GOI WORKING ON EXPORT CONTROLS IN ADVANCE OF HTCG

C O N F I D E N T I A L NEW DELHI 008772 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/26/2015 TAGS: PREL PARM KNNP ETRD ETTC IN NSSP SUBJECT: GOI WORKING ON EXPORT CONTROLS IN ADVANCE OF HTCG MEETING REF: A. STATE 210348 ¶B. NEW DELHI 5444 Classified By: Charge Robert Blake, Jr. for Reasons 1.4 (B, D) ¶1. (C) Charge Blake delivered points from Reftel A to MEA Joint Secretary (Americas) Jaishankar on November 18th, emphasizing the importance of India harmonizing its control lists with international standards. Jaishankar responded that he would follow up with issue experts in MEA. Charge noted that it would be important to have a substantive discussion on the export control list issue at the December 1 HTCG meetings in Delhi and Bangalore, as the U.S. delegation is interested in the results. ¶2. (C) Jaishankar observed the reference to harmonization of India's control list with the Australia Group and Wassenaar Arrangement, commenting that neither was included as a requisite of the NSSP process. PolCouns concurred that these were not conditions of the NSSP, but noted that the USG would like India to comply voluntarily with these regimes as part of our expanding non-proliferation partnership. PolCouns also shared a copy of the India export control nonpaper (Reftel B),stating that we hope the GOI could expand on that document at the HTCG meetings, to which Jaishankar responded, "We will work on it." BLAKE