INDIA CONFIRMS DETAILS FOR PEACEKEEPING JWG,

UNCLAS NEW DELHI 002703 SIPDIS SENSITIVE SIPDIS DEPT FOR IO/PSC - L MROZINSKI, PM/PPA - R FEATHERSTONE, SCA/INS, SCA/RA E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PREL KPKO MOPS PHUM KDEM MASS IN SUBJECT: INDIA CONFIRMS DETAILS FOR PEACEKEEPING JWG, COESPU COURSES REF: A. MROZINSKI-NAIR APRIL 19 EMAIL ¶B. STATE 52470 ¶1. (U) MEA Under Secretary (UN Political) Manish confirmed to Poloff on April 17 that India would participate in the next round of the bilateral Peacekeeping Joint Working Group (PKJWG) proposed for May 11-12 in Washington. MEA Joint Secretary (UN Political) Sanjiv Arora would lead the SIPDIS delegation, which would also include one to-be-determined representative each from the Indian Ministry of Defense, Army Headquarters, Ministry of Home Affairs, and the Permanent Mission of India, New York, along with two officials from the Indian Embassy in Washington. PKJWG Agenda Items -------------- ¶2. (U) The GOI requested that we provide as soon as possible the composition of the USG delegation for the PKJWG, and proposed the following themes for Indian presentation at the PKJWG: -- UN Peacekeeping Operations: India's contribution, experiences and perspectives on major issues, including emerging challenges. -- Indian perspective on peacekeeping in Africa, with case studies of the UNPKOs in Congo and Sudan (i.e., MONUC and UNMIS). -- Energizing mechanism of consultations comprising Troop Contributing Countries, UN Security Council, and UN Secretariat. SIPDIS -- The role of the newly set up Peacebuilding Commission: an Indian perspective. -- India's experiences from training programs at the Center of Excellence for Stability Police Units (COESPU),Vicenza, Italy. ¶3. (U) Manish also concurred with suggestions for US presentations at the PKJWG (Ref A). GOI Still Defining Role for COESPU Graduates -------------- ¶4. (U) Asked about India's plans for utilizing COESPU graduates and training, Manish responded that the GOI had not finalized plans for having COESPU graduates train their home units. Each of the officers who participated in the first COESPU class took an aptitude test administered by the UN's Department of Peacekeeping Operations (DPKO),and has been enrolled in a DPKO database to be called on for future PKOs, Manish reported, and New Delhi expects that some of the COESPU graduates will be included in the normal rotation of Indian units through UNPKOs. The GOI looks forward to discussing how to leverage its participation in COESPU during the upcoming PKJWG. Responding to Manish's indication that New Delhi would welcome further engagement with COESPU including sending instructors or establishing a partnership with India's peacekeeper training schools, Poloff reminded him that the GOI should discuss this directly with the Government of Italy. Candidates Ready for Next COESPU Courses -------------- ¶5. (SBU) Manish provided to Poloff the list of candidates it has already given to COESPU for the next set of High Level and Middle Management courses (Ref B),and informed us that New Delhi intends to take up COESPU's offer to provide air transportation. Poloff reminded Manish that the USG would require the full names and date/place of birth of the candidates. Post will follow up to provide required Leahy vetting before the commencement of COESPU classes. ¶6. (U) Visit New Delhi's Classified Website: (http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/sa/newdelhi/) BLAKE