COMMUNISTS COPECETIC WITH UPA REGIONAL APPROACH,

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 NEW DELHI 000210

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/16/2017
TAGS: PGOV PREL PHUM PREF PINR KDEM IN PK BT BG
NP, CE.
SUBJECT: COMMUNISTS COPECETIC WITH UPA REGIONAL APPROACH,
DIFFER SHARPLY ON USA

Classified By: Political Counselor Ted Osius for reasons 1.4 (B,D)


1. (C) Summary: The Left Front (LF) and UPA are locked in
agreement when it comes to South Asian regional policy, but
differ sharply when it comes to the US and countries with
which the US has disputes, such as Iran. In preparation for
his January 13-14 Pakistan visit, External Affairs Minister
Pranab Mukherjee provided foreign policy briefings to the
CPI(M) on January 6 and to CPI Secretary D Raja on January 8.
Raja told us he welcomed developments in Bhutan and Nepal,
was pessimistic about trends in Sri Lanka and Bangladesh, and
was in front of the GOI when it comes to cultivating friendly
ties to Pakistan. Raja emphasized that real difficulties
arise when it comes to foreign policy outside the region,
especially regarding the Middle East, Iran, and Iraq, and
relations with the US. Maintaining that many within Congress
agree with the Communist stance, Raja reiterated that his
party was in complete opposition to US and UPA policy in
these areas. Raja is the hard edge of the LF and is not as
media-savvy as the CPI(M) leadership, but his views are an
accurate reflection of both the Communists and the Left wing
of Congress, and indicates that PM Manmohan Singh faces stiff
opposition from within the UPA when it comes to many foreign
policy issues, especially the pace of US-India relations.
End Summary.

UPA Briefs Communists Twice
--------------


2. (U) Foreign Minister Pranab Mukherjee met with the
leadership of India's Communist parties twice in preparation
for PM Manmohan Singh's January 13-14 Pakistan visit. On
January 6, Mukherjee met CPI(M) General Secretary Prakash
Karat and CPI(M) Politburo member Sitaram Yechury, and
briefed CPI Secretary D. Raja on January 8. After the
January 6 meeting, Yechury noted that "a discussion was held
on the situation in neighboring countries, the developments
out there and what should be our foreign policy....Our
Foreign Minister is visiting the neighboring countries, so
discussions were held on foreign policy." Yechury emphasized
that the Left Front (LF) supported UPA efforts to improve
India/Pakistan relations, intoning that "the talks with
Pakistan are fine as long as the Indian government does not
lower its guard."


3. (U) On January 8, Mukherjee delivered the same briefing
to CPI Secretary D Raja. Raja emphasized after the meeting
that "We discussed the situation in Nepal, Sri Lanka,
Bangladesh and Pakistan. Our party will support all efforts
to improve the India-Pakistan relationship." Raja, who comes
from Tamil Nadu, was particularly concerned about UPA policy
regarding Sri Lanka. After the meeting, Raja pointed out
that "the External Affairs Minister agreed with our stand
that military actions are not a solution for the ethnic
crisis in Sri Lanka...I requested him to provide all possible
help to innocent Tamil civilians in the island nation."

Raja Pleased with Regional Policy
--------------


4. (C) In a January 12 meeting, Raja told Poloff that he was

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pleased that the UPA delivered high-level foreign policy
briefings to the Communist leadership. During the one on one
meeting, MEA Minister Mukherjee toured the entire South Asia
region, with the exception of Afghanistan, with separate
briefings on Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Bhutan. Raja
emphasized that there is general agreement between the
Communist parties and Congress on regional policy. Raja was
particularly pleased with GOI policy on Bhutan and Nepal,
where he welcomed what he anticipated would be the end of
monarchy in the two Himalayan kingdoms, and the integration
of Maoists into a new government in Nepal.


5. (C) Raja was pessimistic, however, about developments in
Bangladesh and Sri Lanka, noting that the situation in
Bangladesh has deteriorated and threatens democracy, while
Sri Lanka is immersed in war. Raja pointed out that while
the Sri Lankan Army (SLA) scored some gains in the East by
using LTTE turncoat Colonel Karuna, it cannot win a military
victory. He provided guarded praise to the LTTE for its
dedication, pointing out that while the SLA destroyed the
world famous Jaffna University Library, the LTTE made Jaffna
University one of the finest in South Asia during its tenure.
Raja expressed strong support for the UPA's efforts to
improve relations with Pakistan, stating that the people in
both countries are fed up with hostility and that there is no
underlying reason for poor relations. He was adamant that
while ISI supports terrorism directed against India, the
Communists would continue to urge forbearance and patience.
Should there be another spectacular terrorist attack such as
Mumbai, he pointed out, the GOI would have no choice but to
break off talks, but the Communists would not want anything
further and would want to revive the process after a decent
interval.

But Disagrees With the UPA On the Rest of the World
-------------- --------------


6. (C) Turning to foreign policy outside the South Asian
region, Raja became more animated and hostile. He claimed
that, while the Congress leadership made the right noises on
Iran, this was just to mollify the US, and that most within
Congress agreed with the left when it came to Iran, Iraq and
the Middle East. When it comes to Iran, he emphasized, the
Communists are in total disagreement with the stated policies
of Manmohan Singh, especially when it comes to Iranian
nuclear policy. Becoming agitated, Raja remarked that,
"India cannot dictate to Iran as to whether or not it can
have a nuclear device, especially when the US and other
Nuclear states under the NPT have not renounced their nuclear
weapons." In his view, it was a mistake for India (but not
China) to acquire nuclear weapons and it should give them up
as well. Raja then asked rhetorically why Washington was not
equally agitated about Israel's nuclear weapons. Raja argued
that no matter what the UPA tells the US, the Communists and
Congress agree that US policy regarding Iraq is wrong in its
entirety, and that "history will judge George Bush and his
government to be guilty of crimes against humanity in Iraq."
Raja further claimed that the Communists were totally opposed
to the UPA stance on US/India relations, and most especially
the Civil Nuclear Agreement. He confirmed that the
Communists would take a joint position in Parliament

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demanding parliamentary approval for the pending 1-2-3
Agreement and suggested that they would welcome an
opportunity to vote against it.

Comment: CPI Is the Hard Edge of Communism
--------------


7. (C) When it comes to regional policy, Congress and the
Communists are in a virtual love-fest of agreement, with the
Communists even more eager for friendly relations with
Pakistan than the GOI. Dedicated opponents of the BJP and
its Pakistan-bashing policies, the Communists are always
eager to use Pakistan to score points against the rightists.
Disagreements crop up almost instantly, however, when it
comes to other aspects of foreign policy. Raja is probably
correct when he says that there is a large bloc within
Congress that shares the same views on Iraq, Iran, the Middle
East and even US/India relations with the Communists. Raja's
CPI is the junior partner in a Left Front dominated by the
CPI(M) and is a hard-line old-style Communist party that is
incapable of presenting a moderate face like the more
media-savvy CPI(M). Despite this, Communist antipathy
against many Congress foreign-policy initiatives should not
be underestimated. This underlies the difficulties Congress
will face managing its foreign policy -- especially the pace
of US-India relations -- while facing determined opposition
from the LF and more subtle opposition from Communist "fellow
travelers" within the party.


8. (U) Visit New Delhi's Classified Website:
(http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/sa/newdelhi/)
MULFORD