IRANIAN DFM SAFARI FINDS LITTLE LOVE IN NEW DELHI

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 NEW DELHI 006085 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 05/25/2016 TAGS: PREL PGOV PTER PINR KNNP ENRG EPET KISL IR IN SUBJECT: IRANIAN DFM SAFARI FINDS LITTLE LOVE IN NEW DELHI DURING LOW-KEY VISIT NEW DELHI 00006085 001.2 OF 002 Classified By: DCM Geoffrey Pyatt, Jr. for Reasons 1.4 (B, D) 1.(C) SUMMARY: Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Dr. Mehdi Safari visited New Delhi Aug. 30 to discuss the nuclear issue and energy cooperation with India. While he was here, the GOI reiterated its view that Iran should respect its NPT obligations. No progress on the pipeline emanated from the visit. In addition, EU contacts tell us that they have been told MEA Additional Secretary Singh flatly told Safari that the Iranian reply to the P6 had not been satisfactory. The Indians are clearly balancing a domestic political need to be seen to be talking to Teheran and a compelling need to keep the Senate happy prior to the expected September vote on the nuclear deal. END SUMMARY. 2.(C) Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Dr. Mehdi Safari arrived in New Delhi Aug. 30 for a one day visit with GOI officials to ask for Indian support in negotiations with the P6 on the nuclear issue and to discuss the Iran-Pakistan-India gas pipeline project. Dr. Safari reportedly emphasized that Iran is open to negotiations and is willing to cooperate fully with the IAEA, but will insist on its rights under the NPT, and will try to have the issue revert to the IAEA from the UNSC. According to an MEA press release, MEA Secretary Rajiv Sikri told him that India does not want "confrontation and destabilization" in the region. He said that India believes that, as a signatory to the NPT, Iran must honor its obligations. 3.(C) Regarding the energy sector, Sikri emphasized the importance of Iran honoring the LNG deal signed in June 2005. According to the MEA press release, both sides reaffirmed their commitment to the gas pipeline project, but gave no additional details. COMMENT: Iran's failure to respect the LNG contract price has resulted in bad blood with Delhi and slowed talks on the pipeline. END COMMENT. 4.(C) In a courtesy call on Aug. 30, MEA Joint Secretary for Disarmament Hamid Ali Rao, Charge and PolCouns discussed Iran's response to the June 2006 proposal. Charge stated that if Iran walks away from the EU-3 proposal, it will be clear that they have no interest in cooperation or in upholding their NPT obligations and pointed out that Iran is sending ambivalent signals. Rao argued that dialogue and negotiation must continue with Iran. (Note: Other topics of the meeting are being reported SEPTEL. End note.) 5.(C) British A/PolCouns confirmed that MEA Additional Secretary KC Singh was unexpectedly firm on Iran when he SIPDIS received an August 29 EU-3 demarche. Singh agreed with the UK High Commissioner, the French DCM, and the German PolCouns that the Iranian reply had not been satisfactory. The British told us that Singh was "more robust" than they had expected, and advised the EU3 to come up with an "equally long and obscure answer" that leaves the door to dialogue propped open. An abrupt answer, counseled Singh, would play into Ahmedinejad's hands. The EU3 took the point, but countered that action could not be postponed indefinitely. Singh relayed to the EU3 that when Iranian DFM Safari visited, Safari had offered "lame" explanations such as saying that the opening of the Arak reactor had been "accidental," and ignored the point about IAEA inspections entirely. The Brits commented that KC Singh seemed less NEW DELHI 00006085 002.2 OF 002 patient with the Iranians than he had been in the past, and that India had seemingly been more harsh with Safari in private than its public statements would indicate. The Indians are clearly, said the Brits, trying their best to walk the fine line between their own Left coalition partners' unquenched love for Tehran and their own desire to ensure that the Senate passes the U.S.-India civilian nuclear energy bill. KC Singh, they added, said crunch time in walking this fine line would come at the upcoming NAM summit, where India could not "control" what the NAM says, but could only influence it. India was painfully mindful of the fact that the Senate might act on the nuclear legislation in mid-September, just as the NAM gets underway. 6.(C) Charge spoke with the French DCM who confirmed the British version of the meeting with Singh, noting that the GOI was surprised at the firmness of the GOF's position on Iran. 7.(C) COMMENT: While the GOI is willing to say the bare minimum in public on Iran in order to ensure passage of the U.S.-India civilian nuclear energy bill without offending the Congress's essential Muslim vote bank or their partners on the left, the government was tougher with Safari in private. Moreover, India has said again and again that a nuclear Iran is not in its interest. The U.S.-India nuclear deal, the Iranian bomb, and the bad faith in gas contracts have helped drive more of a wedge between Delhi and Tehran. END COMMENT. MULFORD