VZCZCXRO0498
OO RUEHBI RUEHCI RUEHDBU RUEHLH RUEHNEH RUEHPW
DE RUEHNE #1783/01 2371311
ZNY SSSSS ZZH
O 251311Z AUG 09
FM AMEMBASSY NEW DELHI
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 7813
INFO RUCNCLS/ALL SOUTH AND CENTRAL ASIA COLLECTIVE
RUEHBJ/AMEMBASSY BEIJING 7908
RUEHLO/AMEMBASSY LONDON 6735
RUEHMO/AMEMBASSY MOSCOW 3624
RUEHKO/AMEMBASSY TOKYO 6457
RUEAWJA/DEPT OF JUSTICE WASHDC
RHMCSUU/DEPT OF HOMELAND SECURITY WASHINGTON DC
RHEFDIA/DIA WASHDC
RHMCSUU/FBI WASHINGTON DC
RUEHGV/USMISSION GENEVA 8524
RHEHAAA/WHITE HOUSE WASHDC
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHDC
RHEHNSC/NSC WASHDC
RUEIDN/DNI WASHINGTON DC
RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK 8407
RHMCSUU/HQ USCENTCOM MACDILL AFB FL
RHHMUNA/HQ USPACOM HONOLULU HI
RUEKJCS/JOINT STAFF WASHDC
S E C R E T SECTION 01 OF 02 NEW DELHI 001783
SIPDIS
STATE FOR DS/IP/SCA AND DS/PL
JUSTICE FOR HARRY MARSHALL
E.O. 12958: DECL: 07/14/2019
TAGS: PGOV PREL PTER PK IN
SUBJECT: HOME MINISTER CHIDAMBARAM'S WASHINGTON D.C. VISIT, SEPT. 7-10
Classified By: AMBASSADOR Timothy Roemer for Reasons 1.4 (B, D)
1. (S) Summary and Background: India's Minister of Home Affairs P. Chidambaram will visit New York and Washington D.C
from September 7 - 10. On August 19, Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) officials shared the ""agenda points"" for the
Home Minister's visit. The GOI sees the visit as an opportunity to discuss what it perceives as continued Pakistani
support for terrorist activities. Other areas of interest are technical cooperation, countering financing of terrorism,
and the U.S. National Counterterrorism Center's command and control.
2. (S) Our goals for the visit include: -- Modeling interagency communication and cooperation, specifically in breaking
down stovepipes. -- Explaining how the United States works with foreign intelligence services to develop information and
take action against threats. -- Illustrating how the United States develops and briefs threats to foreign missions. --
Exploring future areas of cooperation. -- Expressing commitment to ensure perpetrators of terrorist attacks are brought
to justice. -- Strengthen relationships at the most senior levels.
3. (S) Minister Chidambaram is currently scheduled to arrive in New York on Air India 91 at 10:35 am on September 7. We
have informed the MEA we cannot schedule any meetings on September 7 (Labor Day). We have proposed he stay in New York
on September 8 for briefings by the Joint Terrorism Task Force, the New York Police Department, and the Amtrak Police
Department (POC John J. O'Connor Chief of Police (oconnojh@amtrak.com). These briefings will provide opportunities to
bring to life the first three goals listed above. Meetings in Washington on September 9 and 10 with Secretary Clinton,
DNI Blair, CIA Director Panetta, DHS Secretary Napolitano, FBI Director Mueller, Attorney General Holder, and others
will advance all of the goals. End Summary and Background.
A Chance to Build new Bridges
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4. (S) The visit by Home Minister P. Chidambaram to the U.S. September 8 - 10 provides a rare opportunity to advance
cooperation on counterterrorism and intelligence sharing with India. The Minister appears to be willing to engage on
some issues that National Security Advisor (NSA) M.K. Narayanan has previously kept as his own purview. This opening may
allow us to broaden our channels of communication over the long term. We need to keep in mind, however, the rivalry
between Chidambaram and NSA Narayanan, and ensure that we stay in contact with both.
Delivering the Message that Information Flows both Ways
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5. (S) We should use the visit to highlight the importance of cooperation with foreign intelligence services and the
need for India to play a more proactive role in information sharing. The Home Ministry's agenda paper for the visit
(full text in para 7) spells out that the GOI wants to highlight its concern about Pakistani involvement in terrorist
activities in India. We should stress that we are best able to help India if the government is proactive in sharing
information on threats and leads. We should also take this opportunity to encourage the GOI, and particularly the
Intelligence Bureau, to share information with all relevant U.S. government agencies. We should also relate the actions
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the U.S. has taken to encourage Pakistan to investigate and try those responsible for the Mumbai and other terrorist
attacks.
How We Respond -- We Need to Make it Easier to Expand Cooperation
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6. (C) The Embassy Counterterrorism-Law Enforcement Joint Working Group will develop proposals to respond to each of the
specific requests for training. It would be helpful if interlocutors in Washington could assure the Minister that we
look forward to providing this training assistance, and encourage him to empower Indian agencies to accept our offers
with as little red tape as possible.
Full Text of Agenda as Provided by GOI
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7. (S) Proposed GOI Agenda Points for Discussion during the Forthcoming Visit of Home Minister to U.S.A (September 9-10,
2009)
1. Exchange of assessment of security scenario in South Asia with special reference to Pakistan.
2. Continued Pak involvement in terrorist activities: -- Infiltration; -- Failure to dismantle terrorist infrastructure;
-- Lack of progress in prosecution of Hafiz Saeed and Yusuf Muzammil; -- Need for speedy investigation by FBI in respect
of cases registered by US in Mumbai attack; -- Role of Pakistan in printing and circulation of FICN via Nepal,
Bangladesh, UAE, etc.; -- Exposing close links between terrorist organizations like LET/JUD, JEM and charity
organizations like Al Rashid Trust, etc.; -- Involvement of ISI with terrorist organizations like LET, Al Qaeda, JEM,
HM, JUM, Taliban, etc,; -- Exchange of information on capabilities of LET in Gulf countries.
3. Cooperation on terrorist financing- holding of workshop;
4. Functioning of U.S. National Counterterrorism Center;
5. Technical Cooperation (assistance to be sought from U.S.): -- post blast investigation explosives, forensic analysis;
-- RFIDs in passports; -- facial technology; -- making available voice transcripts instead of mere intercepts; -- Border
Control Assessment initiative; -- bio-terrorism/Disaster Management; -- triangulation/location of caller and called
parties.
Biographical Note
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8. (S) Chidambaram, a former Finance Minister, Harvard MBA, and lawyer, is sure of himself and used to being in control.
He appears to be committed to making India more secure, and realizes the many challenges his security agencies face.
ROEMER