INDIA DELIBERATING ON LEVEL OF BRUSSELS CONFERENCE

C O N F I D E N T I A L NEW DELHI 004205 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/30/2015 TAGS: PREL EAID IN IZ SUBJECT: INDIA DELIBERATING ON LEVEL OF BRUSSELS CONFERENCE ATTENDANCE REF: A. STATE 103222 ¶B. NEW DELHI 4194 Classified By: Acting DCM Geoffrey Pyatt, Reasons 1.4 (B, D) ¶1. (C) Responding to Acting DCM's presentation of ref A demarche on Iraq, MEA Joint Secretary (Gulf) Sanjay Singh reported June 3 that GOI is still deliberating on its level of representation at the Brussels International Conference. Foreign Minister Natwar Singh is scheduled to be in London and Rome June 21-23. A decision by the Minister to adjust his European calendar to attend the Brussels Conference would be a significant gesture furthering the GOI's expressed intention to step-up its involvement in Iraq (ref B). However, in our June 3 conversation Joint Secretary Singh refused to be drawn out on GOI intentions, committing only that New Delhi will be represented at the Brussels Conference. Our EU colleagues, who demarched the GOI separately as a Troika, have warned that only Ministers will be given a speaking roll in Brussels, which gives the GOI another incentive to consider representation above the level of West Asia Special Envoy Gharekhan. We will follow-up to encourage senior representation and additional offers of assistance in connection with Ambassador Jones' June 10 visit to New Delhi. BLAKE