INDIA LIKELY TO ENDORSE INTERNATIONAL PIRACY COURT

UNCLAS NEW DELHI 001678 SENSITIVE SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: EWWT MARR PGOV PHSA PHUM PREL IN SUBJECT: INDIA LIKELY TO ENDORSE INTERNATIONAL PIRACY COURT REF: A. NEW DELHI 01264 ¶B. SECSTATE 58579 ¶1. (SBU) Sanjay Rana, MEA Deputy Secretary for UN Political Affairs, told us August 10 that the GOI is unlikely to oppose an effort by the Contact Group on Piracy off the Coast of Somalia (CGPCS) to set up an international tribunal to prosecute pirates. Rana expressed little enthusiasm for the option of bringing captured pirates to India and trying them in Indian courts, stating that it would be "very difficult to bring and house them here." ¶2. (SBU) Rana said that while the GOI opposed a Dutch proposal for an international tribunal at a recent legal working group meeting of the CGPCS, India seeks a "pragmatic" solution and would welcome an international mechanism - preferably overseen by the UN - to prosecute pirates. Simultaneously downplaying the possibility of national prosecutions and emphasizing Delhi's preference for all aspects of anti-piracy to come together under a UN umbrella, Rana noted that the MEA was still consulting with various other government ministries on the issue and that an official determination had yet to be made. ¶3. (SBU) On the issue of extending participation in CGPCS proceedings to other countries or international organizations which meet the objective criteria for participation, Rana's response was positive: "the more the merrier," he exclaimed, adding that his government is also in favor of a regional anti-piracy coordination center. According to Rana, the Indian Government has no preference for where a regional coordination center would be located. ¶4. (SBU) In response to our request for the names of at least two GOI points of contact to receive any information or correspondence relating to CGPCS, Rana provided only one name: Asith Battacharjee, MEA Joint Secretary for UN Political Affairs. ROEMER