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C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 05 NEW DELHI 001396 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 02/23/2016 
TAGS: PREL ENRG KNNP OVIP CVIS EINV ENLT KFLU TBIO
TRGY, TSPA, KDEM, KHIV, EAID, EAGR, IN 
SUBJECT: POSITIVE BURNS-SHARMA FEBRUARY 24 MEETING FOCUSES 
POTUS VISIT, CIVIL NUCLEAR, DEMOCRACY AND HEALTH 
 
REF: A. NEW DELHI 1364 
     ¶B. NEW DELHI 1273 
 
Classified By: Ambassador David Mulford for Reasons 1.4 (B, D) 
 
¶1.  (C) Summary: The February 24 meeting between Under 
Secretary for Political Affairs Burns and Indian Minister of 
 
SIPDIS 
State for External Affairs Anand Sharma reflected important 
GOI political endorsement of the positive direction of our 
bilateral relationship.  Sharma, well-versed in the web of 
July 18 initiatives, was supportive and in some cases 
forward-leaning on topics including the civil nuclear 
arrangement, democracy promotion, and HIV/AIDS and Avian 
Influenza assistance.  He was clearly appreciative of past 
USG assistance to India, and he will be a useful and 
necessary ally in winning over what he terms "ill-informed 
and not-informed" Indian critics.  He candidly acknowledged 
the challenges of "old mindsets" among the GOI's nuclear 
establishment.  End Summary. 
 
Looking Forward to Presidential Visit 
------------------------------------- 
 
¶2.  (C) Sharma opened by underlining the symbolic importance 
of the upcoming POTUS visit as a demonstration of deepening 
US-India engagement.  Both the GOI and the Congress Party 
want a successful visit that will carry forward in a tangible 
way the July 18 agreement and further consolidate bilateral 
relations across a spectrum of issues, including (but not 
exclusively) nuclear energy, he said.  U/S Burns recalled his 
conversation with PM Singh the previous night, in which the 
PM called the POTUS visit the culmination of an "historic 
reconciliation and concord"; U/S Burns added that the path is 
being cleared for US-India relations to finally reach their 
full potential.  Sharma took note of the intense bilateral 
interaction leading up to the visit that would "cover all the 
topics we could not achieve before."  "It will be an 
opportunity for India to show our sincerity," he concluded. 
 
¶3.  (C) Ambassador Mulford drew Sharma's attention to the 
February 22 POTUS speech to the Asia Society to underscore 
the very detailed attention the President attaches to 
economic issues in his explanation of why US-India relations 
are so critical.  Sharma responded that POTUS and the PM 
focused on "tha right issues," including the Agricultural 
Knowledge Initiative (which he called a major 
accomplishment), the S&T Commission, and space launch 
cooperation.  He added that India greatly appreciates the 
invitation to participate in FutureGen to help address 
India's growing need for clean energy. 
 
Outreach to India's Nuclear/Scientific Community 
--------------------------------------------- --- 
 
 
NEW DELHI 00001396  002 OF 005 
 
 
¶4.  (C) Sharma turned to domestic criticism of the civil 
nuclear deal lodged by Indian scientists.  Indian nuclear 
scientists (and those in related fields) have been shunned by 
their international colleagues for 35 years and have been 
living in "their own zone, isolated," and they need 
"reassurances," he said.  U/S Burns remarked that he and 
Foreign Secretary Saran had spent hundreds of hours to get 
just beyond 90% of the way to concluding the civil nuclear 
arrangement, but as with many things, the last little bit is 
the most difficult.  The USG needs further clarity on India's 
separation plan, inter alia, how power and breeder reactors 
will be treated.  Once we have an agreement, the isolation of 
India's scientists will be firmly in the past, and they will 
be welcomed into the international mainstream.  U/S Burns 
reminded Sharma of India's potential role in the Global 
Nuclear Energy Partnership, and encouraged India to be part 
of that project at the ground floor.  To be eligible, 
however, India's breeder reactors should be safeguarded. 
Otherwise it would be difficult for Delhi's nuclear 
establishment to collaborate with scientists from GNEP 
participants on advanced reactor technology. 
 
¶5.  (C) Sharma told U/S Burns the scientists are a proud 
group given the hurdles they overcame to build India's 
nuclear deterrent, and the Indian people are proud of them. 
Once they are integrated into the global scientific 
community, they will be in a position to share their 
knowledge and expertise in a larger partnership, which will 
help reduce the criticism some of their number voice about 
the proposed nuclear deal.  "Both sides need to break down 
the old mindsets," Sharma offered.  He suggested both Delhi 
and Washington need to keep pushing to inform their citizens 
of the realities behind the nuclear arrangement, to avoid the 
message being crowded out by the criticism of "the 
ill-informed and the not-informed." 
 
¶6.  (C) Elaborating on this sense of pride among the Indian 
scientific community, Sharma raised the much-publicized cases 
of three scientists whose visas to visit the US were delayed 
by the Mantis requirement, calling this "unnecessary bad 
publicity."  (NOTE: The two Ref B scientists have 
subsequently had their visa applications approved, the third 
case is pending.  End Note.) 
 
Sharma Aware of Necessary Congressional, NSG Action 
--------------------------------------------- ------ 
 
¶7.  (C) Sharma, mindful that the nuclear arrangement would 
require Congressional approval by amending US proliferation 
legislation, expressed his hope that a successful US-India 
nuclear deal would lead to swift easing of Indian access to 
technology from other NSG states after the next NSG meeting 
in May.  U/S Burns replied that the USG is willing to go to 
Congress, but Members understandably will not commit to 
 
NEW DELHI 00001396  003 OF 005 
 
 
supporting the separation plan until they see it for 
themselves.  A plan that placed only the bare minimum of 
facilities under safeguards would face a harder time 
garnering support than a plan that included more facilities 
in the civil sector, both with Congress and the NSG. 
 
The Broader Agenda 
------------------ 
 
¶8.  (C) Sharma complained that the Indian press is hyping the 
nuclear discussions to the exclusion of the host of other 
bilateral interactions on the table.  "We need to cool the 
media a bit," he suggested.  U/S Burns responded that the 
broad outlines of the July 28 agreement -- encompassing 
energy, S&T, space launch cooperation, education, 
agriculture, health, and more -- demonstrate the USG's 
commitment of time, resources, and priority to the US-India 
relationship.  Ambassador Mulford pointed out that India's 
80,000 students attending US schools outpaces even China's 
62,000. 
 
¶9.  (C) Ambassador Mulford told Sharma the proposal for a US 
Consulate in Hyderabad had been cleared within the USG, which 
Sharma called "a very good message."  Sharma was also 
encouraged to hear that new regulations allowed student visas 
to be processed faster and issued with greater lead-time for 
Indian students to settle in to US campuses before their 
academics begin. 
 
Brainstorming on Democracy Promotion 
------------------------------------ 
 
¶10.  (C) U/S Burns reminded Sharma that Washington and New 
Delhi were the first two contributors to the UN Democracy 
Fund, but the Fund still lacked a well identified, central 
unifying theme.  Democracy promotion should be a central 
theme for the POTUS visit, he continued, asking if the GOI 
would consider starting its own project, possibly under the 
auspices of the Rajiv Gandhi Foundation or a similarly 
well-regarded NGO with appropriate experience.  Another 
option is participating in another multilateral effort such 
as the BMENA Fund for the Future.  Sharma thoughtfully 
responded that he would consider the suggestion and discuss 
the possibility with Congress Party President Sonia Gandhi. 
He nodded in agreement as U/S Burns recommended that an 
Indian NGO could operate in places a US NGO could not, for 
example, monitoring elections or helping democratic groups 
grow in Iran.  U/S Burns then shared with Sharma the 
non-paper entitled "US India Global Democracy Initiative," 
which Sharma said he would review and consider. 
 
¶11.  (C) Sharma replied that the two largest democracies 
could do "good work" if we combined and coordinated efforts. 
Ambassador Mulford underlined the symbolic value of such 
 
NEW DELHI 00001396  004 OF 005 
 
 
cooperation would be more impressive than our individual 
democracy promotion endeavors taken alone.  U/S Burns 
emphasized the depth of the President's commitment to 
democracy promotion. 
 
Need for FDI for Infrastructure 
------------------------------- 
 
¶12.  (C) Sharma underlined India's need for foreign 
investment to upgrade and expand the country's 
infrastructure.  He pointed to a Federation of Indian 
Chambers of Commerce and Industry/Confederation of Indian 
Industry (FICCI/CII) study that predicted a full revamp of 
the nation's infrastructure would be a 10-year, $1 trillion 
undertaking.  This massive expansion is necessary to ensure 
10% annual economic growth, the extension of essential 
infrastructure to India's villages and underdeveloped areas, 
and building mass transit systems in India's major metro 
areas, Sharma explained. 
 
HIV/AIDS and Avian Influenza 
---------------------------- 
 
¶13.  (C) Sharma thanked U/S Burns for USG assistance with 
HIV/AIDS programs in India, and remarked that the GOI does 
not know yet what it needs with regard to the recent outbreak 
in India of Avian Influenza (Ref A and subsequent). 
Ambassador Mulford told Sharma an initial shipment of Avian 
Influenza test kits (courtesy of CDC) that reduce the 
turnaround time for testing from three days to three hours 
would arrive in Delhi on February 26 and be transferred to 
the GOI the following day.  This would reduce the 
uncertainty, anxiety, and speculation fostered by tests that 
take longer to yield results, the Ambassador continued. 
Sharma suggested the Embassy publicize this assistance; 
Ambassador Mulford deferred any decision to publicize to the 
GOI. 
 
¶14.  (C) Senior NSC Director John Rood noted that Avian 
Influenza is a significant opportunity for bilateral 
cooperation, including safeguards and disease surveillance. 
Ambassador Mulford underscored that combating this outbreak 
requires close cooperation between the Health and Agriculture 
Ministries, and that tourism bookings are already dropping 
off because of the uncertainty surrounding the outbreak, 
including an inaccurate Indian press report that human-human 
transmission had already occurred.  U/S Burns also noted that 
India would host two conferences on Avian Influenza, which 
would also help. 
 
Comment: Good Vibes from a Necessary Ally 
----------------------------------------- 
 
¶15.  (C) The breadth of this discussion was matched only by 
 
NEW DELHI 00001396  005 OF 005 
 
 
Sharma's enthusiasm; his vigorous support is good news for 
us.  With the PM retaining the Foreign Affairs portfolio in 
the current Cabinet, Sharma is the senior political actor in 
the MEA, and his advocacy will be key to driving the stiffer 
and less yielding bureaucracy.  The optomistic and 
forward-leaning conversation reflects the positive 
atmospherics surrounding the POTUS visit, the nuclear 
agreement, and expanding US-India relations writ large, at 
the political level.  End Comment. 
 
¶16.  (U) GOI Delegation 
Minister of State for External Affairs Anand Sharma 
MEA Director (Americas) Gaitri Kumar (notetaker) 
 
¶17.  (U) USG Delegation 
U/S Burns 
Ambassador Mulford 
NSC Senior Director John Rood 
P Senior Adviser Ashley Tellis 
PolCouns Geoff Pyatt 
SA/RA Director John Schlosser 
Poloff Howard Madnick (notetaker) 
 
¶18.  (U) This cable was cleared by U/S Burns. 
MULFORD