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S:ECRETINODIS

UNDER SECRETARY OF STATE:

FOR POLITICAL AFFAIRS

WASHINGTON

June 12, 2009

NOTEFORTHESECRETARY

FROM: Bill Burns~

SUBJECT: Seizing the Moment with India

Madam Secretary,

[RELEASE ~ PART 1.4(8~

Three days in New Delhi and Mumbai have left me convinced that we have an historic opportunity t~ chart_ an ambitious direction ·for the next phase of our relationship with India. I niet a dynamic new Education Minister detennined to break down walls in higher education that have stood since independence; a Home Minister as focused on 'internal and external security challenges as he was eager to expand our intelligence and law enforcement cooperation; and young members of parliament from several corners of India full of ideas as innovative and bright as the future they represent. Eighty-one year-old Leader of the Opposition L.K. Advani pledged common cause with Manmohan Singh's govenunent on every major foreign policy initiative, and over a dozen business leaders agreed our respective election outcomes could not have offered a finner platform for progress.

In sum, though India remains a country of diverse and competing voices, and though Indian lack of bureaucratic capacity and sensitivities will slow progress from time to time, I found a remarkable convergence of views on the promise of our relationship. This.is a moment ripe for us to seize- and your visit next month should prove to be a milestone. As the Prime Minister put it to me, just after reading the letter I handeq to him from the President, "the sky is the limit."

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Alongside otir joint hopes lies a defining challenge: Pakistan was a principal subject in nearly every conversation. From the Prime Minister to business mogul

SECRET/MODIS . Classified by: P, William J. Bums

E.O. 12958 Reasons: 1.4(h) and (d)

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Ratan Tata to young teachers 'in Mumbai, most Indians seem ready for seiious dialogue with Islamabad. But not one among them is confident that the Pakistani civilian leadership can deliver change, or that the Pakistani military wants it. National Security Advisor Narayanan, who weathered the Mumbai attacks as Singh's intelligence chief, handed rrie a dossier on increased terrorist,inf:ltrations

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intq_India- he does this with virtually every senior U.S. visi~ ~ .

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These concerns have real merit, and we have to find a way to address them more effectively. .!he stakes for the Un!ted State~ and for the region ~e extremely 1.4(8) high. L 1

r- --___ J Narayanan ~d Foreign Secretary Menon both- indicate tnat Prime Minister Singh will meet President Zardari on the margins of the SCO Summit in Yekaterinburg next week, but they see little prospect for reviving serious back-channel talks at this stage. They do not yet see a reliable address. in Islamabad, and they are deeply worried that ~other Mumbai-style attack is only a matter of time.

A New Strategic Partnership

Nevertheless, the possibilities for expanded bilateral cooperation with India are numerous. The Indians are eager, in ~he wake of our Civil Nuclear Cooperation Agreement, to begin a franker and more productive discussion of non-proliferation. The Prime Minister proudly shares ~he President's vision of a nuclear weapons-free world, and we can build on that mutual interest. In intelligence and defense, our cooperation was long-hamstrung by mistrust and reluctance; while much of that sentiment remains in the bureaucracies, leaders are tired of buying Russian equipment and are acting daily on the infonnation we pass them to protect Indian

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But perhaps the most promising area is education, where Minister Kapil .Sibal is a breath of fresh air. He emphasized the tremendous potential for greater · education cooperation at all levels, ·explaining it as a "whole new vista" in our relations (one of the Prime Minister's top economic advisers echoed this same

UNCLASSIFIED U.S. Department of State Case No~RI!Effi-07420 Doc No. C06419983 Date: 09/21/2017

SECR:E'ffNODIS 3

sentiment). This might include removing obstacles that have impeded investments by American and other foreign universities and cooperating on science and . teclmology exchanges. There are already some innovative initiatives underway outside government; one of the most interesting hours we spent on this trip was with a group of young volunteers in India's new "Teach for India" program, modeled after "Teach for America."

As we have discussed, the time has come to establish a new foundation for U.S.-lndian relations that reflects the depth of our ties arid the broad range of issues we can work on together. Senior Indian officials seem eager for this- their oped warriors and chattering class have been predicting an American "downgrading" of the relationship in our pursuit of a "G-2'' with China. I made clear this was not the case; but our actions - including your speech to the U.S.-India Bu~iness Council next week, and especially your trip- will help demonstrate what a priority India is for you and for the entire Administration.

The Indians are enthusiastic about the idea of structuring our relationship by establishing an annual Strategic Dialogue that yo~ and Foreign Minister Krishna Would chair. They agreed to explore new dialogues on education, renewable energy and climate change, health, and women's empowennent. They also wanted to update the leadership and membership of the CEO Forum and aim to hold its first ~eeting on the margins of the UN General Assembly meetings in September. We agreed to have this new Strategic Dialogue structure finalized in time for your visit.

nd, more importantly, we will use the coming weeks to work on concrete policy proposals that you cap announce- showing that this ne~ dialogue is not just another forum for diplomats to talk, but an effective mechanism to get things done that matter to .real people.

We've already made significant progress on a number of deliverables for your visit. These include the Commercial Space Launch Agreement, the Teclmology Safeguards Agreement, and an End-Use Monitoring Agreement, which will help

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Indians to announce well before your visit two nuclear reactor site parks for American companies. We will also press the Cabinet to pass India's nuc1ear liability legislation, which will open the way for billions in new U.S. investment.

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UNCLASSIFIED U.S. Department of State Case No~~-07420 Doc No. C06419983 Date: 09/21/2017

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Given the breadth of our conimon interests and endeavors - as well as the genuine enthusiasm all of my counterparts expressed about the new Administration - I am confident that we can put substance behind the rhetoric about this being a defining partnership for the 21st Century. But I also clearly .see. the danger~ of India-Pakistan tensions spiraling out of control, and the tragedy that this would be not only for the global stability and the people of the sub·Continent, but also for the great potential of U.S.-India relations.

CC: D(S), D(L), P, SCA, SIP, S/SRAP, NSC (Donilon)

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UNCLASSIFIED U.S. Department of State Case No~~-07420 Doc No. C06419983 Date: 09/21/2017