INDIA SEEKS US INTERVENTION WITH PAKISTAN ON NEPAL

C O N F I D E N T I A L NEW DELHI 005756 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/30/2015 TAGS: MASS PREL PTER IN NP PK SUBJECT: INDIA SEEKS US INTERVENTION WITH PAKISTAN ON NEPAL ARMS SUPPLIES REF: NEW DELHI 1553 Classified By: Charge Robert O. Blake, Jr. for Reasons 1.4 (B, D) ¶1. (C) Echoing the GOI appeal last March (reftel),MEA Joint Secretary (Americas) S. Jaishankar sought the Charge's SIPDIS assistance in conveying to Washington a formal GOI request for US intervention with Pakistan to prevent a possible Pakistan Ordinance Factory delivery of eight million rounds of ammunition and 50,000 "grenade detonators" for the RNA. Jaishankar said India had not approached Nepal or Pakistan directly on this matter, in the expectation that a US approach to Islamabad would be more effective. ¶2. (C) Noting shared US and Indian desire to maintain pressure on the King to reach out to the political parties and return to democratic path, PolCouns suggested that we find other opportunities to highlight US-India agreement on the way ahead. Jaishankar endorsed this approach, noting that the idea of a common line on Nepal had fallen by the wayside amid all the other issues surrounding the July 18 US-India summit. He welcomed Embassy follow-up with MEA's regional experts. BLAKE