U.S.-INDIA BILATERAL DIALOGUE: BURNS AND MENON

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 10 NEW DELHI 008280 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/07/2021 TAGS: PREL PGOV PTER ETRD EFIN ECON EINV KIPR MARR EAGR, KDEM, KSCI, SENV, IN SUBJECT: U.S.-INDIA BILATERAL DIALOGUE: BURNS AND MENON DISCUSS PRESIDENTIAL INITIATIVES AND A ROADMAP FOR THE FUTURE Classified By: Charge d'Affaires Geoffrey Pyatt for Reasons 1.4 (B, D) ¶1. (C) Summary. During the December 7 U.S.-India Bilateral Dialogue, chaired by Undersecretary Burns and Foreign Secretary Shiv Shankar Menon, the two sides followed up on SIPDIS the list of Presidential initiatives agreed upon in July 2005 and March 2006 by President Bush and PM Singh, as well as ideas for accelerating the transformation which is occurring in the relationship, including: -- a desire for even greater senior-level engagement; -- the successful CEO Forum; -- the expected successful completion of the civil-nuclear cooperation initiative legislation; -- the Trade Policy Forum; -- the Agriculture Knowledge Initiative; -- Avian Flu and climate change; -- Energy Dialogue; -- science and technology; -- intellectual property rights; -- civil space cooperation; -- defense cooperation and maritime security; -- counterterrorism; -- promoting democracy; and -- the Fulbright scholars program. End Summary. Charting a Roadmap for the Future -------------- ¶2. (C) Menon opened the meeting by thanking Burns for his role in transforming the U.S.-India relationship, noting that his timing in coming to India was "perfect, as usual." He suggested that the focus of the meeting be to chart a roadmap for the future, and the two sides should begin by reviewing what has been done and is left to do under the July 18 Joint Statement. Burns said that he would travel to Hyderabad at the end of the week to see the site for the new U.S. Consulate. Before getting to the specific agenda, he wanted to make some general points: The U.S. is pleased by the growth in the bilateral relationship and would like to deepen it through even greater senior-level engagement. Secretary Rice wants to visit India early in 2007; the U.S. would welcome India's ideas on timing and dates. The civil nuclear agreement serves as a symbol of the growing relationship, and bilateral engagement will deepen through military-to-military relations, economic cooperation, and implementation of the civil nuclear agreement. NEW DELHI 00008280 002 OF 010 ¶3. (C) Burns said that the U.S. hoped for a series of reciprocal visits in 2007 that would propel the relationship forward, including visits to the U.S. by Foreign Minister Mukherjee and Foreign Secretary Menon. He noted that it is a rare event to witness firsthand a momentous development in any bilateral relationship, but that will happen on December 7 and 8 as the U.S. Congress issues the final Conference Report. He said he expects a strong bill, well within the parameters of the July 18, 2005 agreement and the March 2, 2006 separation plan. Burns said that the mood in Washington is very positive toward India. This is reflected in both the Administration and Congress, where incoming SFRC Chairman Biden and HIRC Chairman Lantos in the new Democratic Congress have voiced strong support for strengthening the bilateral relationship. Burns noted that, according to polls, India is now the fifth most popular country among Americans, and wants to use that momentum to look over the horizon to further the relationship. ¶4. (C) Menon agreed with Burns that the two sides should look to take the relationship to a much higher level. The civil nuclear agreement had evoked gratitude and admiration toward the U.S. from both the government and public. He agreed that U.S. bipartisan support was critical and the goal by the end of the day should be to get a sense of where to take the relationship over the next few years. Menon also agreed with the concept of high level exchanges in 2007 and accepted Burns' invitation to visit. A Successful CEO Forum -------------- ¶5. (C) Turning to the agenda, on the CEO Forum, Menon cited four areas to explore for further action: follow up on the very successful CEO Forum in October in New York, including possible expansion of CEO membership, move forward on establishing an infrastructure fund with the GOI contributing 10 to 15 percent of the $5 billion needed to jump start the process, U.S. company participation in India,s planned mega-power generation projects beginning with a U.S. Department of Energy-sponsored conference, and achieve progress on U.S. approval for pending applications by Indian banks to open branches in the U.S. Burns replied that he had been in China and unable to attend the CEO Forum but received very positive feedback on the New York meeting. Burns said that, unlike many CEO Forums, including one he had been involved with, the U.S.-India CEO Forum was working. Ambassador Mulford said the CEO Forum worked because it was created by the CEOs who set the agenda and invite government officials who, Menon noted, were responsive to the CEOs' NEW DELHI 00008280 003 OF 010 needs. The CEOs establish connections and value the personal contact, and the Forum will continue for as long as the CEOs feel it is useful and can be a venue for frank and open off-the-record discussions on the issues. The Ambassador noted that Secretary Paulson decided to attend the October meeting because he viewed it as useful and important -- a real business meeting. With respect to expanding the Forum from its current ten members on each side, the Ambassador recommended, and Menon agreed, that CEO Co-Chairmen Tata and Harrison discuss the matter and tell governments what they intend to do. Trade Policy Forum -------------- ¶6. (C) Menon next turned to a review of the Trade Policy Forum (TPF),noting that Deputy USTR Bhatia had just visited India and progress had been made in all five Focus Groups under the TPF. On IPR, retail, and FDI issues, Menon noted that there was some room to move on issues within the existing laws without having to take new legislation to the Parliament. Menon said the GOI hoped that the U.S. and India could reach agreement on a Totalization Agreement similar to what India negotiated with Belgium to recapture social security payments made by Indians working in the U.S. who then return to India. He noted that India still owes the U.S. responses and data on IPR areas like Traditional Knowledge and pirated Indian music in the U.S. There had been progress as well on legal services, where the two sides were close to identifying a panel of lawyers for discussion. He asked Burns how the U.S. sees the TPF progressing. ¶7. (C) Burns noted that trade had dominated discussions between President Bush and PM Singh on the margins of the St. Petersburg G-8 summit, underscoring its importance in any bilateral relationship. Burns said the number one U.S.-India trade priority should be working together to achieve a breakthrough on the Doha Round. Burns said more high level engagement is needed, and he hoped USTR Schwab and Commerce Minister Nath could meet, perhaps in Europe. Burns noted that the recent visits of Secretary of Agriculture Johanns and Under Secretary of Commerce Lavin, who led the largest U.S. trade mission ever, underscored how well the bilateral trade relationship is going and we need to do the same for Doha. Menon agreed with the need for cooperation on Doha, but noted the complexities of engagement on Doha is not just bilateral but multifaceted ) G-20, G-33, U.S.-EU, etc. Menon said the current impasse will only be resolved at the highest levels and stressed that Prime Minister Singh is interested in a successful Doha Round. India, he assessed, NEW DELHI 00008280 004 OF 010 has the same interest as the U.S. in rules-based, open trade. Menon said the recent U.S. Trade Mission had made a huge impression and the GOI was looking forward to hosting a U.S.-India Investment Summit in 2007. Agriculture Knowledge Initiative (AKI) -------------- ¶8. (C) On agriculture, Menon said that Johanns' visit coincided with the fourth meeting of the AKI Board, and India is committed to the three year work plan, including incorporating commercial activities. Burns said that the AKI was born out of the two leaders, July 18 meeting where PM Singh talked about a second green revolution. It was critical that we show progress on AKI at the next meeting between the two leaders in 2007. Burns said that the U.S. will do its part on AKI and our numerous high level visits have been intended to show our commitment to make progress across the broad range of issues. Burns said that there will be a U.S. interagency review of progress within one month. ¶9. (C) The Ambassador said that we need a broader, stronger intellectual engagement beyond immediate micro issues. He noted that, while India is globalizing most sectors of the economy, it has fenced off the agriculture and rural sector, which limits India,s capacity to be a global agricultural power. We need a roadmap that keeps the big macro issues in play and avoids getting bogged down in trade discussions on micro, company-specific issues. Menon agreed, but noted that issues involving the rural sector in India, as in the U.S., are socially and politically sensitive, which presents unique challenges. Agriculture lagged behind services and manufacturing and the way out was clearly through application of science and technology. But if India were to open the sector before doing that it would have a problem. Menon recognized that it was a difficult balancing act to address these concerns within the context of Doha, but India will work with the U.S., and AKI will be a key in bringing technology to the rural sector. Menon said it was also difficult to urge market opening when other countries and markets imposed strict sanitary and phyto-sanitary (SPS) measures. Burns expressed concern with the small Indian financial commitment to AKI to date as compared to the U.S. $8 million annual commitment; Menon explained the GOI was working to deliver much greater financial resources per the agreement. Avian Flu/Climate Change -------------- NEW DELHI 00008280 005 OF 010 ¶10. (C) Burns identified Avian Flu (AF) and climate change as two other increasingly important issues for the U.S., and welcomed India hosting the 2007 AF Conference. He noted that climate change is assuming greater importance with the American public and political leaders, and said that strong Indian participation in the Asia-Pacific Partnership (APP) was welcome. He noted that India and China will be under increasing pressure to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, which was a strong selling point with Congress on the civil nuclear agreement. Burns noted that Under Secretary Dobriansky is deeply involved in the climate change issue and suggested that it should be on the agenda when Secretary Rice and Foreign Minister Mukherjee meet. Menon said that India looked forward to hosting the 2007 AF Conference and said India would be happy to host the next APP Ministerial. He noted that India co-chairs two APP task forces on steel and coal mining and was working to get greater Indian industry involvement. Menon said climate change is now an important issue in India as evidenced by the fact that there had just been an inter-ministerial discussion on it on December 7. Energy Dialogue -------------- ¶11. (C) Menon said that the Energy Dialogue Steering Committee had not met since last February and, while the working groups are doing well, it is time to review the long work lists to prioritize and determine which ones will provide the best added value. Burns agreed and said he was seeing Minister of Petroleum Deora on Friday. Secretary of Energy Bodman and Deora have had good meetings and we are hoping for greater cooperation, including regional cooperation on energy in Central Asia. Burns emphasized that maintaining a High Level Strategic Dialogue on Energy was important. Menon noted that India and Pakistan have discussed energy cooperation and there is a regional agreement on an energy grid. Science and Technology -------------- ¶12. (C) The GOI was very happy with the recent visit to India of National Science Foundation (NSF) Director Bement, Menon declared. India would welcome the posting of an NSF officer to New Delhi, adding that this could be a vehicle for promoting scientific cooperation. Menon said he would like scientific cooperation to have as wide an architecture as possible, to encompass the public and private sectors and build on existing bilateral programs. Ambassador Mulford NEW DELHI 00008280 006 OF 010 stressed the need to create an entity which would include public institutions but have a commercial orientation, citing the concepts of AKI as an example. Intellectual Property Rights -------------- ¶13. (C) Menon said India is about to sign a Memorandum of Understanding with the U.S. Department of Commerce on capacity building for enforcing intellectual property rights (IPR). One concern India has, which it has raised before, he emphasized, was its inclusion on the USTR priority watch list. While not perfect, India has laws and enforcement capabilities for IPR, and is working on capacity building, while also taking action to accede to the Madrid Protocol. He hoped India would be removed from the priority watch list as soon as possible. Acting EconCouns explained that the Embassy has asked USTR and other USG agencies to do a comprehensive review of India's position on the list, adding he hoped to have a reply within a couple weeks. Menon said he recognized that there had been specific problems with India's pharmaceutical industry, but because of that one industry the whole of India is punished by being on the watch list. He questioned whether U.S. information on India's IPR enforcement was current, and requested U/S Burns to continue to discuss the issue with the goal of getting India removed from the list. Civil Space Cooperation -------------- ¶14. (C) The issue of civil space cooperation attracts a lot of attention, according to Menon, and is an area, like civil nuclear cooperation, where bilateral trust can be strengthened. While civil space cooperation began with successful negotiation of a technology safeguards agreement, its progress has been slowed by being associated with subsequent agreements such as the Commercial Space Launch Agreement (CSLA),Doha Round, and various other obstacles, Menon said. The U.S. and India should seek opportunities for immediate cooperation based on the technology safeguards agreement, then CSLA and then move on to more complicated forms of cooperation, not make them contingent on each other. "The best is the enemy of the good" in this case, Menon stated. U/S Burns said there needs to be more thought as to how our two bureaucracies can find a way to move ahead, noting there will be a High Tech Cooperation Group (HTCG) meeting in February where this could be discussed further. In regard to the HTCG meeting, Menon said he hoped the U.S. and India would discuss India's position on the "white list," NEW DELHI 00008280 007 OF 010 explaining India was sensitive to being "lumped" into the same category as China in terms of validated end users. India deserves to be higher on the list than China, he asserted, given its record of handling sensitive technology appropriately and its system of export controls. India has presented the U.S. with a non-paper on this issue, he said, which he hoped could be discussed in depth in January to make the February HTCG more productive. U/S Burns offered to get more information on issues surrounding space cooperation from relevant U.S. agencies and provide Menon with a response. Defense Cooperation/Maritime Cooperation -------------- ¶15. (C) Calling defense cooperation one of the highest potential growth areas for the relationship -- along with counterterrorism -- U/S Burns referred to tsunami relief as an example of how our militaries were able to collaborate in real time on a large scale operation. The U.S. would like to see more ambitious bilateral exercises and training in the future, he stated, as well as increase equipment sales and cooperation between our two militaries. Menon wholeheartedly agreed, saying, "you'll be pushing an open door" when asking for closer mil-mil ties. He offered that India was close to signing the Logistics Support Agreement (LSA) and the Communications Interoperability and Security Memorandum of Agreement (CISMOA). Menon said he believed the U.S. now has a level playing field when it comes to bidding on defense contracts. One issue of concern he flagged was the issue of end-use monitoring (EUM),although he said he believes the GOI has a solution, provided both sides are willing to be creative. Menon and U/S Burns agreed there would be an opportunity to discuss defense cooperation in more detail when U/S Burns meets with Defense Secretary Shekhar Dutt, scheduled for December 8. Menon said he believed maritime security also offered an opportunity for closer cooperation, and hoped the subject could be discussed further prior to the next Secretary-Foreign Minister meeting. ¶16. (C) U/S Burns said that, in his experience, as defense relations between two countries grow, it brings with it a new level of complexity. The real way to reinforce closer defense ties is through technology transfer, he said, pointing out that the U.S. and Indian militaries would not be able to operate together without at least some of the same systems. EUM is part of our relationship with even our closest allies, such as the UK, Australia and Japan, and is part of the price of having a closer relationship. Even with close partners, requirements such as EUM can be misunderstood, he said, and the more the politics surrounding NEW DELHI 00008280 008 OF 010 such issues can be avoided, the better for the relationship. Menon noted that low-level talks on Missile Defense between the U.S. and India have been ongoing. ¶17. (C) Ambassador Mulford said the issues of co-production, technology transfer and offsets, as well as India's capacity to absorb offset investments, are very important given the intense attention Indian defense procurements are attracting from private industry. While the U.S. government does not support offsets as a matter of policy, the Ambassador noted American companies have a great deal of experience in offset investments in other countries, some of whom have used offsets as a development tool to support broader social and economic growth. Menon said India's most recent Defense Procurement Policy had loosened offset regulations somewhat, that procurement policy is still evolving, and suggested there would be considerable change in its implementation. Counterterrorism -------------- ¶18. (C) Counterterrorism cooperation is an area where our bilateral relationship could leap forward, U/S Burns told Menon, perhaps taking on symbolic value similar to that of the civ-nuke deal. Saying the U.S. still has more to learn about Indian sensitivities toward Kashmiri and other terrorists targeting India, U/S Burns suggested C/T as an area for more ambitious cooperation and one which should be further explored prior to the next Secretary-Foreign Minister meeting. India and the U.S. need each other to better address terrorism, both domestically and globally. S/CT Deputy Coordinator Palmer provided a readout of her meeting earlier in the day with Additional Secretary KC Singh, where they discussed possible agenda items for the next Counterterrorism Joint Working Group (CTJWG),expected in February, including joint operations, intelligence sharing, biometrics, enhanced exchange of tactical data, and exploring the link between narcotics and terrorism. Menon said he agreed entirely on the need to raise our cooperation, specifically in the areas Palmer described but also in terrorism financing. We could cooperate in a way both sides would find comfortable, Menon said, explaining that they could avoid the perception that, for example, India was using the cooperation as a means to find information which could embarrass the government of Pakistan. Building credibility into our partnership would be the basis for more effectively fighting terrorism, he said. U/S Burns said the U.S. side would try to develop substantive ideas prior to the CTJWG. Democracy Building NEW DELHI 00008280 009 OF 010 -------------- ¶19. (C) Menon and U/S Burns agreed that promoting democracy was an area where our two great democracies could do more, whether together or in parallel, and that the UN Democracy Fund -- to which the U.S. and India were the first donors -- would be a good venue for cooperation. Menon cited his meeting the previous week with U/S Dobriansky, saying that while he and she seemed to come from two different approaches, they had arrived at the same conclusion that the U.S. and India share common goals on democracy promotion and can do more together. Menon said that India has gained confidence in promoting democracy through its recent experiences in Nepal, Afghanistan and Bhutan, where it helped the democratic process along without being prescriptive or intrusive. He called democracy "one of the ties that bind us." U/S Burns cited opportunities for democracy promotion in Bangladesh, Nepal, Afghanistan and perhaps Kyrgyzstan as potential areas for cooperation. Menon agreed on all but Kyrgyzstan, saying he was not sure how much the government there was willing or ready to discuss democracy, although he said he would be willing to discuss Kyrgyzstan further. Fulbright Scholarships -------------- ¶20. (C) The U.S. has become frustrated with the way India has handled the Fulbright program recently, U/S Burns said, a surprisingly disappointing development given the general positive trends in the relationship. Massive delays in visa issuance, lack of joint funding, and potentially discriminatory screening of certain Fulbright research proposals have detracted from a program designed to build bridges. He urged Menon to look at India's participation in the program and rebuild its foundations. Ambassador Mulford stressed his concern that simply approving pending visa applications would not solve the fundamental problems involved, and suggested a mechanism be put in place quickly -- before the next round of applications go out in April -- toward establishing a long-term solution. Menon said he had heard about visa problems, but was surprised to hear the depth of the problem. In general, he felt, governments should not get in the way of scholarly exchanges. The GOI had started an interagency process in the previous week to address problems in the Fulbright program, and Menon said he was told pending visa requests would be reviewed by a committee which would meet monthly. He said he would look into the issues of funding and censorship of certain programs, and promised to respond to Burns after the next monthly meeting. NEW DELHI 00008280 010 OF 010 ¶21. (U) Undersecretary Burns' party has cleared this cable. PYATT