NSA NARAYANAN REVIEWS PREPARATIONS FOR PRIME

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 NEW DELHI 002141 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/16/2019 TAGS: PREL PTER KNNP ENRG TSPA TSPL ADPM AMGT KREC IN SUBJECT: NSA NARAYANAN REVIEWS PREPARATIONS FOR PRIME MINISTER'S VISIT WITH U/S BURNS REF: NEW DELHI 2088 Classified By: Under Secretary William J. Burns for Reasons 1.4 (B) and (D). ¶1. (C) SUMMARY. On October 16, National Security Advisor Narayanan previewed with Under Secretary Burns preparations for Prime Minister Singh's official state visit to Washington November 24. They agreed in principle to work toward deliverables from each of the five pillars of the Strategic Dialogue, including a MoU on counterterrorism, a Green Initiative, an Obama-Singh Higher Education Fund, a meeting of the CEO Forum, and establishment of a Global Disease Detection (GDD) Center. Narayanan expressed personal interest in the counterterrorism deliverable. He also suggested the Indian government may ultimately split the USD 10 billion MMRCA fighter tender. Narayanan assured Burns of progress on civil nuclear cooperation ahead of the visit, including the imminent public announcement of reactor park sites for U.S. firms (Note: The GOI announced sites prior to U/S Burns departure from New Delhi on October 17). He requested the lifting of restrictions on high technology trade and proposed an expansion of our space cooperation. Burns suggested that clearances for the new Indian consulates in Seattle and Atlanta would parallel progress on approval for the Marine Security Guard detachment at the new consulate in Mumbai, reciprocal tax exempt status for official facilities, and an end to the scanning of U.S. diplomatic pouches. END SUMMARY. Focus on PM Visit, Chart Course for Next 3-4 Years - - - ¶2. (SBU) National Security Advisor M.K. Narayanan and visiting Under Secretary for Political Affairs Bill Burns, joined by the Ambassador, Assistant Secretary for South and Central Asia Bob Blake and NSC Acting Senior Director Anish Goel, reviewed plans for Prime Minister Singh's official state visit to Washington and the next phase of the bilateral relationship. They agreed in principle on pursuing deliverables from each of the five pillars of the Strategic Dialogue (reftel),including a counterterrorism memorandum of understanding, a Green Initiative, an Obama-Singh Higher Education Fund, a meeting of the CEO Forum, and establishment of a Global Disease Detection Center. They agreed that the joint statement should lay out objectives for the U.S.-India partnership for the next three to four years. Counterterrorism and Defense Cooperation - - - ¶3. (C) Narayanan offered his personal assistance in brokering inter-ministerial approval of the counterterrorism deliverable, the proposed Law Enforcement and Security Cooperation Initiative. He also stressed the importance of "giving a push to defense cooperation." In the one-on-one meeting, Narayanan suggested that the USD 10 billion Medium Multi-Role Combat Aircraft (MMRCA) tender may be split between two recipients, and that he would recommend that PM Singh take into consideration "both price and quality." Civ Nuke, High Tech Controls, and Space Cooperation - - - ¶4. (C) Narayanan assured Burns that a public announcement designating reactor park sites for U.S. firms was imminent, possibly before Burns' departure October 17. He confirmed the government's plan to introduce liability legislation to the next Parliament, which resumes in late November, but cautioned it would not be enacted prior to Prime Minister Singh's visit. NEW DELHI 00002141 002 OF 002 ¶5. (C) Narayanan stressed that Prime Minister Singh needed to see progress on removing restrictions to high technology trade. He observed that high level U.S. government support for reducing these restrictions on India had not yet translated into results. Burns said the U.S. government was looking carefully at this issue, and would seek to engage constructively with the GOI in the run-up to the PM,s visit, perhaps laying out actions that each side could take to help advance the process. ¶6. (C) Narayanan suggested that space cooperation could be an important element of the growing bilateral relationship. India had no "confrontation" with the United States on outer space, and nothing stood in the way of further cooperation. He suggested that space cooperation could help fill the void left by the completion of the Civil Nuclear Cooperation Agreement, but also conceded that the impressively broad scope of the bilateral relationship should be even more compelling than a single new big idea. New Indian Consulates and Management Issues - - - ¶7. (C) Narayanan stressed Prime Minister Singh's hope to announce the full functionality of the Indian consulates in Seattle and Atlanta during his visit. Burns suggested that clearances of the new consulates would move in tandem with progress on three issues: approval for Marine Security Guard detachment for the new consulate in Mumbai, reciprocal tax exempt status for official facilities in the U.S. and India, and changing India's practice of scanning the U.S. diplomatic pouch. Narayanan did not view these issues as insurmountable, noting that his personal involvement could help with the diplomatic pouch issue in particular. ROEMER