VZCZCXRO4182
OO RUEHAST RUEHBI RUEHCI RUEHLH RUEHPW
DE RUEHNE #2019/01 2051320
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
O 231320Z JUL 08
FM AMEMBASSY NEW DELHI
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 2744
INFO RUCNCLS/ALL SOUTH AND CENTRAL ASIA COLLECTIVE
RUCNNSG/NUCLEAR SUPPLIERS GROUP COLLECTIVE
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHDC
RHEBAAA/DEPT OF ENERGY WASHINGTON DC
RUEKJCS/JOINT STAFF WASHDC
RHEHNSC/NSC WASHDC
RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHDC
RUEHUNV/USMISSION UNVIE VIENNA 1585
RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK 6695

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 NEW DELHI 002019 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PREL PARM TSPL KNNP ETTC ENRG TRGY IN
SUBJECT: INDIA DISPATCHES ENVOYS TO 54 CAPITALS, EMBASSY 
HOSTS 41 NSG MEMBER REPRESENTATIVES 
 
REF: SECSTATE 78837 
 
¶1. (SBU) SUMMARY.  The Embassy hosted 41 local 
representatives of Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) member 
countries to an information-sharing lunch on the next steps 
in the U.S.-India Civil Nuclear Cooperation Initiative on 
July 23.  Comments focused on the difficulties imposed by the 
compressed timeline, particularly for governments that need 
to consult within their own coalition and with opposition 
parties.  Some representatives raised specific concerns about 
the status of India's nonproliferation obligations under the 
Hyde Act, how these nonproliferation obligations will be 
reflected in the NSG exemption language, whether they apply 
if Congress fails to act, and about the sequencing of the 
implementation of India's separation plan and the 
commencement of nuclear commerce if all steps are completed. 
Several representatives confirmed the visits to their 
capitals of senior Indian envoys in the coming days, but 
several also voiced their hope that India genuinely seek to 
address NSG member concerns rather than merely be seen going 
through the motions. 
 
¶2. (SBU) SUMMARY CONTINUED.  The Ministry of External Affairs 
(MEA) provided the Embassy with a list of the 10 senior 
envoys who will be traveling to the capitals of the 54 IAEA 
and NSG member countries prior to the IAEA Board meeting on 
August 1.  Several envoys have already begun their travels, 
departing immediately following the United Progressive 
Alliance (UPA) coalition government's victory in the July 22 
confidence vote.  END SUMMARY. 
 
Embassy Hosts 41 NSG Representatives 
- - - 
 
¶3. (SBU) PolCouns hosted New Delhi counterparts representing 
41 Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) members for a lunch at the 
Embassy on July 23 to answer questions related to the next 
steps in the U.S.-India Nuclear Cooperation Initiative. 
Every NSG member with an Embassy in New Delhi sent a 
representative.  PolCouns touted the benefits of the nuclear 
initiative and fielded questions, following closely Under 
Secretary Burns' comments in his roundtable with key NSG 
representatives in Washington on July 15 (reftel). 
 
¶4. (SBU) UK PolCouns Nigel Casey led off the discussion by 
endorsing the necessary next steps toward the completion of 
the nuclear initiative.  The initiative had raised important 
nonproliferation questions for the UK when it was first 
proposed, but Casey said his government has concluded -- 
along with IAEA director Mohammed El-Baradei -- that the 
initiative constitutes a "net plus" for the global 
nonproliferation regime, as well as making an important 
contribution to addressing India's burgeoning energy needs. 
These are "powerful and compelling" arguments in favor of the 
initiative.  The UK government's skepticism about Indian 
domestic political support for the initiative were answered 
"decisively" in the July 22 confidence vote.  Casey said his 
government has urged India to address "seriously and 
substantially" its nonproliferation commitments contained in 
section 4b of the Hyde Act.  The Indian government has 
assured the UK that it plans to begin work on the Additional 
Protocol "imminently," as well as on other issues.  Casey 
said he anticipates that India will have a "compelling story 
to tell."  In addition, India must also make every effort 
"not just to tell us how important it is for India" but also 
to address the "real concerns" of NSG members.  The dispatch 
of senior envoys to IAEA and NSG capitals is just such an 
effort.  Casey revealed that NSA Narayanan will visit London 
during the week beginning July 28.  (Paragraph 9 outlines 
other travel by the special envoys.) 
 
Concerns About The Timeline 
- - - 
 
¶5. (SBU) The preponderance of concerns raised concerned the 
compressed timeline for consideration of the NSG exemption 
following the IAEA Board meeting on August 1.  Netherlands 
PolCouns Alex Oosterwijk cautioned that like India, which 
took 10 months to overcome opposition from the Left, "Many of 
our countries also have Left parties; consultations are 
necessary."  He pleaded for patience with the consultation 
process.  Employing a soccer analogy, Oosterwijk said that 
 
NEW DELHI 00002019  002 OF 003 
 
 
India may have scored the equalizer in the last minute with 
the result of the July 22 confidence vote, but countries such 
as his own are now being asked to score again to secure the 
victory in overtime. 
 
¶6. (SBU) German PolCouns Philipp Ackermann echoed this 
concern.  As the NSG chair, Germany had the responsibility to 
consult with the various NSG members and make every effort to 
address their concerns with timing and process.  He cautioned 
that despite speculation about consultative groups versus 
plenaries, so far no format has been decided upon.  Ackermann 
said that Germany would like the first NSG meeting -- 
whatever its nature -- to take place as soon as possible, 
which "certainly means in August."  But he cautioned that 
Germany's consultations with NSG capitals has revealed that 
several say they need additional time. 
 
Concerns About Nonproliferation and Indian Domestic Politics 
- - - 
 
¶7. (SBU) Several representatives raised concerns about the 
nonproliferation elements of the nuclear initiative or about 
India's willingness to follow through on its commitments. 
Ireland's Deputy Chief of Mission Pat Bourne was most 
skeptical.  He said that Ireland understands the climate 
change argument, but that Ireland "feels a paternal 
attachment" to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT). 
He acknowledged that Ireland has known for some time that 
this moment could arrive, but that there remains a need to 
address the nuclear initiative as a political issue.  He also 
observed that the "devil is often in the technical details." 
He observed that Ireland is "not entirely happy with the very 
accelerated timeline that has been proposed," but that 
Ireland "would not drag its feet."  He revealed that the 
Prime Minister's Special Envoy Shyam Saran was meeting with 
the Irish Prime Minister and Foreign Minister as he spoke on 
July 23.  He said he hoped the meeting and the remaining 
process would allow for issues to be addressed rather than 
merely to push the initiative to conclusion. 
 
¶8. (SBU) Canada Deputy High Commissioner Adrian Norfolk 
inquired whether the "denigration" of the Hyde Act in public 
comments by Indian officials -- especially during the special 
session of parliament on the confidence vote -- would cause 
problems with members of the U.S. Congress who supported the 
legislation. 
 
Concerns About NSG Exemption Language and Sequencing 
- - - 
 
¶9. (SBU) Denmark acting PolCouns Dorte Bech Vizard raised a 
concern with whether the Presidential Determination items in 
the Hyde Act would apply to other countries that would engage 
in nuclear commerce with India -- primarily Russia and France 
-- if such conditions were not enumerated in the NSG 
exemption language.  She asked whether incorporating the 
requirements would fall foul of India's request for a "clean" 
exemption, or whether that request only applies to new 
obligations, such as signing the Comprehensive Test Ban 
Treaty (CTBT). 
 
¶10. (SBU) On the margins, Chinese PolCouns Hu Zhaoming shared 
with PolOff a concern about the sequencing of the start of 
nuclear commerce following an NSG exemption and the 
implementation of India's separation plan.  Reflecting that 
implementing the separation plan could take "years," he 
wondered when nuclear commerce could begin and how to ensure 
that it did not contribute to India's military program prior 
to completing the planned separation from its civil program. 
Hu said that the issue had been raised in Vienna, but that 
China has yet to receive a reply. 
 
India Dispatches 10 Envoys to 54 NSG & IAEA Capitals 
- - - 
 
¶11. (SBU) The Indian government dispatched 10 senior envoys 
to the 54 capitals of NSG and IAEA members in order to 
respond to questions and concerns about the nuclear 
initiative.  Several departed within hours of the UPA 
government's victory in the July 22 confidence vote. 
Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) director of the 
Disarmament and International Security Affairs (DISA) 
 
NEW DELHI 00002019  003 OF 003 
 
 
division Amandeep Singh Gill told PolOff on July 23 that the 
envoys planned to complete their travel prior to the August 1 
IAEA Board of Governors meeting.  He listed the envoys and 
their destinations as follows: 
 
-- Foreign Secretary Shiv Shankar Menon:  Austria (visited on 
July 18), Germany (July 23), Switzerland, Pakistan (if 
necessary in addition to the Composite Dialogue sessions) 
 
-- National Security Advisor M.K. Narayana:  Canada, UK, 
France, Russia, Turkey (already visited) 
 
-- Prime Minister's Special Envoy Shyam Saran:  Japan, 
Australia, New Zealand, Ireland (July 23), Argentina, Brazil, 
Chile, Mexico, Ecuador, Bolivia 
 
-- Union Minister of Science and Technology Kapil Sibal: 
Denmark, Finland, The Netherlands, Sweden 
 
-- Minister of State in the Prime Minister's Office 
Prithviraj Chavan:  Italy, Spain, Portugal, China 
 
-- Minister of State for External Affairs Anand Sharma: 
South Africa, Nigeria, Ghana, Ethiopia, Belarus Estonia, 
Latvia, Lithuania 
 
-- Special Envoy to the Middle East C.R. Gharekhan:  Algeria, 
Morocco, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Malta, Cyprus 
 
-- Ministry of External Affairs Secretary for the West Nalin 
Surie:  Belgium, Romania, Greece, Luxembourg, Croatia, 
Bulgaria (already visited) 
 
-- Ministry of External Affairs Secretary for the East N. 
Ravi:  Thailand, Philippines, South Korea, Kazakhstan, Ukraine 
 
-- Ministry of External Affairs Secretary for Economic 
Relations Hardeet Puri:  Poland, Hungary, Slovakia, Slovenia, 
Czech Republic 
 
 
 
WHITE