr.
for reason 1.4 (b,d)

C O N F I D E N T I A L NEW DELHI 007090

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/05/2017
TAGS: PREL EAID PGOV PHUM IZ IN
SUBJECT: INDIAN ASSISTANCE TO IRAQ

Classified By: Deputy Chief of Mission Robert O. Blake, Jr.
for reason 1.4 (b,d)


1. (C) Indian Joint Secretary for the Americas in the Indian
Ministry of External Affairs Dr. S. Jaishankar called DCM
November 5, to inform the USG about the specifics of Indian
assistance to Iraq to help prepare for the upcoming Iraqi
elections. Jaishankar said India is offering a 3-part
assistance program:

-- The Indian Election Commission will provide training for
thirty Iraqi election officials for a period of two weeks.

-- India will commit five million dollars to the
International Democracy Fund under the aegis of the UN.

-- The Indian Election Commission also will offer to assist
Iraq to draft regulations for the conduct of the Iraqi
Elections. Jaishankar said India is prepared to invite Iraqi
Election Commission officials to India to consult on the
draft regulations, if that would be helpful.


2. (C) DCM welcomed news of the Indian offer and asked
whether India had communicated the specifics of its program
to the Iraqis. Jaishankar responded that thus far India had
only communicated with the United States and the UN on this
matter. DCM urged Jaishankar to have the appropriate MEA
officials contact the Iraqi's directly.


3. (C) DCM also asked whether India intended to make its
offer public. Jaishankar responded that an oblique reference
to the assistance had appeared for the first time publicly in
Prime Minister's Monmohan Singh's congratulatory letter to
President Bush. Given the continued sensitivities in India
about Iraq, Jaishankar indicated that it would be best from
India's domestic political perspective to keep news of
India's program in a UN context. He requested that the
United States not make public news of India's electoral
program, so that India could manage how and when to do so.


4. (C) Comment: India has undertaken this Electoral
Assistance Program primarily as a gesture to the United
States. As Jaishankar's comments reflect, any kind of
assistance by India to Iraq is likely to be sensitive here
and subject to criticism by Left and others. Mission
requests that all addressees respect the GOI's request that
the U.S. not publicize news of this offer until the GOI
itself has done so.


5. (U) Minimize considered.
MULFORD