INDIA: SUA PROTOCOL AMENDMENTS FORESHADOW INDIAN

C O N F I D E N T I A L NEW DELHI 000879 SIPDIS SIPDIS DEPT FOR CARLOS GUZMAN ISN/CPI, JANE PURCELL ISN/CPI, ISN, T, SCA, AND EAP E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/26/2018 TAGS: MNUC PARM PHSA PREL KNNP XE XD XO XT SUBJECT: INDIA: SUA PROTOCOL AMENDMENTS FORESHADOW INDIAN STANCE ON ICAO REF: SECSTATE 28161 Classified By: A/PolCouns Atul Keshap for Reasons 1.4 (B,D) ¶1. (C) PolOffs delivered reftel points and sample diplomatic note regarding the Proliferation Security Initiative to Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) Disarmament and International Security (DISA) Division Directors Amandeep Singh Gill and Jayant Khobragade March 19. PolOff recalled that the U.S. has attempted to satisfy India,s qualms about endorsing PSI since 2005, but India has balked at supporting an initiative that the government seems to support in practice. Gill respondedthat the 2005 amendments to the United Nations Convention for the Suppression of Unlawful Acts Against the Safety of Maritime Navigation (SUA),which differentiated between signatories and non-signatories of the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty (NPT) still prevented Indian endorsement of PSI. However, he noted that India observed the most recent PSI meeting in Japan in October 2007 and will consider participating in the May 29 meeting. ¶2. (C) Gill noted that a similar issue had come up at the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) headquarters in Montreal during recent negotiations to amend the ICAO. India opposed adding NPT-related language to the ICAO that, as in the SUA Convention, could complicate the Indian government,s ability to endorse international nonproliferation initiatives. As a solution, Gill suggested that the ICAO reference generic safeguards agreements. MULFORD