Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
09NEWDELHI1225
2009-06-12 15:12:00
CONFIDENTIAL
Embassy New Delhi
Cable title:  

FOREIGN MINISTER S.M. KRISHNA: A SAFE BET AT MEA

Tags:  PGOV PTER PREL PINR KDEM IN 
pdf how-to read a cable
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C O N F I D E N T I A L NEW DELHI 001225 

SENSITIVE
SIPDIS

DEPARTMENT FOR SCA/INS, DRL

E.O. 12958: DECL: 04/25/2017
TAGS: PGOV PTER PREL PINR KDEM IN
SUBJECT: FOREIGN MINISTER S.M. KRISHNA: A SAFE BET AT MEA

REF: A. NEW DELHI 1212

B. NEW DELHI 1129

C. NEW DELHI 1062

Classified By: Acting Political Counselor Les Viguerie for Reasons 1.4
(B and D)

C O N F I D E N T I A L NEW DELHI 001225

SENSITIVE
SIPDIS

DEPARTMENT FOR SCA/INS, DRL

E.O. 12958: DECL: 04/25/2017
TAGS: PGOV PTER PREL PINR KDEM IN
SUBJECT: FOREIGN MINISTER S.M. KRISHNA: A SAFE BET AT MEA

REF: A. NEW DELHI 1212

B. NEW DELHI 1129

C. NEW DELHI 1062

Classified By: Acting Political Counselor Les Viguerie for Reasons 1.4
(B and D)


1. (C) Summary: Congress Party veteran S.M. Krishna assumed
office as the new External Affairs Minister on May 23.
Krishna, a Rajya Sabha backbencher, stands in contrast to his
predecessor, Pranab Mukherjee, the ultimate Congress Party
fixer and operator whose ambitions for the Prime Minister's
post are well-known. With Mukherjee opting for Finance,
Congress leaders appear to have chosen Krishna as a safe pair
of hands, someone non-controversial and without deep
ambition. Judging from Krishna's press statements over the
last several weeks, and views shared by political contacts,
he does not appear to have any strong or rigorously thought
through views about foreign policy. This likely means
India's foreign policy will be dictated predominately by PM
Singh and senior staff at MEA including, Minister of State
Shashi Tharoor and whomever succeeds Foreign Secretary
Shivshankar Menon.


2. (C) Summary continued: Since coming to office, Krishna
has reaffirmed the United Progressive Alliance (UPA)
government's commitment to strengthening ties with the United
States. Amid heightened tensions in the India-Pakistan
relationship, Krishna indicated India would be open to
reshaping the relationship if Pakistan took credible action
to dismantle the terrorist infrastructure. He has also
spoken out about regional challenges in Nepal, Sri Lanka and
Afghanistan. End Summary.

Sonia's Choice
---


3. (C) Of the six Cabinet appointments announced in the first
tranche of government formation on May 23, Somanahalli
Mallayya (S.M.) Krishna as External Affairs Minister was the
only surprise. According to Embassy contacts, Krishna was
the choice of Congress Party President Sonia Gandhi. They
reportedly met when Krishna worked closely with Rajiv Gandhi
as a lower level minister in Indira Gandhi's government
during the early 1980's. Krishna is not a political

heavyweight along the lines of Mukherjee, nor does he have a
well-established international reputation of his own, such as
the newly appointed MEA Minister of State and former UN
official Shashi Tharoor (septel). Krishna is, therefore, not
viewed as someone who will stir things up or will be a
political threat or rival to anyone in the Congress Party
leadership today or in the future.

Seasoned Politician on the Brink of Retirement
---


4. (C) With Krishna's appointment, India gains a seasoned
politician as its chief diplomat and a reassuring persona to
the wider international community. Krishna is a current
Rajya Sabha member and was Chief Minister of his home state,
Karnataka, from 1999-2004. Bangalore had already emerged as
a world class technology hub when Krishna became Chief
Minister in 1999 but he helped provide a supportive and
nurturing environment for continued investment. Krishna
represented the state at the 2003 Economic Forum in Davos,
where a slew global firms, including IBM and Microsoft,
expressed interest in the blazing success of the state's
technology and services industry. As Chief Minister, he
traveled extensively throughout the U.S. to make connections
with tech firms; and, in this capacity, many believe Krishna
has gained an understanding of the growing bilateral
relationship. During an introductory meeting with the Charge
on June 2, Krishna mentioned the warm feelings he had
developed for the U.S. during his studies at Southern
Methodist University and George Washington University. As a
footnote, Krishna mentioned that he had met Senator Fulbright
and had been able to witness Martin Luther King preaching
Montgomery, Alabama during his stay in the United States.


5. (C) After Krishna and the Congress Party lost power in
Karnataka in the 2004 state assembly elections, he was
appointed Governor of Maharashtra -- a posting that is
largely seen as a ceremonial retirement job for "has-been"
politicians and senior civil servants. Krishna resigned from
the governor's post in March 2008 in an attempt to re-enter
Karnataka politics during the state elections. However, due
to intense opposition form his party rivals in the state, he
played a marginal role in elections. Since then Krishna has
been little heard from and has been content to remain a Rajya
Sabha "backbencher."

Good Neighbor Policy Continues
---


6. (C) In his public interactions as well as official
meetings with diplomats, Krishna sticks closely to his
MEA-supplied talking points. He generally reads all his
public utterances from paper and, in his official meetings,
refers frequently to talking points which he keeps handy by
his side. During a press conference on June 4, Krishna
indicated India would be willing to extend its hand of
"friendship" to Islamabad if the GoP took credible action to
dismantle the terrorist infrastructure. This is now the
standard GOI position on resuming the dialogue with Pakistan.
On Sri Lanka, Krishna reiterated the MEA's position that the
GOI would work closely with the Government of Sri Lanka to
provide relief to those affected by the conflict. "This is
the moment when the root causes of conflict in Sri Lanka can
be addressed," Krishna stressed. He reaffirmed the Singh
Administration's commitment to maintaining peace and
stability in the region. Krishna noted that the MEA's
"primary objective" is to sustain high rates of economic
growth of nine to ten percent in recent years. For that to
happen, he explained, the bureaucracy requires "peace and
tranquility in our extended neighborhood."

India in the 21st Century: "Non-Aligned" International Player
---


7. (SBU) Krishna also reflected on India's foreign policy
objectives within the larger international community. He
underlined the challenges ahead in pursuing India's
"non-aligned" interests while strengthening strategic
relations with global powers. "We are at a moment in history
when the world situation is rapidly changing and India, as a
responsible power, must engage actively with the world,"
Krishna stated. Besides consolidating existing partnerships
with the U.S., Russia, China, Japan and the E.U., Krishna
assured that the GOI would expand relations in Africa, West
Asia and Latin America.

Bio Notes
---


8. (SBU) S.M. Krishna was born on May 1, 1932, into a
wealthy business family in southern Karnataka. His father
was a member of the Mysore Representative Assembly, the
state's legislative body in the pre-independence era. He
obtained a Bachelor's in Law from Bangalore University (1954)
and a Master's in Law from Southern Methodist University in
Dallas, Texas (1959). He also attended George Washington
University as a Fulbright scholar. He is an avid sports fan
and enjoys playing tennis. Krishna and his wife, Prema, have
two daughters.


9. (C) Comment: By appointing a retired Nehru-Gandhi
loyalist, with no personal ambitions, India's foreign policy
will be largely shaped by PM Singh and senior MEA staff.
Krishna's time traveling and living in the U.S. appears to
have given him a deeper understanding of American culture and
better disposed towards supporting stronger bilateral ties.
End Comment.


BURLEIGH