Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
06NEWDELHI1814
2006-03-16 12:43:00
CONFIDENTIAL
Embassy New Delhi
Cable title:
GOI MOVING DEMOCRACY INITIATIVE FORWARD
how-toVZCZCXRO0916 OO RUEHBI RUEHCI DE RUEHNE #1814 0751243 ZNY CCCCC ZZH O 161243Z MAR 06 FM AMEMBASSY NEW DELHI TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 1349 INFO RUEHBJ/AMEMBASSY BEIJING 0931 RUEHUP/AMEMBASSY BUDAPEST 0029 RUEHLM/AMEMBASSY COLOMBO 4115 RUEHKA/AMEMBASSY DHAKA 4136 RUEHIL/AMEMBASSY ISLAMABAD 7032 RUEHBUL/AMEMBASSY KABUL 2476 RUEHKT/AMEMBASSY KATHMANDU 4785 RUEHLO/AMEMBASSY LONDON 8876 RUEHMO/AMEMBASSY MOSCOW 7332 RUEHFR/AMEMBASSY PARIS 0822 RUEHKO/AMEMBASSY TOKYO 2904 RUEHCI/AMCONSUL CALCUTTA 2452 RUEHCG/AMCONSUL CHENNAI 2301 RUEHBI/AMCONSUL MUMBAI 1532 RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK 9685 RHEHNSC/NSC WASHDC RUEIDN/DNI WASHINGTON DC RHHMUNA/CDR USPACOM HONOLULU HI RUEHGV/USMISSION GENEVA 1914 RHHJJPI/PACOM IDHS HONOLULU HI RHMFISS/HQ USSOCOM MACDILL AFB FL RHMFISS/HQ USCENTCOM MACDILL AFB FL RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHDC RUEKJCS/JOINT STAFF WASHDC
C O N F I D E N T I A L NEW DELHI 001814
SIPDIS
SIPDIS
DEPT FOR SA, IO, G (J FERRAO) AND P (A MANUEL AND T
BRADLEY),NSC FOR ABRAMS
E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/15/2016
TAGS: PREL KDEM PGOV IN
SUBJECT: GOI MOVING DEMOCRACY INITIATIVE FORWARD
REF: A. NEW DELHI 1738
B. NAIR-FERRAO 3/14 TELCON
C. NEW DELHI 759
Classified By: Charge Bob Blake for Reasons 1.4 (B, D)
C O N F I D E N T I A L NEW DELHI 001814
SIPDIS
SIPDIS
DEPT FOR SA, IO, G (J FERRAO) AND P (A MANUEL AND T
BRADLEY),NSC FOR ABRAMS
E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/15/2016
TAGS: PREL KDEM PGOV IN
SUBJECT: GOI MOVING DEMOCRACY INITIATIVE FORWARD
REF: A. NEW DELHI 1738
B. NAIR-FERRAO 3/14 TELCON
C. NEW DELHI 759
Classified By: Charge Bob Blake for Reasons 1.4 (B, D)
1. (C) The Charge, accompanied by PolCouns and Poloff,
called on Minister of State for External Affairs Anand Sharma
on March 16 to further our discussion on democracy
initiatives. Charge explained USG reservations regarding the
initial GOI proposal to establish a New Delhi office of the
UN Democracy Fund (UNDEF) (Ref C),emphasizing that we would
strongly support an institution with an Indian, rather than a
UN, imprimatur, which could work in tandem with the UNDEF.
In response, Sharma explained that GOI thinking had advanced
beyond the message delivered to PolCouns on March 13 (Ref A),
and that Sharma had sent a letter to the trustees of the
Rajiv Gandhi Foundation (RGF) to solicit the Foundation's
views on setting up a democracy institute under its auspices.
Sharma had briefed Sonia Gandhi, the UPA Chairperson and
head of the RGF, on the ideas, and Mrs. Gandhi is fully on
board, he assured us.
2. (C) New Delhi is aware of the US desire to establish an
Indian institution, Sharma said. However, the GOI assesses
that an alignment with UNDEF principles and practices will
help ensure that the affiliate NGOs would meet India's
standards for credibility in working through the proposed
democracy institute, he explained. PolCouns suggested that a
concept paper from the GOI on how the institute would
function would crystallize the idea and help us both to move
it forward in time to have progress to announce at the time
of the next meeting of the UNDEF Advisory Board in June 2006.
Sharma took note of this target, underlined India's
commitment to engage on global democracy issues, and lamented
that the press of other US-India business had delayed a
further response to the ideas paper he had received from U/S
Burns on February 24.
3. (U) Visit New Delhi's Classified Website:
(http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/sa/newdelhi/)
BLAKE
SIPDIS
SIPDIS
DEPT FOR SA, IO, G (J FERRAO) AND P (A MANUEL AND T
BRADLEY),NSC FOR ABRAMS
E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/15/2016
TAGS: PREL KDEM PGOV IN
SUBJECT: GOI MOVING DEMOCRACY INITIATIVE FORWARD
REF: A. NEW DELHI 1738
B. NAIR-FERRAO 3/14 TELCON
C. NEW DELHI 759
Classified By: Charge Bob Blake for Reasons 1.4 (B, D)
1. (C) The Charge, accompanied by PolCouns and Poloff,
called on Minister of State for External Affairs Anand Sharma
on March 16 to further our discussion on democracy
initiatives. Charge explained USG reservations regarding the
initial GOI proposal to establish a New Delhi office of the
UN Democracy Fund (UNDEF) (Ref C),emphasizing that we would
strongly support an institution with an Indian, rather than a
UN, imprimatur, which could work in tandem with the UNDEF.
In response, Sharma explained that GOI thinking had advanced
beyond the message delivered to PolCouns on March 13 (Ref A),
and that Sharma had sent a letter to the trustees of the
Rajiv Gandhi Foundation (RGF) to solicit the Foundation's
views on setting up a democracy institute under its auspices.
Sharma had briefed Sonia Gandhi, the UPA Chairperson and
head of the RGF, on the ideas, and Mrs. Gandhi is fully on
board, he assured us.
2. (C) New Delhi is aware of the US desire to establish an
Indian institution, Sharma said. However, the GOI assesses
that an alignment with UNDEF principles and practices will
help ensure that the affiliate NGOs would meet India's
standards for credibility in working through the proposed
democracy institute, he explained. PolCouns suggested that a
concept paper from the GOI on how the institute would
function would crystallize the idea and help us both to move
it forward in time to have progress to announce at the time
of the next meeting of the UNDEF Advisory Board in June 2006.
Sharma took note of this target, underlined India's
commitment to engage on global democracy issues, and lamented
that the press of other US-India business had delayed a
further response to the ideas paper he had received from U/S
Burns on February 24.
3. (U) Visit New Delhi's Classified Website:
(http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/sa/newdelhi/)
BLAKE