INDIA: POINTS DELIVERED ON U.S. VIEWS ON 15

C O N F I D E N T I A L NEW DELHI 005001 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/16/2017 TAGS: KNNP MNUC IAEA PARM AORC IR IN SUBJECT: INDIA: POINTS DELIVERED ON U.S. VIEWS ON 15 NOVEMBER 2007 IAEA DIRECTOR GENERAL'S REPORT ON IRAN REF: SECSTATE 157039 Classified By: PolCouns Ted Osius for Reasons 1.4 (B,D) ¶1. (C) PolOff delivered reftel points and delivered a copy of the just released Director General's (DG) Report on Iran to Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) Disarmament and International Security (DISA) Division Director Gaddam Dharmendra November 16, 2007. PolOff emphasized that it was important for the Government of India (GOI) to make a strong statement at the International Atomic Energy Agency Board of Governors (BOG) meeting November 22-23 noting that Iran had not passed the DG's litmus test and recommending additional UN Security Council sanctions to maintain pressure on Iran. Dharmendra thanked PolOff for the information, and responded that he had just received the report that afternoon and had not yet sufficiently studied it, nor had he yet heard an assessment from the Indian Mission in Vienna. Dharmendra mentioned that he himself had responsibility for the coordination of the national statement that the GOI would ultimately make at the BOG meeting, and would take the USG's points into consideration. ¶2. (C) PolOff reiterated that it was important for the GOI to issue a strong statement calling for Iran to cooperate more fully and completely with the IAEA. Dharmendra responded that the GOI had to keep in mind the precarious domestic political sensitivities of making statements perceived to be negative towards Iran. PolOff pointed out that the U.S. Congress was increasingly aware and sensitive to Indian statements on Iran, and that many of its members would be looking for India to make a strong, unequivocal statement. ¶3. (C) PolCouns delivered reftel points to MEA Joint Secretary (Pakistan, Afghanistan and Iran) T.C.A. Raghavan, SIPDIS and PolOff delivered reftel points to the MEA Americas Division. We will report their responses as soon as we receive them. WHITE