DUE TO INTERNAL POLITICS, INDIA RELUCTANT ON IRAN

C O N F I D E N T I A L NEW DELHI 008748 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/16/2015 TAGS: PHUM MNUC KNNP IN IR SUBJECT: DUE TO INTERNAL POLITICS, INDIA RELUCTANT ON IRAN 3RD COMMITTEE VOTE REF: SECSTATE 207928 Classified By: Charge Robert Blake, Jr. for Reasons 1.4 (B, D) ¶1. (C) Charge delivered reftel demarche to Foreign Secretary Shyam Saran during a November 15 meeting with Special Advisor on UN Reform Ambassador Shirin Tahir-Kheli. Saran promised to examine the issues raised, but pointed out that India is already in a difficult position with Iran (as a result of IAEA deliberations). He noted that India has already discussed a similar demarche on Human Rights in regards to Cuba. Saran noted that while India wants to promote human rights, it is uncomfortable with country specific resolutions. ¶2. (C) Ambassador Tahir-Kheli pointed out to Saran that China has used the "no action" motion to avoid censure of its poor human rights record and now Iran, for the first time, is resorting to the same tactic. This, she emphasized, is because Iran has likely concluded that it has no hope of defeating this motion. The President and the Secretary, she pointed out, have made human rights a very high priority as part of our transformational diplomacy, which has even included criticism of the human rights performance of friendly countries in the Middle East. Iran has clearly taken a step backward in recent months, she said, arresting people, restricting access to the internet and recalling some of its Ambassadors, who had been judged by the current government as being more moderate. Because of this behavior, Iran knows that it can lose this vote on substance. Comment: Staying the Course -------------- ¶3. (C) The GOI is unlikely to deviate from its long-standing policy of opposition to country-specific human rights resolutions. This is particularly true regarding a resolution specifically criticizing Iran, over which there is great domestic political sensitivity. The GOI has received massive criticism for hewing too closely to US non-proliferation policies regarding Iran following its September IAEA vote in our favor, and will be especially reluctant to vote against Iran in the Third Committee and invite more internal political attacks, as it prepares for a possible second IAEA vote on November 24. ¶4. (U) Ambassador Tahir-Kheli has cleared this message. BLAKE