By Sachin Dixit on May 6, 2013
US embassy cable says: “Sonia Gandhi appeared to be comfortable and conversant on the topic of the civil nuclear agreement”
“Sonia and her advisors listened attentively and took on board the Congressmen’s advice that the GOI put more effort into mobilising Indian Americans behind the Civil nuclear Agreement” .
Rahul Gandhi, Murli Deora and Karan Singh were also present. Wikicable further says that Sonia Gandhi’s meeting with the Speaker and Rahul Gandhi’s presence are unprecedented in their experience.
http://www.niticentral.com/2013/05/06/wikileaks-sonia-gandhi-lobbied-for-india-us-nuclear-deal-74351.html
Full text of the cable:
CODEL HASTERT AND SONIA GANDHI DISCUSS US-INDIA TIES, CIV NUKE AGREEMENT
Date:2006 April 14, 06:38 (Friday) Canonical ID:06NEWDELHI2532_a
Original Classification:CONFIDENTIAL Current Classification:CONFIDENTIAL
Handling Restrictions:-- Not Assigned -- Character Count:8316
Executive Order:-- Not Assigned -- Locator:TEXT ONLINE
TAGS:ENRG - Economic Affairs--Energy and Power | EPET - Economic Affairs--Petroleum and Natural Gas | IN - India | MNUC - Military and Defense Affairs--Military Nuclear Applications | PREL - Political Affairs--External Political Relations Concepts:-- Not Assigned --
Enclosure:-- Not Assigned -- Type:TE
Office Origin:-- N/A or Blank --
Office Action:-- N/A or Blank -- Archive Status:-- Not Assigned --
From:India New Delhi Markings:-- Not Assigned --
To:Afghanistan Kabul | Bangladesh Dhaka | China Beijing | Director of National Intelligence | India Chennai | India Kolkata | India Mumbai | Iran Iran Collective | Islamic Collective | Japan Tokyo | Joint Chiefs of Staff | National Security Council | Nepal Kathmandu | Pakistan Islamabad | Pakistan Karachi | Pakistan Lahore | Pakistan Peshawar | Russia Moscow | Secretary of State | Sri Lanka Colombo | United Kingdom London | United Nations (Geneva) | United Nations (New York) | United States Central Command | United States Pacific Command | United States Special Operations Command
ContentRaw contentMetadataPrint
Share
Find
Show Headers
1. (C) Summary: In an April 12 meeting with a delegation
led by Speaker of the House of Representatives Dennis Hastert
(R-IL), Sonia Gandhi was particularly engaged on the status
and process of passing the civil nuclear agreement in
Congress. She was surprised to hear that the Representatives
had not yet heard from Indian Americans in their
constituencies on this issue and took on board the
Congressmen's suggestions for mobilizing action by
Indian-Americans at the local constituency level. Sonia's
close attention to the nuclear deal reflects the high
political profile that issue has attained. Her meeting with
the Speaker, and Rahul Gandhi's presence, are unprecedented
in our experience. End Summary.
The Process of Passing Civ Nuke Legislation
-------------------------------------------
2. (C) During an April 12 meeting with members of Speaker
Hastert's Congressional delegation to India, Sonia Gandhi
agreed with Speaker Hastert that the bilateral relationship
has improved greatly in recent years, and moved quickly to
the issue of the civil nuclear agreement. In response to
Mrs. Gandhi's inquiry, Speaker Hastert told Sonia that he
would like to move the legislation through the House of
Representatives quickly to keep problems and delays to a
minimum. Speaker Hastert assured Sonia that he would work
closely with Representative Henry Hyde to answer questions on
the deal and move the proposed legislation forward.
Responding to Mrs. Gandhi and Congress foreign policy
convenor Karan Singh, Speaker Hastert said he hoped that the
agreement would be passed by the House by late summer or
early fall, observing that it was important to keep the civil
nuclear issue out of election politics in October.
Mobilizing Indian-Americans
---------------------------
3. (C) Sonia and her advisors listened attentively and took
on board the Congressmen's advice that the GOI put more
effort into mobilizing Indian Americans behind the civil
nuclear agreement. Mrs. Gandhi seemed surprised to hear that
existing efforts were not reaching the Representatives, who
underscored the importance of receiving feedback from their
constituents in their district offices, as opposed to
Washington. The Representatives confirmed for Singh that
they had not received negative mail from their
constituencies, or in fact any mail at this point.
Managing Congressional Opinions
-------------------------------
4. (C) The Representatives agreed that there is bipartisan
support for the US-India relationship in Congress, and
Speaker Hastert assured Mrs. Gandhi that the mood in the
House of Representatives is very positive regarding India and
growing bilateral ties. He noted his appreciation for the
Prime Minister's leadership, particularly efforts to move
forward on Indo-Pakistan relations. Representative LaHood
reported that President Bush is making a strong effort to
convey the importance of the civil nuclear`agreement by
meeting with Congressmen in small groups. Speaker Hastert
briefly noted that it is important for India to move
NEW DELHI 00002532 002.2 OF 003
carefully in its relationship with Iran, as this is one issue
that could "hold people back." Karan Singh commented that he
hoped a peaceful solution could be found to the Iran crisis.
Keeping US Public Opinion Positive
----------------------------------
5. (C) Speaker Hastert commented that Prime Minister Singh
made a very good impression during his visit to the US in
July 2005, and the Representatives agreed that Congress would
be able to overcome public concerns about non-proliferation.
However, they urged the GOI to address US economic concerns,
including outsourcing, intellectual property rights, sanctity
of contracts, and market access, to keep US public opinion of
India positive, particularly during the Congressional
campaign season. The Congressmen observed that their
constituents need to see tangible benefits of US engagement
with India.
...And Benefiting the Indian Economy, Too
-----------------------------------------
6. (C) Representative Neugebauer conveyed the importance of
lowering India's tariffs on US exports, and Representative
Oxley added that the GOI could both send a message to the US
and improve India's own economic outlook by pursuing reforms
in the financial services sector. Deora responded favorably
to this comment, asserting that Mrs. Gandhi had been a strong
supporter of introducing foreign direct investment into the
insurance sector, which established the FDI cap in insurance
at 26 percent. Sonia commented that "we worked very hard" on
that initiative. Deora agreed with Ambassador Mulford that
expanding the insurance industry had positively impacted
India by extending coverage and making new products available
to Indian consumers, and by creating new, well-paying jobs.
Karan Singh, however, suggested that the GOI would wait for
passage of the civil nuclear legislation before making any
additional "gestures," noting that it "is a chicken or the
egg situation." Sonia concurred with Singh's assertion that
the agreement would be a landmark that "opens a new vista"
for both sides.
Singh Raises Pakistan
---------------------
6. (C) Singh alleged that Pakistan is "working to scuttle
the (civil nuclear) agreement." Although the Congressmen
assured Singh that they had not seen any evidence of GOP
lobbying on this issue, Singh urged them to "keep it at the
back of your minds."
Bio-Notes: Sonia Confident and In Charge
----------------------------------------
7. (C) Sonia Gandhi appeared to be comfortable and
conversant on the topic of the civil nuclear agreement. She
set the tone for the meeting by moving directly to the status
of the legislation. With the task of managing an unwieldy
coalition, Sonia clearly recognized the imperative of
understanding the complex nuclear policy issue so that she
can defend it politically. Sonia reflected positively on
Prime Minister Singh, noting that he is "a man of integrity"
which "can be hard to find" in politics. Gandhi added that
"we all trust him" as he is "straight forward and frank."
NEW DELHI 00002532 003.2 OF 003
8. (C) When asked about her re-election campaign following
her recent resignation from parliament, Sonia reported that
it would likely take place on May 8, and that she would file
her nomination papers on or about April 15. She added that
Rahul Gandhi would look after the "nitty gritty" of her
campaign, as she planned to travel to Rae Bareli after
campaigning on her party's behalf in state elections being
held elsewhere.
Comment: GOI Wants Broad Ties, But Civ Nuke First
--------------------------------------------- -----
9. (C) Sonia and her advisors kept the focus of their
meeting with CODEL Hastert on the expected timeline for
passage of the civil nuclear agreement, a focus that has been
reflected in our other meetings with GOI interlocutors. Mrs.
Gandhi was clearly interested in the Congressmen's
suggestions of what the GOI can do to ease the civil nuclear
legislation's passage, which she appeared to view as the key
to a broad bilateral relationship.
10. (U) US participants in this meeting included Speaker of
the House of Representatives Dennis Hastert (R-IL),
Representatives Michael Oxley (R-OH), Sherwood Boehlert
(R-NY), Frank Lucas (R-OK), Ray LaHood (R-IL), Paul Ryan
(R-WI), Randy Neugebauer (R-TX), Dan Boren (D-OK), chief of
staff Scott Palmer, foreign policy advisor Margaret Peterlin,
Ambassador Mulford. Indian participants were Congress party
President Sonia Gandhi, Former Indian Ambassador to the U.S.
Karan Singh, Petroleum Minister Murli Deora, and Rahul Gandhi.
11. (U) CODEL Hastert cleared this cable.
12. (U) Visit New Delhi's Classified Website:
(http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/sa/newdelhi/)
MULFORD
http://www.wikileaks.org/plusd/cables/06NEWDELHI2532_a.html