Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
07NEWDELHI1532
2007-03-30 12:43:00
CONFIDENTIAL
Embassy New Delhi
Cable title:  

DCM REVIEWS FULL SLATE OF BILATERAL COOPERATION

Tags:  PREL ASEC PTER PINR PBTS MOPS KDEM KISL PHUM 
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DE RUEHNE #1532/01 0891243
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
O 301243Z MAR 07
FM AMEMBASSY NEW DELHI
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 4392
INFO RUCNISL/ISLAMIC COLLECTIVE
RUEHBJ/AMEMBASSY BEIJING 5851
RUEHLM/AMEMBASSY COLOMBO 9351
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RUEHIL/AMEMBASSY ISLAMABAD 2692
RUEHBUL/AMEMBASSY KABUL 4217
RUEHKT/AMEMBASSY KATHMANDU 0052
RUEHLO/AMEMBASSY LONDON 3218
RUEHMO/AMEMBASSY MOSCOW 1837
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RUEHCG/AMCONSUL CHENNAI 9676
RUEHKP/AMCONSUL KARACHI 7268
RUEHCI/AMCONSUL KOLKATA 9316
RUEHLH/AMCONSUL LAHORE 3806
RUEHBI/AMCONSUL MUMBAI 8854
RUEHPW/AMCONSUL PESHAWAR 4376
RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHDC
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHDC
RHEHNSC/NSC WASHDC
RUEIDN/DNI WASHINGTON DC
RHHMUNA/CDR USPACOM HONOLULU HI
RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK 4233
RHMFISS/HQ USCENTCOM MACDILL AFB FL
RUEHGV/USMISSION GENEVA 6620
RHHMUNA/HQ USPACOM HONOLULU HI
RHMFISS/HQ USSOCOM MACDILL AFB FL
RUEKJCS/JOINT STAFF WASHDC
C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 NEW DELHI 001532 

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

STATE FOR DS, INL, S/CT, SCA, G/TIP

E.O. 12958: DECL: 05/25/2016
TAGS: PREL ASEC PTER PINR PBTS MOPS KDEM KISL PHUM
PK, IN
SUBJECT: DCM REVIEWS FULL SLATE OF BILATERAL COOPERATION
WITH NEW HOME SECRETARY

REF: A. 06 NEW DELHI 7199

B. 06 NEW DELHI 8398

C. 06 NEW DELHI 8239

NEW DELHI 00001532 001.2 OF 002


Classified By: DCM Geoff Pyatt for Reasons 1.4 (B, D)

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 NEW DELHI 001532

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

STATE FOR DS, INL, S/CT, SCA, G/TIP

E.O. 12958: DECL: 05/25/2016
TAGS: PREL ASEC PTER PINR PBTS MOPS KDEM KISL PHUM
PK, IN
SUBJECT: DCM REVIEWS FULL SLATE OF BILATERAL COOPERATION
WITH NEW HOME SECRETARY

REF: A. 06 NEW DELHI 7199

B. 06 NEW DELHI 8398

C. 06 NEW DELHI 8239

NEW DELHI 00001532 001.2 OF 002


Classified By: DCM Geoff Pyatt for Reasons 1.4 (B, D)


1. (C) In a courtesy call on new Home Secretary Madhukar
Gupta on March 30, the DCM recalled their long-standing
friendship, briefed Gupta on the many ways that the USG works
with the Home Ministry to advance our bilateral agenda, and
sought Gupta's help to improve Embassy interactions with his
Ministry. Gupta, who previously served as Joint Secretary
for Kashmir at the Home Ministry, was a scholar at the
Kennedy School of Government at Harvard, and most recently
served as Secretary for Youth and Sports, is a rising star in
the Indian system who is well and favorably disposed toward
working with the USG. We have high hopes for his tenure.

A GOOD GUY
--------------


2. (C) DCM and Gupta agreed that the USG-GOI relationship had
come a long way in a short period of time, with bilateral
cooperation at its highest ever level. DCM lauded Gupta's
personal role in making the transformation happen, reminding
him of his work with several senior USG officials during his
previous assignments.

FOCUS ON TERROR THREATS
--------------


3. (C) DCM introduced RSO, MCCA, and D/POLCOUNS, and
explained that all had urgent business to conduct with the
Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA). RSO's was most compelling,
because terrorist tactics such as the Parliament attack in
2001 and attacks on our facilities in Jeddah and Damascus led
us to assess that compound incursion/invasion was our most
compelling threat. While Delhi police provide superb
perimeter security, GOI procedures do not permit them to

breach our compound without MHA permission, irrespective of
events. DCM asked Gupta to provide RSO with a contact with
whom he could work out a suitable protocol for dealing
promptly and with a minimum of protocolary fuss in the worst
eventualities. DCM added that the USG shared India's concern
with regard to the evolving pattern of terror threats within
India, and had embarked on a broad effort to work more
closely with India to neutralize the threat.

THE MHA IS THE PROBLEM
--------------


4. (C) Gupta asked why existing levels of contact had not
already solved such working-level problems. DCM responded
that while MEA, MOD, and a host of other GOI ministries had
begun interacting much more robustly with the Embassy, the
MHA had bucked the trend by curtailing contacts. D/PolCouns
briefed on how one of Gupta's successors in the Kashmir job
had flatly told him she was not permitted to meet with him
due to counter-intelligence concerns. Such an environment,
added DCM, precluded the working level contact with MHA that

NEW DELHI 00001532 002.2 OF 002


could smooth away many problems. Gupta, in the job less than
a week, promised to examine the matter and get back to us.

MANY REASONS TO TALK
--------------


5. (C) DCM listed the many areas in which the Embassy deals
with MHA. The MCCA wanks names and D/POB for terrorist
suspects so he could enter them into the consular lookout
database. RSO seeks better DS-ATA cooperation. LEGATT and
ORA are prepared for a broad range of new cooperative
initiatives, but lack IB buy-in. USAID works with MHA on
governance. The INL Office liaises with MHA on
trafficking-in-persons, and needs its continued help to build
a strong program in conjunction with UN efforts to enhance
enforcement. The Political Section sought a broad exchange
of views on terrorism and insurgency, plus cooperation in the
context of the CT Joint Working Group. PA could use MHA
assistance to make Fulbright visa issuances less problematic.
Put bluntly, added CG, "we're stymied" by MHA's seeming
intransingence in many areas. DCM reminded Gupta that it was
not so long ago that MHA was one of our best interlocutors in
Delhi. NOTE: DCM's intervention with the Home Secretary on
TIP follows interventions by him (Reftels) with the Union
Cabinet Ministers for Labor and for Women and Child
Development. Ref C is U/S Dobriansky's intervention with the
Foreign Secretary on TIP. END NOTE.

LET'S SEE
--------------


6. (C) COMMENT: Gupta is one of the good guys, and he
listened patiently as we listed our many woes. While his
Minister, Shivraj Patil, may be part of the problem at MHA,
we hope Gupta will exert enough influence on that vast and
important bureaucracy that we can go back to enjoying
excellent and productive contacts with one of the most
important Ministries in India. END COMMENT.
MULFORD