MUMBAI TERROR ATTACKS: CODEL MCCAIN TOLD THAT

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 NEW DELHI 003052 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/03/2018 TAGS: PREL PTER PGOV PK IN SUBJECT: MUMBAI TERROR ATTACKS: CODEL MCCAIN TOLD THAT INDIA NEEDS TO SEE ACTION, NOT JUST WORDS FROM PAKISTAN REF: NEW DELHI 3037 AND PREVIOUS Classified By: Ambassador David C. Mulford. Reasons: 1.4(B, D). ¶1. (C) Summary: External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee told Senators McCain, Lieberman and Graham that India expected Pakistan to respond directly and promptly to New Delhi's demands for the return of accused terrorists provided refuge in Pakistan. In a December 2 meeting, Mukherjee said that Pakistan's failure to act now would make it difficult to continue the bilateral peace process and that the "good intentions" of Pakistan's civilian leadership were insufficient. He stressed the anger that the Indian public felt about the attack and the political damage this was causing the current UPA government. Mukherjee was skeptical about a Pakistani proposal to create a joint investigative committee and openly questioned whether the civilian government In Islamabad could deliver on its promises of cooperation. The Senators offered their condolences, said the U.S. would stand by India and affirmed bipartisan support for strong U.S.-India ties. End Summary. McCain Offers Condolences -------------- ¶2. (C) Senators John McCain, Joseph Lieberman, and Lindsey Graham, accompanied by the Ambassador, met December 2 with External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee. Speaking for the delegation, Senator McCain offered his condolences for the lives lost in the Mumbai terror attacks, labeling them an outrage. Senator McCain underlined U.S. support for India and offered assistance in tracking down those who perpetrated the attacks. He noted that the delegation had just met with Prime Minister Singh and he said he appreciated the Prime Minister's clear public approach at this difficult time. Mukherjee: Efforts to Improve Relations with Pakistan Betrayed -------------- -------------- ¶3. (C) After thanking the Senators for expression of support from the President, Secretary Rice and their delegation, a sometimes emotional Mukherjee spoke at length about India's efforts to improve relations with Pakistan. He outlined the Prime Minister's goal during the past four years to enhance people-to-people contacts between India and Pakistan to make the borders irrelevant, pointing out that at the time of the attack, Pakistan FM Qureshi was visiting India as part of an effort to expand trade ties. However, for the last two years, there have been a series of terrorist bombings across India that many blame on Pakistan, which put pressure on the government. New Delhi had held its tongue during the political turmoil in Pakistan and when the democratic government was reinstated, Mukherjee said he seized the opportunity to try to resolve outstanding issues and had worked hard to improve the relationship. Mukherjee: More than Good Intentions Needed -------------- ¶4. (C) Recounting his conversation with FM Qureshi after the attacks, he said that India had made clear that the Pakistani government must turn its good intentions into reality and make concrete its claims that it stood with India in solidarity against terrorists. Mukherjee reviewed the evidence that pointed to Pakistani involvement in the terror attacks -- the boat the terrorists used was linked to Karachi, the satellite phone found on the boat showed calls back to Pakistan, and the Indians had intercepted telephone calls from Karachi to the terrorists during the attack which directed them to undertake specific actions at the sites that had been attacked. The "barbaric" murder of children and other defenseless civilians in Mumbai had rightly caused revulsion and anger in India. This anger was now being directed at the current government, which could not ignore NEW DELHI 00003052 002 OF 003 it; the Home Minister had been forced to resign and the Maharashtra Chief Minister was also likely to be forced out by a public angry with terror coming from Pakistan. Mukherjee lamented that he had to face an angry Parliament in 10 days and that it was possible that the UPA government could lose a no-confidence vote and need to go to elections. Mukherjee: No More Business As Usual -------------- ¶5. (C) Mukherjee stressed that India expected Pakistan to take steps to respond to Indian demands for the arrest of persons in Pakistan involved in terrorism. Until this was done, then "there could be no more business as usual." He singled out Maulana Masood Azhar, founder of Jaish-e-Mohammed, who had been released from Indian detention in 1999 during the IC 814 hijacking and was now seen on television in Pakistan, and crime lord Dawood Ibrahim, who has been charged with involvement in the 1993 Mumbai bomb blasts. Responding to questions from Senators Lieberman and Graham, Mukherjee acknowledged that these and the names of other fugitives had been submitted many times to Pakistan, but Islamabad had not acted on the requests. Now, "this was the minimum we expect," Mukherjee said. Nor would any Pakistan government act to completely shut down the terrorist infrastructure that had been backed by a series of governments. In his view, Pakistan was in a state of denial about its long-standing support for terrorist. He also argued that it was no longer tenable for Pakistan to distinguish between "good" and "bad" terrorists -- they all used violence against innocent people and did not respect any human values. What Comes Next? -------------- ¶6. (C) Mukherjee was skeptical about Pakistan's response to India's demands for justice. He reviewed a Pakistani proposal to establish a joint investigative committee. While not dismissing the idea outright, Mukherjee noted that a joint Anti-Terror Mechanism had been in existence for several years but had accomplished nothing. He wondered how the joint committee would be any different. If Pakistan did not respond to the demarche the Pakistani High Commissioner had been given Monday night, Mukherjee said it was "difficult" to see how the Composite Dialogue between India and Pakistan could proceed further. He dismissed Pakistani claims that there had been a miscommunication about Pakistani willingness to send the head of the Inter-Services Intelligence Directorate to India -- this had clearly been promised by President Zardari when he spoke to PM Singh and now the Pakistanis were backtracking. Senators Lieberman, Graham and McCain: Can Pakistan Deliver? -------------- -------------- ¶7. (C) After expressing his condolences, Senator Lieberman remembered the shock and anger that followed September 11 and reiterated that America stood in solidarity with India. He said that attempts to distinguish between terrorists with a global reach, such as Al-Qa'ida, and regional terrorist groups such as Lashkar-e-Toiba ignored the fact they were motivated by the same ideas. In the Senator's views, the Mumbai attacks underlined the threat to all civilized countries. Senators McCain and Lieberman both sought Mukherjee's views on who was in charge in Islamabad. Mukherjee said he saw four separate power centers -- the Army, jihadi groups, fundamentalist mullahs, and the civilian government supported by weak political parties. India had hoped that the nascent civil society in Pakistan would be able to support the restored democratic government, but so far this had not proven the case. ¶8. (C) Senator Lieberman asked how Mukherjee assessed President Zardari's capacity to deliver. Mukherjee said NEW DELHI 00003052 003 OF 003 there was no doubt that Zardari and FM Qureshi were well-intentioned, but there was an open question as to whether they had the competency to deliver on their promises of cooperation. India needed to see action, not just words. Mukherjee hoped that good sense would prevail in the political establishment and the military. He noted that at the same time the Pakistanis were promising cooperation, they were engaged in a disinformation campaign. Mukherjee claimed he had not threatened the Pakistani Foreign Minister in any telephone call, nor were Indian forces advancing. No rail or road connections between the countries had been severed either. Senator McCain: India-U.S. Ties Strong and Non-Partisan -------------- -------------- ¶9. (C) The Senator underlined that the U.S.-India relationship had never been stronger and that the murder of Americans in the attack only reinforced our strong desire to cooperate with India. Responding to Mukherjee's comments about the strength of the relationship between the U.S. and India, as highlighted by the non-partisan passage of the Civilian Nuclear Agreement, Senator McCain said that both the current U.S. administration and the next administration were committed to building strong ties. ¶10. (U) Codel McCain was unable to clear this message. MULFORD