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C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 NEW DELHI 000210 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/16/2017 
TAGS: PGOV PREL PHUM PREF PINR KDEM IN PK BT BG
NP, CE. 
SUBJECT: COMMUNISTS COPECETIC WITH UPA REGIONAL APPROACH, 
DIFFER SHARPLY ON USA 
 
Classified By: Political Counselor Ted Osius for reasons 1.4 (B,D) 
 
¶1.  (C) Summary:  The Left Front (LF) and UPA are locked in 
agreement when it comes to South Asian regional policy, but 
differ sharply when it comes to the US and countries with 
which the US has disputes, such as Iran.  In preparation for 
his January 13-14 Pakistan visit, External Affairs Minister 
Pranab Mukherjee provided foreign policy briefings to the 
CPI(M) on January 6 and to CPI Secretary D Raja on January 8. 
 Raja told us he welcomed developments in Bhutan and Nepal, 
was pessimistic about trends in Sri Lanka and Bangladesh, and 
was in front of the GOI when it comes to cultivating friendly 
ties to Pakistan.  Raja emphasized that real difficulties 
arise when it comes to foreign policy outside the region, 
especially regarding the Middle East, Iran, and Iraq, and 
relations with the US.  Maintaining that many within Congress 
agree with the Communist stance, Raja reiterated that his 
party was in complete opposition to US and UPA policy in 
these areas.  Raja is the hard edge of the LF and is not as 
media-savvy as the CPI(M) leadership, but his views are an 
accurate reflection of both the Communists and the Left wing 
of Congress, and indicates that PM Manmohan Singh faces stiff 
opposition from within the UPA when it comes to many foreign 
policy issues, especially the pace of US-India relations. 
End Summary. 
 
UPA Briefs Communists Twice 
--------------------------- 
 
¶2.  (U) Foreign Minister Pranab Mukherjee met with the 
leadership of India's Communist parties twice in preparation 
for PM Manmohan Singh's January 13-14 Pakistan visit.  On 
January 6, Mukherjee met CPI(M) General Secretary Prakash 
Karat and CPI(M) Politburo member Sitaram Yechury, and 
briefed CPI Secretary D. Raja on January 8.  After the 
January 6 meeting, Yechury noted that "a discussion was held 
on the situation in neighboring countries, the developments 
out there and what should be our foreign policy....Our 
Foreign Minister is visiting the neighboring countries, so 
discussions were held on foreign policy."  Yechury emphasized 
that the Left Front (LF) supported UPA efforts to improve 
India/Pakistan relations, intoning that "the talks with 
Pakistan are fine as long as the Indian government does not 
lower its guard." 
 
¶3.  (U) On January 8, Mukherjee delivered the same briefing 
to CPI Secretary D Raja.  Raja emphasized after the meeting 
that "We discussed the situation in Nepal, Sri Lanka, 
Bangladesh and Pakistan.  Our party will support all efforts 
to improve the India-Pakistan relationship."  Raja, who comes 
from Tamil Nadu, was particularly concerned about UPA policy 
regarding Sri Lanka.  After the meeting, Raja pointed out 
that "the External Affairs Minister agreed with our stand 
that military actions are not a solution for the ethnic 
crisis in Sri Lanka...I requested him to provide all possible 
help to innocent Tamil civilians in the island nation." 
 
Raja Pleased with Regional Policy 
--------------------------------- 
 
¶4.  (C) In a January 12 meeting, Raja told Poloff that he was 
 
NEW DELHI 00000210  002 OF 003 
 
 
pleased that the UPA delivered high-level foreign policy 
briefings to the Communist leadership.  During the one on one 
meeting, MEA Minister Mukherjee toured the entire South Asia 
region, with the exception of Afghanistan, with separate 
briefings on Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Bhutan.  Raja 
emphasized that there is general agreement between the 
Communist parties and Congress on regional policy.  Raja was 
particularly pleased with GOI policy on Bhutan and Nepal, 
where he welcomed what he anticipated would be the end of 
monarchy in the two Himalayan kingdoms, and the integration 
of Maoists into a new government in Nepal. 
 
¶5.  (C) Raja was pessimistic, however, about developments in 
Bangladesh and Sri Lanka, noting that the situation in 
Bangladesh has deteriorated and threatens democracy, while 
Sri Lanka is immersed in war.  Raja pointed out that while 
the Sri Lankan Army (SLA) scored some gains in the East by 
using LTTE turncoat Colonel Karuna, it cannot win a military 
victory.  He provided guarded praise to the LTTE for its 
dedication, pointing out that while the SLA destroyed the 
world famous Jaffna University Library, the LTTE made Jaffna 
University one of the finest in South Asia during its tenure. 
 Raja expressed strong support for the UPA's efforts to 
improve relations with Pakistan, stating that the people in 
both countries are fed up with hostility and that there is no 
underlying reason for poor relations.  He was adamant that 
while ISI supports terrorism directed against India, the 
Communists would continue to urge forbearance and patience. 
Should there be another spectacular terrorist attack such as 
Mumbai, he pointed out, the GOI would have no choice but to 
break off talks, but the Communists would not want anything 
further and would want to revive the process after a decent 
interval. 
 
But Disagrees With the UPA On the Rest of the World 
--------------------------------------------- ------ 
 
¶6.  (C) Turning to foreign policy outside the South Asian 
region, Raja became more animated and hostile.  He claimed 
that, while the Congress leadership made the right noises on 
Iran, this was just to mollify the US, and that most within 
Congress agreed with the left when it came to Iran, Iraq and 
the Middle East.  When it comes to Iran, he emphasized, the 
Communists are in total disagreement with the stated policies 
of Manmohan Singh, especially when it comes to Iranian 
nuclear policy.  Becoming agitated, Raja remarked that, 
"India cannot dictate to Iran as to whether or not it can 
have a nuclear device, especially when the US and other 
Nuclear states under the NPT have not renounced their nuclear 
weapons."  In his view, it was a mistake for India (but not 
China) to acquire nuclear weapons and it should give them up 
as well.  Raja then asked rhetorically why Washington was not 
equally agitated about Israel's nuclear weapons.  Raja argued 
that no matter what the UPA tells the US, the Communists and 
Congress agree that US policy regarding Iraq is wrong in its 
entirety, and that "history will judge George Bush and his 
government to be guilty of crimes against humanity in Iraq." 
Raja further claimed that the Communists were totally opposed 
to the UPA stance on US/India relations, and most especially 
the Civil Nuclear Agreement.  He confirmed that the 
Communists would take a joint position in Parliament 
 
NEW DELHI 00000210  003 OF 003 
 
 
demanding parliamentary approval for the pending 1-2-3 
Agreement and suggested that they would welcome an 
opportunity to vote against it. 
 
Comment: CPI Is the Hard Edge of Communism 
------------------------------------------ 
 
¶7.  (C) When it comes to regional policy, Congress and the 
Communists are in a virtual love-fest of agreement, with the 
Communists even more eager for friendly relations with 
Pakistan than the GOI.  Dedicated opponents of the BJP and 
its Pakistan-bashing policies, the Communists are always 
eager to use Pakistan to score points against the rightists. 
Disagreements crop up almost instantly, however, when it 
comes to other aspects of foreign policy.  Raja is probably 
correct when he says that there is a large bloc within 
Congress that shares the same views on Iraq, Iran, the Middle 
East and even US/India relations with the Communists.  Raja's 
CPI is the junior partner in a Left Front dominated by the 
CPI(M) and is a hard-line old-style Communist party that is 
incapable of presenting a moderate face like the more 
media-savvy CPI(M).  Despite this, Communist antipathy 
against many Congress foreign-policy initiatives should not 
be underestimated.  This underlies the difficulties Congress 
will face managing its foreign policy -- especially the pace 
of US-India relations -- while facing determined opposition 
from the LF and more subtle opposition from Communist "fellow 
travelers" within the party. 
 
¶8.  (U) Visit New Delhi's Classified Website: 
(http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/sa/newdelhi/) 
MULFORD