URGENT REQUEST FOR RE-ESTABLISHMENT OF NEW DELHI

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 NEW DELHI 009393

SIPDIS

DEPT FOR D, P, C, S/ES, SA, DRL, NEA/SA/EX and HR/RMA

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: APER AMGT PREL PHUM ELAB PGOV KDEM BT IN US
SUBJECT: URGENT REQUEST FOR RE-ESTABLISHMENT OF NEW DELHI
POLITICAL SECTION DRI POSITIONSAS US-INDIA TIES SKYROCKET

REF: New Delhi 6281


1. This is an ACTION REQUEST for NEA/SA/EX and HR/RMA.
Please see paragraph 6.


2. Summary: Embassy New Delhi respectfully requests that
the DRI position (10504002 vice Nair) in our Political
Section be immediately re-established and filled for 2006-

2008. Our workload has skyrocketed as US-India relations
become increasingly strategic on the eve of the President's
visit in Spring 2006. At the same time we stand to lose
three DRI positions in the Political Section by summer 2006.
If we are to serve Washington policy-makers well, we will
need Washington to fill all three DRI slots in Political.
The Nair position is the most critical of the three. Please
read our full justification below. End Summary.


3. Since the President announced a new strategic
partnership with India on July 18, 2005, the already intense
workload of Embassy New Delhi's Political Section has
soared. Officers are working to implement the President's
Civilian Nuclear Energy agreement with India; intensify
Indian coordination with the US on relations with Pakistan,
Nepal, and Bangladesh and on terrorism, and democratization;
forge more productive relationships with previously-closed
ministries dealing with defense and internal and external
security; track a complicated domestic political situation
that impacts directly on US foreign policy priorities on
Iran and Iraq; play a positive role in seeking a peaceful
resolution in Kashmir; advance the cause of human rights,
religious freedom, and labor protection; and manage an
intense schedule of visits by senior Department officials,
Congressional leadership, Cabinet members, and (in Spring
2006),the President.


4. At the same time, despite the belief by senior
Washington officials that this is a mistake, the Political
Section is shrinking; one DRI slot (position 10505112 vice
Holt-Hansen) dedicated to labor reporting has been vacant
since April 2005, and HR has informed Post that it will not
be filled. Another DRI position (number 01982000 vice
Drazek) dedicated to external reporting (and the USG's sole
political reporting officer on all political matters related
to this Embassy's coverage of Bhutanese internal
developments such as the King's proposed constitutional
reform as well as Bhutan's external relations, to include
refugee problems between Bhutan and Nepal, as well as all
India human rights and religious freedom reporting) is
scheduled to disappear in September 2006. The third DRI
position (10504002 vice Nair) will, according to HR, be lost
in April, making it the most critical of the three. Once
these positions go, our workload will be untenable.


5. The incumbent in the Nair position has worked on
aligning US and Indian foreign policy objectives on
Afghanistan, Pakistan, Nepal, Iraq, Israel, Syria, and
Iran. He has also been in the forefront of efforts to get
India to support US democratization goals around the world,
including through the UN Democracy Fund. This officer is
our principal operational outreach officer to the Ministry
of External Affairs, and the foundation of our external
political reporting unit. Tibet outreach is another major
component of the position, as is UN reform, to include
management of India's high expectation of a permanent
Security Council seat. The incumbent has managed visits by
visiting senior Washington officials including Ambassador
Shirin Tahir Kheli, as well as high-priority CODELs such as
the November 2005 high-profile visit of Representative Dan
Burton and his delegation. This officer is our utility-
infielder and all-rounder on India's external foreign
relations at a time of unprecedented interest coming from
Washington. To lose this job would cripple our section and
do Washington policy-makers a large dis-service.




6. ACTION REQUEST FOR HR/RMA AND NEA/SA/EX: Post
respectfully requests re-establishment of Position 10504002
Vice Nair immediately, and the re-establishment of positions
10505112 vice Holt-Hansen and 01982000 vice Drazek for Fall,

2006. Filling position 10505112 vice Holt-Hansen will
enable us to focus more on child and bonded labor, efforts
by socialist labor unions to infiltrate the IT sector, and
related efforts to prevent the most horrific forms of child
labor. Allowing Post to keep position 10505112 vice Drazek
will ensure that the USG's sole political reporting officer
on Bhutan will continue to provide timely analysis on the
King's efforts to forge a constitutional monarchy, manage
his relations with China and India, and come to an agreement
with Nepal on refugees. It will also allow post to continue
to devote full attention to developing a meaningful human
rights dialogue with the GOI on hot-button issues such as
untouchability, child labor, and religious freedom.


7. Post thanks Department for its consideration of its
petition.

MULFORD