NUCLEAR ISSUES OVERSHADOWED NATWAR'S TRIP TO IRAN

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 NEW DELHI 007261 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 09/14/2015 TAGS: PREL PGOV ENRG EPET KNNP PARM PINR IN IR UK GM SUBJECT: NUCLEAR ISSUES OVERSHADOWED NATWAR'S TRIP TO IRAN REF: A. NEW DELHI 7259 ¶B. STATE 168950 Classified By: CDA Geoff Pyatt for Reasons 1.4 (B, D) ¶1. (C) Summary: MEA Joint Secretary (Pakistan/Iran/Afghanistan) Dilip Sinha complained to CDA and Poloff during a September 15 office call that nuclear proliferation issues overshadowed in the press the rest of Foreign Minister Natwar Singh's September 2-4 trip to Iran. The trip's substantive focus, Sinha averred, was energy cooperation, particularly on LNG and the proposed Iran-Pakistan-India gas pipeline. Trade and transit rights for Indian goods to Afghanistan were also on the table. Sinha judged that the EU3 proposal suffered from bad timing, coming as it did when the new government in Tehran was still getting its sea legs; he also reiterated that Natwar did not utter the strident remarks attributed to him by Iranian press, and described the message the Foreign Minister conveyed on behalf of his British and German counterparts. Sinha shared with us his personal impressions of progress and improvement on the ground in Tehran, where he served ten years ago, and insights on the new Iranian Foreign Minister. End Summary. Nuclear Cloud Over Iran Trip -------------- ¶2. (C) Nuclear proliferation -- which was only a small part of Natwar's Iran agenda -- overshadowed the rest of trip, Sinha told us. The Foreign Minister's visit was largely to "meet and greet" the new government in Tehran, reciprocating the trip the former Iranian Foreign Minister made to Delhi shortly after the UPA government came to power here last year, he added. British Foreign Minister Jack Straw had called Natwar before he left for Iran, and German Vice Chancellor Joschkar Fischer called while he was there, to suggest that India weigh in to urge a constructive Iranian reply to the EU3. India Not Engaged with Iran on Nuclear, Military -------------- --- ¶3. (C) India has no nuclear cooperation with Iran, Sinha told us. The only military cooperation is in training, exchanges, and occasional port calls. Iran had asked for civil nuclear assistance 15 years ago, but India exercised its own restraint and declined, he added. An Agenda of Energy and Economics ... -------------- ¶4. (C) Natwar's agenda focused on energy cooperation and economic relations, Sinha explained. India and Iran had signed a deal for 5 million tons of LNG prior to the Iranian elections, and the GOI needed to finalize this deal with the new government. The two parties are still negotiating the pricing for a second deal for 2.5 million tons per year. ¶5. (C) The Iran-Pakistan-India pipeline was also on the agenda. Sinha reported that Tehran wanted to start trilateral talks, but the MEA was only cleared for bilateral meetings with Tehran and Islamabad, and would have to revert to the Cabinet for permission to expand the venue. "Now is the time to start trilateral talks," he added. ¶6. (C) Sinha also informed us that two Indian companies plan to invest in the Free Trade Zone near Bandar Abbas (one in the auto parts industry). These would be the first substantial Indian investments in Iran, and Natwar was keen to ensure that Iranian law would protect the Indian investments. ... And Afghan Transit -------------- ¶7. (C) Sinha continued that Natwar also sought expanded transit rights to Afghanistan and Central Asia for Indian goods. On that vein, the GOI also needed Tehran's help in cracking down on local corruption, which significantly drives up the prices for goods heading to Afghanistan. He pointed out that India still needs to send its assistance to Afghanistan through Iran, given the difficulty of delivering aid through Pakistan (Ref A). Nuclear Tempest Puts India on the Spot -------------- ¶8. (C) The nuclear issue only came up because Natwar conveyed the EU3 message "as a member of the IAEA BOG," not as any part of the GOI's agenda, Sinha explained. Tehran responded that it insists on its right to a full nuclear fuel cycle, and will consider full safeguards under these principles; the GOI conveyed this message back to the EU. Sinha added that the GOI considers Iran responsible for living up to its obligations as an NPT signatory. A journalist well connected to the MEA told us the Foreign Minister was taken aback by the Iranian regime's "crazy" language on the nuclear issue. ¶9. (C) Sinha brushed aside the press reporting on Natwar's remarks, saying that Iranian media got it all wrong. Natwar refused to talk to the media except to clarify that he raised the nuclear issues at the EU3's request, he explained. ¶10. (C) CDA drew from Ref B to explain the IAEA's legal responsibility to report suspected breaches, and emphasized that the USG wants Tehran to re-suspend conversion and enrichment and cooperate with the EU3 and the IAEA. CDA added that the USG is not seeking UNSC approval for military action at this stage, as some in Delhi have speculated. Sinha commented that if a hurricane could cause significant spikes in energy prices, he could only imagine the effect a military engagement in the Gulf would have. Sensitive Issues and New Governments: A Poor Mix -------------- --- ¶11. (C) Sinha assessed that the new government in Tehran is "relatively inexperienced." "We should give them some time to come to grips with the nuclear situation," he added, pointing out that the government had to deal with the EU offer very shortly after coming to power. Sinha also noted that the new government was elected on a strong nationalist platform, so the EU3 would have been a particularly irksome issue for it. "Some degree of bravado was expected," he concluded. The New Iranian Foreign Minister -------------- ¶12. (C) New Iranian Foreign Minister Manuchehr Motaki studied at Bangalore University in the late 1970s and still has fond memories of his time in India, although he has not visited India since then, Sinha told us. Motaki was active in the anti-Shah movement and communicated with Ayatollah Khomeni when the latter was living in Baghdad. He quit university during revolution and returned to Iran by walking across Pakistan, and met Khomeni upon his return from Paris. Impressions of Iran, Ten Years Later -------------- ¶13. (C) Sinha, who served in Iran ten years ago, described his sense of the changes over the past decade. Prosperity is visible, there are high-rises, more consumer goods, and Pepsi is now on the market and competing with Zam-Zam cola, he said. The people are also "more reasonable, and more relaxed" than they were ten years ago. The country still faces many problems, but "there is a strong sense of security, especially from the women," he concluded. Comment -------------- ¶14. (C) As Sinha was quick to note, the policy issues involved here are now in the hands of more senior officials in New York. However, his briefing on the Foreign Minister's visit to Tehran provided some useful insights into these discussions, along with a sense of acute GOI discomfort at finding itself in the middle of the EU3 negotiations. End Comment. ¶15. (U) Visit New Delhi's Classified Website: (http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/sa/newdelhi/) PYATT