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

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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

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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

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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