AMBASSADOR PRESSES TIP WITH HOME MINISTER

C O N F I D E N T I A L NEW DELHI 001873

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/09/2015
TAGS: PREL KCRM IN
SUBJECT: AMBASSADOR PRESSES TIP WITH HOME MINISTER


Classified By: Ambassador David C. Mulford for Reasons 1.4 (B, D)


1. (C) Meeting on March 9, the Ambassador again urged Home
Minister Shivraj Patil to focus more on the trafficking issue
in order to avoid the downgrading of India from the Tier 2
Special Watch List to Tier 3 in June, which could set in
motion a series of unfortunate and restrictive developments
in US-India relations.


2. (C) Commenting that he had raised this issue in January
during his last meeting with the Minister along with Senator
Bingaman and Congressman Faleomavaega, the Ambassador
stressed that with the June deadline looming, the GOI should
consider the ramifications seriously. It was already March,
and US legislation was specific on the kinds of steps the USG
would have to take in the event of a TIP downgrading,
including at multilateral lending agencies. The Ambassador
noted that the USG would then have few choices, which could
impact negatively on bilateral ties and which both countries
wanted to avoid.


3. (C) Acknowledging the TIP problem, the Home Minster
attributed it to India's huge population, a "conservative"
population that did not treat the issue as urgently as in
"more liberal countries," and uneven levels of development
countrywide, as well as deep poverty in neighboring countries
from which many trafficked persons originated. Patil
reported that several bills currently before the Parliament
would improve GOI ability to investigate and prosecute
traffickers. One bill would amend the Penal Code to improve
witness protection measures. Another would facilitate
investigation and prosecution of those who traffic in
persons. The GOI was fully behind these changes in existing
law.


4. (C) Patil apprised the Ambassador about a conference of
Chief Ministers planned for after the Budget Session recess
beginning on March 23 at which he would take up the
trafficking issue. He acknowledged that this alone would
"not solve the problem," but since many responsibilities for
addressing the trafficking problem reside at the state level
in India, it was necessary to focus Chief Ministers on it for
full cooperation.


5. (C) The Home Minister returned to the trafficking issue
at the end of the meeting, which also covered Kashmir and the
Naxalite/Nepal nexus (septel),asking again to receive any
concrete suggestions about how the GOI could better address
this problem. D/Polcouns drew attention to a proposal the
MHA has been tasked to draft for expanded US-India law
enforcement training and cooperation against traffickers.
The Ambassador stressed that this kind of activity would be a
clear demonstration of GOI resolve, and was in Patil's area
of responsibilty.
MULFORD