A/S BOUCHER PUSHES INDIA ON NAM, UN

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 NEW DELHI 005558 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 08/07/2016 TAGS: PREL PGOV UN IN SUBJECT: A/S BOUCHER PUSHES INDIA ON NAM, UN Classified By: Charge Geoff Pyatt for Reasons 1.4 (B, D) ¶1. (C) Summary. In an August 7 meeting with Indian MEA Joint Secretary (JS) Americas Dr. S. Jaishankar, A/S Boucher: SIPDIS -- urged India to use its influence in the upcoming Havana Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) summit as a positive force to curb attempts at unhelpful resolutions, such as supporting Iran's right to nuclear development; -- encouraged India to consider the optics of attending the Cuba summit, in the context of on-going Senate deliberations of the civil-nuclear agreement; and -- reminded Jaishankar that the U.S. still seeks India's support for Guatemala's Security Council candidacy. Jaishankar: -- described India's limited ability to affect Non-Aligned Movement deliberations, while noting examples where India has played a balancing role; -- suggested the U.S. "have a degree of realism" in what it expects from the summit; -- would not confirm who would represent India at the Cuba summit nor the UN General Assembly, however suggested Prime Minister Singh would go to Cuba and not go to New York; -- did not indicate India's position on Guatemala's UNSC candidacy. End Summary. ¶2. (C) In light of a meeting with Additional Secretary for International Organizations K.C. Singh being canceled at the last minute, A/S Boucher discussed the upcoming Non-Aligned Movement Havana summit and UN General Assembly with Americas Joint Secretary Jaishankar (note: other topics covered in the Jaishankar meeting are being reported septel). Noting that several Non-Aligned Movement members could be expected to propose unhelpful resolutions, such as supporting Iran's right to nuclear development or support for Hezbollah without mentioning terrorism, A/S Boucher pointed out to Jaishankar that reaction in the U.S. to India's attendance at the Cuba summit could likely be problematic for India's delegation to New York, particularly in the context of flourishing bilateral relations and pending Senate action on civil-nuclear legislation. A/S Boucher also urged India to be a positive force in influencing Non-Aligned groups' resolutions. ¶3. (C) Jaishankar said he believed India's position on the movement had been made clear in the past, and stated India has worked effectively to bring balance in the group, citing India's back-room success -- along with Singapore and Jamaica -- at significantly tempering a pro-Iranian resolution at the last summit in Kuala Lumpur. "It may not console the U.S.," he said, but India played a role in softening the final language. Jaishankar said similar harmful resolutions may be pushed through by countries who are aggressive in Havana, and while India will assert its position, "you need to have a degree of realism about what will happen." A/S Boucher cited NEW DELHI 00005558 002 OF 002 the extent to which the U.S. and India share opinions on issues such as Iranian nuclear development, counter-terrorism and other multilateral concerns, but noted that despite India's policy, resolutions emanating from fora such as the Non-Aligned Movement summit don't reflect our shared interests. ¶4. (C) Jaishankar said it is still too early to tell if Prime Minister Singh will attend the Non-Aligned Movement summit, but added that in the current domestic political environment "I would be surprised if he doesn't go." Jaishankar then said Prime Minister Singh did not seem enthusiastic about attending the UN General Assembly. Prime Minister Singh's motivation the last two years in attending the General Assembly was to have meetings with President Bush and President Musharraf, Jaishankar said. However, Jaishankar clarified that "We don't see New York as the U.S.," suggesting the General Assembly didn't hold the same allure for the Prime Minister as direct bilateral talk would. A/S Boucher noted that Prime Minister Singh's absence in New York, particularly because Singh also wears the hat of foreign minister, would necessitate consideration on how to manage the bilateral dialogue in New York, and asked Jaishankar to keep us informed on who would attend the General Assembly. A/S Boucher also asked to keep communication between the U.S. and India open on the Non-Aligned Movement summit. ¶5. (C) A/S Boucher reminded Jaishankar that the U.S. was still awaiting a reply to our demarche on Guatemala's candidacy for the Security Council. Jaishankar affirmed that India has yet to formulate a response. ¶6. (U) A/S Boucher has cleared this message. PYATT