VICTORY PREDICTED FOR VICE PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 NEW DELHI 003657

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 08/10/2017
TAGS: PREL PGOV KDEM KISL IN
SUBJECT: VICTORY PREDICTED FOR VICE PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE
MOHAMMAD HAMID ANSARI; BIOGRAPHIC PROFILE

REF: NEW DELHI 00456

Classified By: DepPolCouns Atul Keshap for Reasons 1.4 (B,D)


1. (C) Our contacts, media reports, and senior FSNs are
confident that Ambassador Mohammad Hamid Ansari, the vice
presidential nominee of the ruling UPA coalition and Left
parties, will emerge victorious from today's contest in the
electoral college comprising of members of Parliament. "The
Hindu" reports that Congress party managers believe Ansari
will garner over 425 votes, 33 more than the minimum 392
necessary for a win. This election, and Pratibha Patil's
before it, augur well for UPA strength and UPA-Left relations
as the Monsoon Parliament gets underway.


2. (C) Ansari is a close EMBASSY contact. We have found
Ansari to be an impressive interlocutor, intelligent,
charismatic, and moderate in most but not all of his views.
Giving a glance at his thinking on Iran, during a lunch
hosted by PolCouns, Ansari stated his view that the
relationship between the U.S. and Iran &is complex. There
is resentment, but there is also a yearning to reconcile.
Tehran wants to talk with Washington, but not on terms of
surrender.8 Ansari believes that &a closed-door policy
will not achieve U.S. objectives.8 With regard to
Afghanistan, Ansari considers President Karzai to be
ineffective, although a friend to India; Ansari also believes
that Pakistani ISI elements are responsible for continued
problems in southern Afghanistan. As the most senior serving
Muslim official in India -- if elected -- Ansari will have a
large voice in enunciating the needs of that sizable portion
of the population.


3. (C) Biographic profile: Mohammad Hamid Ansari phonetic:
AnSA-Ree; Chairman, National Commission for Minorities (since
March, 2006)

Hamid Ansari, a retired Indian Foreign Service (IFS) officer,
currently chairs the National Commission for Minorities.
Prior to this, Ansari was Chairman of the Advisory Committee
for Oil Diplomacy in the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural
Gas and served as a member of the National Security Advisory
Board. Previously, Ansari was a Distinguished Fellow at the
Observer Research Foundation, a prominent Delhi-based think
tank where he directed the &Islam and the West8 project.
In 1997, after retiring from the IFS, Ansari served as the
Vice-Chancellor of Aligarh Muslim University. Considered an
intellectual with left-of-center leanings, Ansari has carved
out a distinct place for himself as a diplomat, academic and
writer specializing in international issues during a career
spanning over four decades. He is also known for his views
on Iran, Iraq, and Palestine that are critical of USG foreign
policy positions; he also opposed the US-India nuclear deal.

As a Visiting Professor at the Centre for West Asian and
African Studies at Jawaharlal Nehru University and the
Academy for Third World Studies at Jamia Millia Islamia
University, Ansari chaired the Working Group on &Confidence
building measures across segments of society in the state.8
Ansari also established the Second Round Table Conference on
Kashmir in 2006, and co-chaired the India-UK Round Table.

Born in Kolkata in 1937, Ansari studied at Shimla,s St.
Edwards High School, Kolkata,s St. Xavier,s College, and
then Aligarh Muslim University in Uttar Pradesh. After
joining the IFS in 1961, he served as India's envoy to the
United Arab Emirates/Afghanistan (1989-90) Iran (1990-92) and
Saudi Arabia (1995-97). He also served as India's Permanent
Representative to the United Nations (1993-95) and as High
Commissioner to Australia. While at the United Nations,
Ansari led the Indian delegation's successful resistance to
Pakistan's two-year effort to gain a UN resolution on Kashmir
favorable to Pakistan. Ansari participated in the Pugwash
Workshop on South Asian Security, Geneva, Switzerland in

2002. In 1984, he was awarded the Padma Shree, a prestigious
civilian honor to distinguished Indians.


NEW DELHI 00003657 002 OF 002


Ansari is a Trustee of the Bapu Sadbhavana and Shiksha Trust.
He has edited the book "Iran Today: Twenty Years after the
Islamic Revolution" and has written a number of academic
papers and newspaper articles on the Middle-East.

According to veteran IFS officer T. P. Sreenivasan, Ansari is
widely admired in the IFS, in particular for his
&generosity, graciousness, support and encouragement8 for
more junior officers. Sreenivasan has also lauded Ansari,s
&natural talent for transparency and credibility, disarming
manner, and truly aristocratic behavior.8 One of his few
weaknesses, according to Sreenivasan, is his tendency to
¬ raise his voice against actions of authorities, even
when he himself recognizes them as unfair,8 while both a
civil servant and a private figure. In a conversation with
PolCouns, Communist Party leader Sitaram Yechury described
Ansari as "not overly political, with a depth of knowledge on
issues, and someone who will be appealing to India's large
Muslim population."
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