INITIAL INDIAN OUTREACH TO THE NUCLEAR SUPPLIERS

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 NEW DELHI 007693 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/04/2015 TAGS: PGOV PREL ENRG KNNP IS IN NSSP SUBJECT: INITIAL INDIAN OUTREACH TO THE NUCLEAR SUPPLIERS GROUP REF: A. NEW DELHI 7662 (NOTAL) ¶B. STATE 166864 ¶C. OTTAWA 2909 Classified By: PolCouns Geoff Pyatt for Reasons 1.4 (B, D) ¶1. (C) Summary: India has begun to lobby Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) members in advance of the 19-20 October meeting of the Consultative Group (CG),MEA Joint Secretary for Disarmament and International Security Hamid Ali Rao told PolCouns and PolMilOff on 3 Oct. So far, the GOI has engaged foreign missions in New Delhi and recently made its case to the some NSG members in Vienna. PolCouns strongly encouraged the GOI to amplify its outreach to policy makers in key cities, including Jerusalem, and to highlight steps India has already taken to strengthen its export control regime. End Summary. ¶2. (C) Echoing Ambassador Mulford's comments to Foreign Secretary Saran on 30 Sept (Ref A),PolCouns expressed SIPDIS appreciation for India's vote on Iran, adding that such a decision, in addition to advancing India's security interests, will have a positive impact on Congressional support for the July 18 civil nuclear agreement. Rao mentioned that he had been busy through the weekend dealing with the domestic political repercussions of the IAEA vote on 24 Sept, adding, "We have to be reassured about what we'll get for these decisions." He went on to discuss India's proposed amendments to the Suppression of Unlawful Acts of Terrorism (SUA) Convention as an example of changes to international regimes to assure the government's critics of the benefits of such costly decisions (septel). ¶3. (SBU) Note: Rao was not the only one dealing with the political repercussions of the Iran vote over the weekend. An article in The Hindu on 3 Oct reports on a 1 Oct meeting of the Congress Party "Core Group:" Sonia Gandhi, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, DefMin Mukherjee, and others, to discuss the IAEA vote. According to the article, the PM explained that the decision did not undergo a wider consultation process within the cabinet because key ministers were out of town. DefMin Mukherjee supported the decision and dismissed criticism that the vote may "annoy" minorities and hurt Congress party electoral prospects. According to the article, one immediate positive outcome of the vote was Canada's recent decision to end the seven year moratorium on civil nuclear cooperation with India (Ref C). The article cited senior Congress sources criticizing those who suggested a rift in the UPA cabinet over the Iran vote. End Note. ¶4. (C) PolCouns described our efforts to engage Congress and seek political support in other capitals for the July 18 framework (Ref B). He asked about the GOI strategy to win support in the NSG in advance of the 19-20 October meeting of the CG. Because India is not a member of the NSG and cannot participate in the upcoming meeting, Rao reported that Dr. Sheel Kant Sharma, India's PermRep in Vienna, and MEA Under Secretary Nutan Kapoor made a presentation to the NSG Troika SIPDIS on 29 Sept to state India's case for access to nuclear fuel and technology. According to Rao, the presentation was "well-received." ¶5. (C) Rao went on to explain that the GOI had also engaged various missions in Delhi, e.g., Japan and the Europeans. PolCouns strongly encouraged the GOI to make a parallel effort to target policy makers in key capitals, adding that the USG would welcome efforts to coordinate strategies if the GOI is interested. Echoing earlier conversations, we urged the GOI to advertise its recent moves to strengthen its export control regimes, including harmonization with the NSG and MTCR. To address the concern that making concessions for India will set a precedent for others that will weaken the NPT regime, PolCouns urged the GOI to use its considerable leverage from its military relationship with Israel to seek Jerusalem's support. Further, PolCouns asked about efforts to enlist India's private sector in the lobbying effort include allowing private sector competition in the civil nuclear energy sector. Rao was agreeable, but reiterated that managing the repercussions of Iran was consuming much of his office's time. ¶6. (U) Visit New Delhi's Classified Website: (http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/sa/newdelhi/) Mulford