INDIA DISPATCHES ENVOYS TO 54 CAPITALS, EMBASSY

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 NEW DELHI 002019

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E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PREL PARM TSPL KNNP ETTC ENRG TRGY IN
SUBJECT: INDIA DISPATCHES ENVOYS TO 54 CAPITALS, EMBASSY
HOSTS 41 NSG MEMBER REPRESENTATIVES

REF: SECSTATE 78837


1. (SBU) SUMMARY. The Embassy hosted 41 local
representatives of Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) member
countries to an information-sharing lunch on the next steps
in the U.S.-India Civil Nuclear Cooperation Initiative on
July 23. Comments focused on the difficulties imposed by the
compressed timeline, particularly for governments that need
to consult within their own coalition and with opposition
parties. Some representatives raised specific concerns about
the status of India's nonproliferation obligations under the
Hyde Act, how these nonproliferation obligations will be
reflected in the NSG exemption language, whether they apply
if Congress fails to act, and about the sequencing of the
implementation of India's separation plan and the
commencement of nuclear commerce if all steps are completed.
Several representatives confirmed the visits to their
capitals of senior Indian envoys in the coming days, but
several also voiced their hope that India genuinely seek to
address NSG member concerns rather than merely be seen going
through the motions.


2. (SBU) SUMMARY CONTINUED. The Ministry of External Affairs
(MEA) provided the Embassy with a list of the 10 senior
envoys who will be traveling to the capitals of the 54 IAEA
and NSG member countries prior to the IAEA Board meeting on
August 1. Several envoys have already begun their travels,
departing immediately following the United Progressive
Alliance (UPA) coalition government's victory in the July 22
confidence vote. END SUMMARY.

Embassy Hosts 41 NSG Representatives
- - -


3. (SBU) PolCouns hosted New Delhi counterparts representing
41 Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) members for a lunch at the
Embassy on July 23 to answer questions related to the next
steps in the U.S.-India Nuclear Cooperation Initiative.
Every NSG member with an Embassy in New Delhi sent a
representative. PolCouns touted the benefits of the nuclear
initiative and fielded questions, following closely Under
Secretary Burns' comments in his roundtable with key NSG
representatives in Washington on July 15 (reftel).


4. (SBU) UK PolCouns Nigel Casey led off the discussion by
endorsing the necessary next steps toward the completion of
the nuclear initiative. The initiative had raised important
nonproliferation questions for the UK when it was first
proposed, but Casey said his government has concluded --
along with IAEA director Mohammed El-Baradei -- that the
initiative constitutes a "net plus" for the global
nonproliferation regime, as well as making an important
contribution to addressing India's burgeoning energy needs.
These are "powerful and compelling" arguments in favor of the
initiative. The UK government's skepticism about Indian
domestic political support for the initiative were answered
"decisively" in the July 22 confidence vote. Casey said his
government has urged India to address "seriously and
substantially" its nonproliferation commitments contained in
section 4b of the Hyde Act. The Indian government has
assured the UK that it plans to begin work on the Additional
Protocol "imminently," as well as on other issues. Casey
said he anticipates that India will have a "compelling story
to tell." In addition, India must also make every effort
"not just to tell us how important it is for India" but also
to address the "real concerns" of NSG members. The dispatch
of senior envoys to IAEA and NSG capitals is just such an
effort. Casey revealed that NSA Narayanan will visit London
during the week beginning July 28. (Paragraph 9 outlines
other travel by the special envoys.)

Concerns About The Timeline
- - -


5. (SBU) The preponderance of concerns raised concerned the
compressed timeline for consideration of the NSG exemption
following the IAEA Board meeting on August 1. Netherlands
PolCouns Alex Oosterwijk cautioned that like India, which
took 10 months to overcome opposition from the Left, "Many of
our countries also have Left parties; consultations are
necessary." He pleaded for patience with the consultation
process. Employing a soccer analogy, Oosterwijk said that

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India may have scored the equalizer in the last minute with
the result of the July 22 confidence vote, but countries such
as his own are now being asked to score again to secure the
victory in overtime.


6. (SBU) German PolCouns Philipp Ackermann echoed this
concern. As the NSG chair, Germany had the responsibility to
consult with the various NSG members and make every effort to
address their concerns with timing and process. He cautioned
that despite speculation about consultative groups versus
plenaries, so far no format has been decided upon. Ackermann
said that Germany would like the first NSG meeting --
whatever its nature -- to take place as soon as possible,
which "certainly means in August." But he cautioned that
Germany's consultations with NSG capitals has revealed that
several say they need additional time.

Concerns About Nonproliferation and Indian Domestic Politics
- - -


7. (SBU) Several representatives raised concerns about the
nonproliferation elements of the nuclear initiative or about
India's willingness to follow through on its commitments.
Ireland's Deputy Chief of Mission Pat Bourne was most
skeptical. He said that Ireland understands the climate
change argument, but that Ireland "feels a paternal
attachment" to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT).
He acknowledged that Ireland has known for some time that
this moment could arrive, but that there remains a need to
address the nuclear initiative as a political issue. He also
observed that the "devil is often in the technical details."
He observed that Ireland is "not entirely happy with the very
accelerated timeline that has been proposed," but that
Ireland "would not drag its feet." He revealed that the
Prime Minister's Special Envoy Shyam Saran was meeting with
the Irish Prime Minister and Foreign Minister as he spoke on
July 23. He said he hoped the meeting and the remaining
process would allow for issues to be addressed rather than
merely to push the initiative to conclusion.


8. (SBU) Canada Deputy High Commissioner Adrian Norfolk
inquired whether the "denigration" of the Hyde Act in public
comments by Indian officials -- especially during the special
session of parliament on the confidence vote -- would cause
problems with members of the U.S. Congress who supported the
legislation.

Concerns About NSG Exemption Language and Sequencing
- - -


9. (SBU) Denmark acting PolCouns Dorte Bech Vizard raised a
concern with whether the Presidential Determination items in
the Hyde Act would apply to other countries that would engage
in nuclear commerce with India -- primarily Russia and France
-- if such conditions were not enumerated in the NSG
exemption language. She asked whether incorporating the
requirements would fall foul of India's request for a "clean"
exemption, or whether that request only applies to new
obligations, such as signing the Comprehensive Test Ban
Treaty (CTBT).


10. (SBU) On the margins, Chinese PolCouns Hu Zhaoming shared
with POLOFF a concern about the sequencing of the start of
nuclear commerce following an NSG exemption and the
implementation of India's separation plan. Reflecting that
implementing the separation plan could take "years," he
wondered when nuclear commerce could begin and how to ensure
that it did not contribute to India's military program prior
to completing the planned separation from its civil program.
Hu said that the issue had been raised in Vienna, but that
China has yet to receive a reply.

India Dispatches 10 Envoys to 54 NSG & IAEA Capitals
- - -


11. (SBU) The Indian government dispatched 10 senior envoys
to the 54 capitals of NSG and IAEA members in order to
respond to questions and concerns about the nuclear
initiative. Several departed within hours of the UPA
government's victory in the July 22 confidence vote.
Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) director of the
Disarmament and International Security Affairs (DISA)

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division Amandeep Singh Gill told POLOFF on July 23 that the
envoys planned to complete their travel prior to the August 1
IAEA Board of Governors meeting. He listed the envoys and
their destinations as follows:

-- Foreign Secretary Shiv Shankar Menon: Austria (visited on
July 18),Germany (July 23),Switzerland, Pakistan (if
necessary in addition to the Composite Dialogue sessions)

-- National Security Advisor M.K. Narayana: Canada, UK,
France, Russia, Turkey (already visited)

-- Prime Minister's Special Envoy Shyam Saran: Japan,
Australia, New Zealand, Ireland (July 23),Argentina, Brazil,
Chile, Mexico, Ecuador, Bolivia

-- Union Minister of Science and Technology Kapil Sibal:
Denmark, Finland, The Netherlands, Sweden

-- Minister of State in the Prime Minister's Office
Prithviraj Chavan: Italy, Spain, Portugal, China

-- Minister of State for External Affairs Anand Sharma:
South Africa, Nigeria, Ghana, Ethiopia, Belarus Estonia,
Latvia, Lithuania

-- Special Envoy to the Middle East C.R. Gharekhan: Algeria,
Morocco, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Malta, Cyprus

-- Ministry of External Affairs Secretary for the West Nalin
Surie: Belgium, Romania, Greece, Luxembourg, Croatia,
Bulgaria (already visited)

-- Ministry of External Affairs Secretary for the East N.
Ravi: Thailand, Philippines, South Korea, Kazakhstan, Ukraine

-- Ministry of External Affairs Secretary for Economic
Relations Hardeet Puri: Poland, Hungary, Slovakia, Slovenia,
Czech Republic



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