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 PAGE 03 RUEHNEA2101 C O N F I D E N T I A L 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 -------------- PAGE 04 RUEHNEA2101 C O N F I D E N T I A L ¶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 PAGE 05 RUEHNEA2101 C O N F I D E N T I A L 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 -------------- PAGE 06 RUEHNEA2101 C O N F I D E N T I A L ¶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 -------------- ¶6. (C) ASKED WHETHER INDIA HAD MADE PROGRESS WITH PAKISTAN PAGE 03 RUEHNEA2101 C O N F I D E N T I A L 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 -------------- ¶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 PAGE 04 RUEHNEA2101 C O N F I D E N T I A L 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," PAGE 05 RUEHNEA2101 C O N F I D E N T I A L 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 -------------- ¶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 PAGE 06 RUEHNEA2101 C O N F I D E N T I A L 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