MUKHERJEE AGAIN UNDERLINES VALUE OF US-INDIA

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 NEW DELHI 006181

SIPDIS

SENSITIVE

PLEASE PASS SECDEF WASHINGTON DC//USDP DSCA//GENERAL KOHLER

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PGOV PREL MNUC ENRG EINV KNNP MASS IN
SUBJECT: MUKHERJEE AGAIN UNDERLINES VALUE OF US-INDIA
DEFENSE COOPERATION

REF: A. NEW DELHI 6011

B. NEW DELHI 6079


1. (SBU) SUMMARY: In an otherwise uneventful August 8
Parliamentary debate on the US-India Defense Framework,
Defense Minister Pranab Mukherjee signaled strong support for
burgeoning Indo-American military ties. Mukherjee responded
to politically motivated BJP complaints and the usual litany
of anti-American Communist ideology with a 30-minute speech
reinforcing the advantages of US-India defense cooperation.
Stressing that the GOI will never give up its ability to make
sovereign decisions, he argued that India must not ignore its
emerging defense requirements and the benefits inherent in
acquiring advanced American equipment. END SUMMARY.

RELAX, YOU NERVOUS NELLIES
--------------


2. (SBU) Mukherjee expressed his surprise at the political
and media spotlight on the Defense Framework Agreement, which
he described as "a broad outline of the Indo-US defense
relationship." Allaying Communists concerns about possible
additional US demands on the Indian military, he assured the
Parliament that "how this broad outline will actually
translate into reality will depend on what we want and what
the US wants." Mukherjee criticized some MPs for having a
"complex" about the US and recalled the Congress party's
historical role in maintaining an independent foreign policy.

BESIDES, LOOK WHAT'S IN IT FOR US
--------------


3. (SBU) Moving on to the advantages of the agreement,
Mukherjee highlighted its role as an "enabling provision" for
the Indian military. He added that "to what extent this
enabling provision will be advantageous to us will depend on
what extent we take advantage of it and to what extent
(America) responds." He also emphasized how defense
procurement from the US would open up opportunities for the
Indian military. Mukherjee called it his "bounded duty" to
"explore the possibilities to have the technology which will
equip (India) to meet its requirements. To those who
questioned the dependability of the US as a military
supplier, he commented that if India "has access to
technology," then it has "enough brain and competence" to
"absorb and improve it."

COMMENT: MUKHERJEE PUTS THE US-INDIA DEBATE TO BED
-------------- --------------


4. (SBU) COMMENT: After a surprisingly vociferous debate in
the press upon Mukherjee's return to India, deepened
strategic ties with the US are now old news. The Lok Sabha
statements were relatively stale, most likely because the
signing was over a month ago and the parties got their
concerns off their chests in the recent debates over the PM's
US visit (Reftels). Mumbai floods, Gurgaon labor unrest,
cricket and the Nanavati report on the 1984 Sikh riots pushed
the debate to the back pages of the newspapers. The UPA did
a good job of tactically delaying this floor debate until
even the BJP opposition was bored enough simply to go through
the motions of a token protest. In this context, as our MEA
interlocutors pointed out, Mukherjee's statement was notable
mainly for his strong endorsement of the advantages that
India can acquire through defense purchases from the US. END
COMMENT.
BLAKE