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UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 04 NEW DELHI 000103 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV PHUM PINR PINS PREL PTER SCUL SNAR SOCI
KIRF, KISL, CH, IS, MY, IN 
SUBJECT: DELHI DIARY, JAN 7-11 
 
REF: A. 07 NEW DELHI 5119 
     ¶B. 07 KOLKATA 359 
     ¶C. 07 KOLKATA 356 
 
¶1.  (U) Below is a compilation of political highlights from 
Embassy New Delhi for January 7-11, 2007, that did not 
feature in our other reporting, including: 
 
 
--  India, Israeli Kick Off 2008 with High-Level Defense Talks 
--  India Remains Israel's Largest Defense Customer 
--  National Defense Interest Trumps Ideological Posturing 
--  Defense Minister Wraps Up "Result-Oriented" Trip to 
Malaysia 
--  India and China Move to Share Intel 
--  Three Million Muslims Gather in Uttar Pradesh 
--  Prime Minister Inspects Warship Bought From the U.S. 
--  Mayawati Demands Center Protection, Threatens Withdrawal 
--  Taslima Controversy Continues 
 
 
India, Israeli Kick Off 2008 with High-Level Defense Talks 
------ 
 
¶2.  (U) The Chairman of the Indian military's Chiefs of 
Staff, Indian Navy Chief Admiral Sureesh Mehta, left January 
3 on a four-day official visit to Israel for talks with 
Defense Minister Ehud Barak and Israel Defense Forces Chief 
of Staff on strengthening Indo-Israeli military ties.  This 
top-level military visit comes on the heels of the December 
31 bilateral defense Joint Working Group (JWG) in New Delhi, 
co-chaired by Indian Defense Secretary Vijay Singh and his 
counterpart Brigadier General (retired) Pinchus Buchris. 
While in New Delhi Buchris met with National Security Advisor 
M.K. Narayanan, and both sides reportedly decided that India 
and Israel should meet regularly to share intelligence as 
part of the effort to fight global terrorism.  Prakash Karat, 
General Secretary of the Communist Party of India (Marxist), 
publicly called for a halt in India's military ties with 
Israel on December 31, 2007, "until (Israel) comes to the 
negotiating table and arrive(s) at a reasonable settlement 
with Palestine." 
 
 
India Remains Israel's Largest Defense Customer 
------ 
 
¶3.  (U)  According to Indian media, Israeli defense officials 
assured their counterparts on January 1 that the US-made 
Phalcon AWACS radar systems sold by Israel to India for USD 
1.2 billion would finally be delivered in January 2008, after 
long delays. According to the Israeli Defense Ministry, India 
has been Israel's largest customer for the fifth year in a 
row, its purchases comprising 50 percent of Israel's defense 
exports.  Israel has emerged in the last few years as New 
Delhi's second largest arms supplier (after Russia), having 
sold India USD 1.6 billion worth of weaponry and defense 
systems in 2007. Israel became the world's fourth largest 
arms exporting nation in 2007, thanks mainly to its military 
contracts with India. 
 
 
National Defense Interest Trumps Ideological Posturing 
------ 
 
¶4.  (SBU) COMMENT: Prakash Karat and his Communist Party were 
able to bully the Congress-led UPA Government into 
backpedaling on the U.S.-India civilian nuclear deal this 
past autumn, yet protests against Indo-Israeli ties have 
failed to have the same effect. Although recent high-level 
military exchanges between Tel Aviv and New Delhi and the 
 
NEW DELHI 00000103  002 OF 004 
 
 
continuing big-ticket arms sales serve to demonstrate that 
the Indian defense community can continue to strengthen its 
strategic relationship with Israel in spite of domestic 
communist criticism, Post expects the Left -- and Indian 
Muslims -- will continue to try to serve as a check on just 
how far India can go with the broader Israel relationship. 
End Comment. 
 
 
Defense Minister Wraps Up "Result-Oriented" Trip to Malaysia 
------ 
 
¶5.  (SBU) At the outset of his January 6-8 Malaysia visit, 
Indian Defense Minister A.K. Antony stressed that the GOI's 
"Look East" policy, designed to open up ASEAN markets to 
India's poor northeastern states, "is nothing against China." 
 However, describing his trip as "result-oriented" in a joint 
press statement, Antony concluded several deals that elevate 
India-Malaysia defense cooperation to a new high that could 
help to counter recent Chinese strides in the region.  India 
agreed to train Malaysian Air Force personnel to operate the 
Su-30 MKI aircraft, noting that 31 Indian Air Force 
specialists will be based in Malaysia for two years starting 
in February.  In addition, the two sides emphasized naval 
cooperation and noted that Malaysia will likely purchase the 
Scorpene class submarine which are slated to be built in 
India.  Referring to security in the Straits of Malacca, 
Malaysian Defense Minister Najib said that, "India is ready 
to work closely with us," pointing out that India respected 
the principle that "the primary responsibility for the 
security and safety aspects of Malacca lie with the littoral 
states." 
 
¶6.  (SBU) On the economic front, Malaysia announced that 
India's IRCON International Ltd., a public sector venture 
that reports to India's Ministry of Railways, was awarded the 
USD 1.08 billion project to construct a 100-kilometer 
two-track network between Seremban and Gemas.  The deal has 
been in the works since 2003 and a source of bilateral 
tension, according to media sources.  Antony also discussed 
the plight of ethnic Indians in Malaysia that are protesting 
their marginalization in Malaysian society.  The timing 
suggests that Malaysia may have decided to award the rail 
contract in exchange for less GOI pressure regarding official 
discrimination against Malaysia's ethic Indians. 
 
 
 
India and China Move to Share Intel 
------ 
 
¶7.  (SBU)  Paris Intelligence Online, an internet 
subscription service run by French Indigo Publications, 
reported that China's state security ministry and India's 
Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) announced plans to establish 
a joint intelligence center.  The announcement comes on the 
heels of December's "Hand-in-Hand" joint army exercise in 
Yunnan province; a counter terror exercise involving 
approximately 100 special forces personnel from each side. 
As with "Hand-in-Hand," if true, the joint intelligence 
center is likely an effort to gloss over the logjam over 
their disputed border and signal to India's Left that the UPA 
government continues to be open to intelligence sharing and 
military exercises with all the players in Asia and is not 
putting all of its eggs in America's basket.  It is doubtful 
that any real intelligence will be exchanged given India's 
suspicions about China's intentions in the region and the 
lingering effects of the 1962 border war defeat to the Indian 
psyche. 
 
 
 
NEW DELHI 00000103  003 OF 004 
 
 
"Three Million" Muslims Gather in Uttar Pradesh 
------ 
 
¶8.  (SBU) From December 28 to January 1 organizers claimed 
approximately three million Muslims from India and around the 
world descended on the small town of Sherwan in Uttar Pradesh 
for an international conference, or Alami Ijtema.  The 
congregation was organized by the revivalist Tablighi Jamaat. 
 Maulana Khalid Rashid of Lucknow's oldest Islamic seminary, 
Firangi Mahal, described the event to the press as, "The 
first mass-scale Muslim congregation in one place in India. 
Basically it is to pray for world peace and to enlighten the 
Muslim community about Islamic laws, how to adopt Islamic 
laws in their daily life and the importance of education." 
The choice of location is significant.  Sherwan is in the 
heart of moderate Barelvi Islam in India while Tablighi 
Jamaat is heavily influenced by Wahabi thinking.  Embassy 
sources report some rise in Wahabi influence in the area. 
 
 
Prime Minister Inspects Warship Bought From the U.S. 
------ 
 
¶9.  (U) Prime Minister Singh went on board the INS Jalashwa 
on January 3rd, for a personal and up-close look at the 
warship that the Indian Navy purchased from the U.S.  The 
Jalashwa, a 16,900 ton amphibious Landing Platform Dock (LPD) 
began its career as the USS Trenton and served the US Navy 
for more than three decades before being sold and transferred 
to the Indian Navy in 2007. 
 
 
Mayawati Demands Center Protection, Threatens Withdrawal 
------ 
 
¶10.  (SBU) On January 8th, Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) leader 
and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati accused Congress of 
conspiring to eliminate her because they denied her request 
for Special Protection Group (SPG) cover, currently only 
extended to prime ministers and former prime ministers. 
Mayawati threatened to withdraw BSP support from the United 
Progressive Alliance (UPA).  Congress, however, remained 
unfazed and characterized the conspiracy allegations as 
"completely baseless and absolutely unacceptable."  Congress 
called her threat a "pressure tactic" to get SPG cover and 
divert public attention from her disproportionate assets 
corruption case.  A final BSP decision on withdrawal of 
support will be taken after a party meeting on January 15. 
Comment: The Congress-Mayawati spat follows a couple of 
terrorist incidents in U.P. and is being used by Mayawati to 
distance herself from the UPA in the run up to national 
elections before May 2009. 
 
 
Taslima Controversy Continues 
------ 
 
¶11. (U) A group of seven Indian Muslim organizations, 
including the two conservative Jamaat-e-Islami Hind and 
Jamiat-e-Ulama Hind, met on January 8 to publicly oppose 
Bangladeshi writer Taslima Nasreen's Indian visa extension. 
Nasreen's writings are purported by some Muslims to have 
insulted the Islamic faith. This is the first official 
statement made by the Indian Muslim community after a group 
of Indian Muslims protested Nasreen's stay in Kolkata in 
November (refs B and C).  The Muslim groups urged the Prime 
Minister to remember the religious sensitivities of Indian 
Muslims. The UPA government provided Nasreen safe haven in 
the capital after her expulsion from Kolkata. Soon after the 
January 8 meeting, UPA Information and Broadcasting Minister, 
priya Ranjan Das Munshi stated that Nasreen should apologize 
 
NEW DELHI 00000103  004 OF 004 
 
 
to the country's Muslim community for hurting their religious 
sentiments and intimated that her book "Dwikhandita" might be 
banned in the country. It had previously been banned in W. 
Bengal. 
 
¶12. (SBU) Comment: Even though few in the Indian Muslim 
community are familiar with Nasreen's work, there is a 
general sense amongst the Indian Muslims community that her 
writings have somehow insulted or disparaged Islam. The 
Muslim groups' public opposition is a reflection of this 
unhappiness with Nasreen. There are also politics at play. 
The Communist Party of India Marxist (CPM) had originally 
driven Nasreen out of Kolkata to divert attention from the 
CPM's central role in the Nandigram violence, as well as to 
win favor from Muslims who were the main victims of the 
Nandigram brutality (ref E). The Muslim groups have put 
pressure once again on the UPA government to act more 
decisively on Nasreen. Vote bank politics has been an 
important factor in the Nasreen controversy. India's 
political parties are ready to use any target of opportunity 
available to pander to voting groups in preparation for the 
next national election, due before May 2009.  The UPA's 
hot-cold response in the Nasreen affair illustrates that the 
Congress Party, the original and still most prolific 
practitioner of vote bank pandering, is attempting to juggle 
its national image and the Muslim vote. End Comment. 
MULFORD