TOUR D'HORIZON WITH INCOMING MEA JOINT SECRETARY

C O N F I D E N T I A L NEW DELHI 002101

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 05/02/2017
TAGS: PREL PGOV PTER EPET ETRD MARR PINR MOPS IR
PK, AF, IN
SUBJECT: TOUR D'HORIZON WITH INCOMING MEA JOINT SECRETARY
FOR PAKISTAN, AFGHANISTAN, AND IRAN

CLASSIFIED BY: POLCOUNS TED OSIUS FOR REASONS 1.4 (B,D)


1. (C) SUMMARY: IN A TOUR D'HORIZON WITH INCOMING MINISTRY
OF EXTERNAL AFFAIRS (PAKISTAN, AFGHANISTAN AND IRAN) JOINT
SECRETARY T.C.A. RAGHAVAN MAY 1, POLCOUNS RAISED PETROLEUM

SIPDIS
AND NATURAL GAS MINISTER MURLI DEORA'S RECENT STOPOVER IN
TEHRAN. RAGHAVAN SAID HE HAD NOT RECEIVED DETAILS, BUT
PROMISED A READ-OUT NEXT WEEK. TOLD THAT A GROUP OF U.S.
SENATORS HAD WRITTEN A LETTER TO PRIME MINISTER SINGH
EXPRESSING CONCERNS ABOUT THE INDO-IRANIAN DEFENSE JOINT

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WORKING GROUP (DJWG),RAGHAVAN STATED THAT THE GROUP'S
ACTIVITIES WERE ROUTINE AND NOT A MATTER OF CONCERN. ON
RECENT REPORTS THAT THE INDIAN ARMY WAS SENDING PERSONNEL TO
AFGHANISTAN TO TRAIN THE AFGHAN NATIONAL ARMY (ANA),RAGHAVAN
SAID THAT THE INDIAN ARMY EDUCATION CORPS WAS MERELY SENDING
ENGLISH TEACHERS TO TRAIN TROOPS IN AFGHANISTAN, AND THAT IT
SHOULD NOT IN ANY WAY BE CONSTRUED AS PUTTING "BOOTS ON THE
GROUND," AS SOME MEDIA OUTLETS HAD IMPLIED. RAGHAVAN
PROMISED TO GET AN UPDATE ON THE STATUS OF THE PUL-I-KHUMRI
TO KABUL TRANSMISSION LINE PROJECT, AND ON WHETHER OR NOT THE
GOVERNMENT OF INDIA (GOI) HAD DECIDED TO WORK WITH UZBEKISTAN
TO COMPLETE ITS TRANSMISSION FACILITIES. ON PAKISTAN,
RESULTS OF A JOINT SURVEY OF SIR CREEK WOULD BE ANNOUNCED MAY
17 OR 18, HE REPORTED, TO BE FOLLOWED BY MEETINGS BETWEEN
PAKISTANI AND INDIAN COMMERCE AND HOME MINISTERS. THE
POTENTIAL TALIBANIZATION OF THE PUNJAB IN PAKISTAN WAS OF
MAJOR CONCERN TO THE GOI, SAID RAGHAVAN. END SUMMARY.

DEORA'S UNSCHEDULED TEHRAN STOPOVER
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2. (C) IN A TOUR D'HORIZON WITH INCOMING MINISTRY OF
EXTERNAL AFFAIRS (PAKISTAN, AFGHANISTAN AND IRAN) JOINT
SECRETARY T.C.A. RAGHAVAN MAY 1, POLCOUNS RAISED PETROLEUM

SIPDIS
AND NATURAL GAS MINISTER MURLI DEORAS RECENT REPORTEDLY
UNSCHEDULED STOPOVER IN TEHRAN. RAGHAVAN CONFIRMED DEORA HAD
MET HIS COUNTERPART, IRANIAN OIL MINISTER KAZEM VAZIRI
HAMANEH, BUT SAID HE HAD NOT YET RECEIVED OTHER DETAILS OF
THE TRIP. HE PROMISED POLCOUNS A READ-OUT IN A WEEK OR SO.

INDO-IRANIAN DEFENSE JOINT WORKING GROUP NOT A CAUSE FOR
CONCERN
--------------


3. (C) TOLD THAT A GROUP OF BI-PARTISAN U.S. SENATORS HAD
WRITTEN A LETTER TO PRIME MINISTER SINGH EXPRESSING CONCERNS
ABOUT THE INDO-IRANIAN DJWG, RAGHAVAN RESPONDED THAT THERE
WAS "NOTHING CONCRETE HAPPENING" WITH THE GROUP, AND THAT IT
DID NOT PRODUCE ANYTHING TANGIBLE. RATHER, IT WAS A ROUTINE
SCHEDULING OF REGULAR VISITS BACK AND FORTH, HE SAID, AND


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SHOULD NOT BE A MATTER OF CONCERN TO THE U.S. POLCOUNS
CONVEYED THAT OPENNESS WITH THE U.S. ON THE GOI'S PART WAS
KEY, AND RAGHAVAN REPLIED THAT HE THOUGHT THERE WAS MORE
CONFLUENCE BETWEEN THE U.S. AND INDIA ON IRAN THAN PEOPLE
REALIZE, ESPECIALLY WHEN IT CAME TO MILITARY ISSUES.

NO INDIAN ARMY BOOTS ON THE GROUND IN AFGHANISTAN
--------------


4. (C) RESPONDING TO RECENT PRESS REPORTS THAT THE INDIAN
ARMY WAS SENDING PERSONNEL TO AFGHANISTAN TO TRAIN THE ANA,
RAGHAVAN EXPLAINED THAT SOME ARMY EDUCATION CORPS INSTRUCTORS
WERE GOING TO AFGHANISTAN SOLELY TO TEACH ENGLISH TO ANA
TROOPS. WHILE CONCEDING THAT IT COULD BE REMOTELY CONSTRUED
AS A MILITARY TEAM IMPARTING TRAINING, RAGHAVAN ASSURED
POLCOUNS THAT THE PROGRAM INVOLVED NO INFANTRY TRAINING, AS
HAD BEEN REPORTED IN THE PRESS.

NO NEWS ON INDO-UZBEK POWERGRID COOPERATION
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5. (C) RAGHAVAN HAD NO NEWS ON THE LATEST STATUS OF THE
TRANSMISSION LINE PROJECT BETWEEN PUL-I-KHUMRI AND KABUL IN
AFGHANISTAN, NOR ON WHETHER THE GOI PLANNED TO WORK WITH

UZBEKISTAN TO UPGRADE THEIR TRANSMISSION FACILITIES, WHICH
WERE REQUIRED TO INCREASE UZBEKISTAN'S CAPACITY TO TRANSMIT
POWER TO AFGHANISTAN. NOTING THAT IT WOULD TAKE TIME TO GET
UP TO SPEED ON ALL THE REGIONAL ISSUES OF HIS PORTFOLIO, HE
INDICATED HE WOULD LOOK INTO THE MATTER.

ISSUES OF TRUST IN PAKISTAN: SIACHEN AND SIR CREEK
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6. (C) ASKED WHETHER INDIA HAD MADE PROGRESS WITH PAKISTAN



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OVER SIACHEN, RAGHAVAN OPINED THAT THE ISSUES FACING THE TWO
COUNTRIES WERE NOT TECHNICAL, BUT REVOLVED AROUND TRUST.
ADMITTING THAT THE PUBLIC APPETITE FOR PROGRESS WAS
VORACIOUS, HE WARNED THAT "THE PACE (OF NEGOTIATIONS) IS VERY
IMPORTANT," ADDING THAT THE STATUS OF NEGOTIATIONS BETWEEN
THE TWO WERE AS WELL AS COULD BE EXPECTED. RESULTS OF A
JOINT SURVEY OF SIR CREEK WOULD BE ANNOUNCED MAY 17 OR 18.
THIS WOULD HELP BECAUSE "BOTH SIDES WOULD HAVE THE SAME MAP,"
HE NOTED, ADDING THAT THE PAKISTANI AND INDIAN COMMERCE
SECRETARIES WOULD MEET IN JULY, AND THE HOME SECRETARIES

SIPDIS
WOULD MEET SUBSEQUENTLY.

TALIBANIZATION OF THE PUNJAB - A MAJOR CONCERN
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7. (C) ON THE JOINT COUNTERTERRORISM WORKING GROUP, RAGHAVAN
REMARKED THAT INDIA AND PAKISTAN HAD MADE SOME PROGRESS, BUT
BEMOANED THAT THE GOVERNMENT OF PAKISTAN WOULD NOT ADDRESS
TALIBANIZATION IN ITS TRIBAL AREAS. TALIBANIZATION WAS NOW
AFFECTING THE MAIN NORTHWEST FRONTIER AND WOULD EVENTUALLY



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CREEP INTO THE PUNJAB, ASSESSED RAGHAVAN, UNDERLINING THAT
THIS HAD VERY SERIOUS IMPLICATIONS FOR INDIA.

CAN SAARC DO WHAT SAFTA DIDN'T?
--------------


8. (C) NOTING THAT TRADE WITH PAKISTAN HAD INCREASED
FOUR-FOLD IN FOUR YEARS, RAGHAVAN EXPRESSED DISAPPOINTMENT
WITH THE SOUTH ASIAN FREE TRADE AGREEMENT (SAFTA),
MAINTAINING THAT, THOUGH PAKISTAN HAD RATIFIED THE AGREEMENT,
IT HAD FAILED TO HONOR IT. RAISING AFGHANISTANS NEW
MEMBERSHIP IN THE SOUTH ASIAN ASSOCIATION FOR REGIONAL
COOPERATION (SAARC),POLCOUNS SUGGESTED THAT THE
MULTI-LATERAL APPROACH OF THE ORGANIZATION MIGHT HELP
ENCOURAGE PAKISTAN TO ALLOW LAND TRANSIT RIGHTS FROM
AFGHANISTAN THROUGH PAKISTAN TO INDIA. RAGHAVAN CAUTIONED
THAT MANY IN PAKISTAN RESISTED THIS CONCEPT, AND THAT IT
WOULD BE A LONG TIME BEFORE PAKISTAN AGREED TO ALLOW IT. "WE
HAD THE SAME EXPECTATION OF THE MULTILATERAL GROUPING OF
SAFTA, AND THAT DIDN'T WORK, SO WE'LL SEE WITH SAARC,"



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RAGHAVAN CONTENDED.

OLD RHETORIC, NEW JOINT SECRETARY
--------------


9. (C) COMMENT: NOTHING NEW CAME OUT OF OUR FIRST MEETING
WITH JOINT SECRETARY RAGHAVAN IN TERMS OF INDIA'S RELATIONS
WITH PAKISTAN, AFGHANISTAN OR INDIA, AND RHETORIC ON PAKISTAN
WAS LARGELY THE SAME AS WE'VE HEARD IN THE PAST. POST LOOKS
FORWARD TO HIS READ-OUT ON DEORAS TEHRAN TRIP AND WILL
REPORT SEPTEL. END COMMENT.

BIOGRAPHIC DATA
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10. (U) T.C.A. RAGHAVAN HAS SERVED AS OFFICER ON SPECIAL
DUTY IN THE PAI DIVISION OF THE MEA SINCE MARCH 2007, AND IS
SLATED TO SUCCEED DILIP SINHA AS JOINT SECRETARY FOR
PAKISTAN, AFGHANISTAN AND IRAN. PRIOR TO HIS POSTING AT THE
MEA HEADQUARTERS, RAGHAVAN WAS INDIA'S DEPUTY HIGH



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COMMISSIONER IN ISLAMABAD FROM 2003-2006. BEFORE THAT, HE
SERVED AS A DIRECTOR OF THE MINISTRY OF FINANCE. RAGHAVAN
WAS A CLOSE CONFIDANTE OF FORMER FOREIGN MINISTER JASWANT
SINGH, AND SERVED AS STAFF OFFICER DURING SINGH'S TENURE AS


FOREIGN MINISTER IN THE LATE 1990S. RAGHAVAN ALSO SERVED AS
FIRST SECRETARY IN THE INDIAN EMBASSY, BHUTAN (1992-1995),
AND AS UNDER SECRETARY IN THE UN DIVISION OF THE MEA
(1986-1989). RAGHAVAN JOINED THE INDIAN FOREIGN SERVICE IN

1982. HE SPEAKS ENGLISH, TAMIL, HINDI AND ARABIC.
PYATT