QURESHI VISITS INDIA, LEAVES POSITIVE IMPRESSION

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 NEW DELHI 001821 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 08/01/2017 TAGS: PREL PGOV IN PK SUBJECT: QURESHI VISITS INDIA, LEAVES POSITIVE IMPRESSION REF: A. NEW DELHI 01799 ¶B. NEW DELHI 01763 Classified By: Acting PolCouns Joel Ehrendreich for Reasons 1.4 (B,D) ¶1. (C) SUMMARY: Pakistani Foreign Minister Makhdoom Shah Mahmood Qureshi met with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Leader of the Opposition L.K. Advani, senior BJP leader Jaswant Singh, former Prime Minister Vajpayee, and a few state governors during his June 27-29 visit to India. Pakistan Political Counselor S. Zulfiqar Gardezi told Poloff that the meeting provided no concrete results in the run up to the fifth round of the Indo-Pak Composite Dialogue (CD) scheduled for July 21-22. On June 28, during a joint press conference, Indian External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukerjee and Qureshi announced joint planning initiatives for improved people-to-people ties, including trade, business and transportation services. They also expressed joint interest in addressing peace and security in the bilateral relationship, discussing the Iran-Pakistan-India pipeline (IPI),and moving forward on Kashmir issues, though neither side presented specific details. These pressing political issues, both ministers announced, would be addressed at the secretary-level in July when both countries reconvene talks at the CD. End Summary. Range of Bilateral Issues Discussed -------------- ¶2. (SBU) Pakistan Foreign Minister Makhdoom Shah Mahmood Qureshi discussed bilateral issues with Indian officials during his visit to India June 27-29. Indian Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) Deputy Secretary for Pakistan Affairs ¶G. Balasubramanian told Poloff June 30 that Qureshi visited New Delhi, Jaipur, Ajmer, Chandigarh and Amritsar, and met with Prime Minister Singh, L.K. Advani, Jaswant Singh, former Prime Minister Vajpayee, and a few state governors. As reported in the Indian press, Balasubramanian mentioned that Indian External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee and Qureshi announced joint efforts to address impending political and security issues -- including the on-going violence in Jammu and Kashmir (Ref A),the Iran-Pakistan-India pipeline (IPI), and the regional terrorist threat -- reiterating democratic systems of both countries. This was a routine visit in the run up to Pakistani Foreign Secretary Salman Bashir's visit to New Delhi July 21-22 for the fifth round of the Indo-Pak Composite Dialogue (CD),indicated Balasubramanian. Qureshi Calls for "Result-Oriented" Talks -------------- ¶3. (SBU) Pakistan Political Counselor S. Zulfiqar Gardezi on June 30 characterized the CD as four years of lagging dialogue that has failed to address urgent political issues. During a joint press conference with Mukherjee on June 28, Qureshi called for result-oriented talks on a full range of bilateral issues with India at the secretary-level CD in July, Gardezi said. Qureshi requested that India join the IPI gas project, as it would address the energy demand of both countries. He mentioned that Siachen and Sir Creek issues are "resolvable" and emphasized that both countries should "seize the opportunity to resolve all outstanding issues." When asked about security in the Northwest Frontier region of Pakistan, Qureshi said the provincial capital city of Peshawar was secure. Referring to Jammu and Kashmir, Qureshi announced that "peace and security and normalization is our mutual interest." Both ministers sought confidence-building measures (CBMs) and underscored the importance of maintaining the Line of Control. Joint working groups would continue to review the planning and implementation of systems in place. Discussions covered other aspects of the bilateral relationship, including economic and commercial cooperation, and promoting people-to-people cross-border contact. Comment: Goodwill Visit -------------- NEW DELHI 00001821 002 OF 002 ¶4. (C) As predicted by political observers, Qureshi did not make substantial progress on urgent political and security issues during his four-day visit to India. While failing to reach concrete results on important issues, Qureshi's visit was seen here as ostensibly a goodwill effort on part of the new democratically elected Pakistan People's Party (PPP)-led government, which hopes to further consolidate its diplomatic relationship with India. End Comment. DAVISON