Wikileaks Diplomatic Cable Dump - News and Discussion

arjunm · Post by **arjunm** » 03 Dec 2010 08:49

First amendment may not protect Wikileaks-

Ecuador offers Asylum to Assange

http://edition.cnn.com/2010/CRIME/12/01 ... ml?hpt=Mid

ramana · Post by **ramana** » 03 Dec 2010 09:14

Raja Ram wrote:The scientific advisor to the GOI, Dr. Saraswat yesterday has poured cold water on Cold Start yesterday at a convocation in Chennai. He claims that there was no Cold Start, and India will never resort to retributive actions of that sort ever. He also went on to add, that after Mumbai also we did not do it because India is not that sort of a country that will take offensive steps.

Dr. Saraswat - is the same person who headed our ABM defence programme recently

There you go folks - either it is a deception by the GOI in the wake of the leaks or it is a true reflection of intent of the GOI. Truth lies in the eyes of the beholder I suppose!

I saw that report. looks like a conscious decision by GOI to not rattle the TSP and more than that the US.

India will not resort to surgical strikes: Vijay Kumar Saraswat

habal · Post by **habal** » 03 Dec 2010 09:32

this is a non-event.

It is calculated to smear world-leadership as ineffective and show them in poor light. Leadership of nation-states is a major irritant for those who aspire to a newer world order or world regime. What should worry India though is that through this nukular rogue-pakistan thing the US super govt may try to use a few miniature nukes on Indian population centres giving Jihadi excuse.

I am inclined to thoroughly believe Kasab when he says 26/11 was a contract operation carried out by Pakistan army backed group. Again it may just be possible that Pakistan was a client and orders where issued from elsewhere. The boom in major Indian metros is independent of global trends and the prosperity that it brings is worrying for some international influentials in it's ability to reverse change status-quo.

svinayak · Post by **svinayak** » 03 Dec 2010 09:35

habal wrote:this is a non-event.

It is calculated to smear world-leadership as ineffective and show them in poor light. Leadership of nation-states is a major irritant for those who aspire to a newer world order or world regime. What should worry India though is that through this nukular rogue-pakistan thing the US super govt may try to use a few miniature nukes on Indian population centres giving Jihadi excuse.

I am inclined to thoroughly believe Kasab when he says 26/11 was a contract operation carried out by Pakistan army backed group. Again it may just be possible that Pakistan was a client and orders where issued from elsewhere. The boom in major Indian metros is independent of global trends and the prosperity that it brings is worrying for some international influentials in it's ability to reverse change status-quo.

Indians and GOI know that Pakistan is just a barrel of the gun and the trigger finger is somebody else.

krishnan · Post by **krishnan** » 03 Dec 2010 12:05

So its curtains for wikileaks.org.

Gerard · Post by **Gerard** » 03 Dec 2010 13:34

Domain name provider forces Wikileaks offline

Philip · Post by **Philip** » 03 Dec 2010 15:18

Military planning is framed differently from diplomacy. Diplomats are interested in what they think states intend to do, but military planners have to work with what they think states can do. Intentions change and states can mislead. If you are charged with defending your country, you need to be able to meet even improbable threats.

Why Wikileaks matters.If the intention of states is known,it helps us in preparing for the actions of states (like Pak).As we've seen with the US,its intentions are meant to serve only its interests and not that of India's.Therefore the leaks have given us invaluable insight into the devious and duplcitous mindest of the US and the signal lesson that India has to depend upon only itself to save itself.Let's hope that the leak is not stopped.

Austin · Post by **Austin** » 03 Dec 2010 15:21

krishnan wrote:So its curtains for wikileaks.org.

Not so fast

http://213.251.145.96/cablegate.html

JE Menon · Post by **JE Menon** » 03 Dec 2010 15:27

Can't get in... must be the traffic... Whoever gets stuff, pls download ... these guys should have dumped the whole thing or at least dump by origin... not in drips!!! Since they are anyway not making money off it... Hope they can still do it....

a_bharat · Post by **a_bharat** » 03 Dec 2010 15:47

From reddit:

geekdad 204 points 2 hours ago* [-]
There are back up links to wikileaks though, so far these are available, so spread the word:
These are getting hit hard please only goto the direct sites/mirrors if you need to lookup information, not to check if it's online.
For financial support - http://213.251.145.96/support.html
http://46.59.1.2.nyud.net - Bahnhof Hosted
http://88.80.2.32.nyud.net - PRQ hosted
http://88.80.13.160.nyud.net - Collateral Murder site - PRQ hosted
http://213.251.145.96.nyud.net - OVH Hosted
http://213.251.145.96.nyud.net/cablegate.html - for cablegate (thanks brownboy13) - OVH Hosted
http://wikileaks.ch.nyud.net - Swiss domain redirects to 213.251.145.96 (thanks FellerFeller via twitter)

dinesha · Post by **dinesha** » 03 Dec 2010 16:55

The WikiLeaks affair has claimed its first victim after Germany's vice-chancellor Guido Westerwelle on Thursday (3 December) sacked his chief of staff for spying for the Americans.
http://euobserver.com/9/31416?

Philip · Post by **Philip** » 03 Dec 2010 17:09

More on the CIA spying!

I wonder which of our dear countrymen are trembling in the western suits/kurta-pyjamas/kholapuris/dhotis/turbans/florsheim's/rubber chappals-et al,waiting for the Wikileaks on India to hit cyberspace.

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world ... 49928.html

CIA drew up 'spy list'
By Lewis Smith
Friday, 3 December 2010

A wish list of information that the US State Department was asked to find out about on Ban Ki-moon, the general secretary of the United Nations, and was described as a "spy's shopping list" was drawn up by the CIA, it was claimed. Information demanded by the list included data such as credit card numbers.

The list is one of the most embarassing documents to emerge from the WikiLeaks saga and the Guardian newspaper now says it has evidence it was the brainchild of the CIA's Humint – human intelligence – section.

Letters: Wikileaks saga shows that no data is safe
US officials have said it is normal for diplomats to try to add to their knowledge of politicians and other figures but critics have said the wish list crosses the line into the realms of spying. Some of the what was listed has been described as potentially against international law.

And the Clinton/CIA doctrine on diplo-spying.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/de ... ed-nations

WikiLeaks cables: CIA drew up UN spying wishlist for diplomats• Agency identified priorities for information on UN leaders
• Cables reveal further evidence of intelligence gathering

The US state department's wishlist of information about the United Nations secretary-general, Ban Ki-moon, and other senior members of his organisation was drawn up by the CIA, the Guardian has learned.

The disclosure comes as new information emerged about Washington's intelligence gathering on foreign diplomats, including surveillance of the telephone and internet use of Iranian and Chinese diplomats.

One of the most embarrassing revelations to emerge from US diplomatic cables obtained by the whistleblowers' website WikiLeaks has been that US diplomats were asked to gather intelligence on Ban, other senior UN staff, security council members and other foreign diplomats – a possible violation of international law.

US state department spokesman PJ Crowley, in interviews since the release, has tried to deflect criticism by repeatedly hinting that although the cables were signed by secretary of state, Hillary Clinton, and her predecessor, Condoleezza Rice, they originated with another agency. But he refused to identify it.

The Guardian has learned that the intelligence shopping list is drawn up annually by the manager of Humint (human intelligence), a post created by the Bush administration in 2005 in a push to better co-ordinate intelligence after 9/11.

Humint is part of the CIA, which deals with overseas spying overseas and is one of at least 12 US intelligence agencies.

The manager of Humint sets out priorities for the coming year and sends them to the state department. The actual form of words used in the diplomatic cables is written by the state department but a US official confirmed tonight that the original directives are written by the "intelligence community".

The US has been keen to stress that its diplomats are not acting as spies, a label that could endanger their lives.

A senior US intelligence official said: "It shouldn't surprise anyone that US officials at the United Nations seek information on how other nations view topics of mutual concern. If you look at the list of topics of interest in this routine cable, the priorities represent not only what Americans view as critical issues, but our allies as well.

"No one should think of American diplomats as spies. But our diplomats do, in fact, help add to our country's body of knowledge on a wide range of important issues. That's logical and entirely appropriate, and they do so in strict accord with American law."

Earlier, Crowley continued to deny that the American diplomatic corps is involved in spying in any way. "They are diplomats, they are not intelligence assets," said Crowley. "They collect information that is of use in helping inform our policies and actions … the secretary of state is not telling her diplomats to be spies."

The intelligence gathering directives were sent from the intelligence operations office within the state department's bureau of intelligence and research, which describes itself as "at the nexus of intelligence and foreign policy".

They made clear that the intelligence operation was not merely a useful addition to the work of a secret service, but that "the [intelligence] community relies on state-reporting officers for much of the biographical information collected worldwide". Biographic reporting is defined in the cables as including "credit card account numbers, frequent flyer account numbers" as well as "compendia of contact information".

New cables released tonight reveal that US diplomats at the embassy in Asunción, the capital of Paraguay, were ordered to obtain dates, times and telephone numbers of calls received and placed by foreign diplomats from China, Iran and the Latin American socialist states of Cuba, Venezuela and Bolivia. The US is concerned about an increasing Islamist terrorist presence in Paraguay, and the influence of China.

Washington also wanted the foreign diplomats' internet user account details and passwords, and the same depth of information for some local government and military leaders and "criminal entities or their surrogates", according to a US cable sent in 2008.

New cables released tonight also reveal that Washington has called for diplomats in Romania, Hungary and Slovenia to provide "biometric" information on "current and emerging leaders and advisers" as well as information about "corruption" and information about leaders' health and "vulnerability".

Clinton continued to face awkward questions about an intelligence directive which went out under her name in 2009 aimed at the UN leadership, which was revealed in a separate "national human intelligence collection directive". It called for the collection of "biometric" data on permanent security council representatives, and passwords and personal encryption keys used by top UN officials – in possible contravention on international law.

The UN directive also specifically asked for "biometric information on ranking North Korean diplomats".

A similar cable to embassies in the Great Lakes region of Africa said biometric data included DNA, as well as iris scans and fingerprints.

A leading expert on UN law today said the proposed activity in the directive breached two international treaties and could lead to the US being censured by the UN general assembly or even, in extreme circumstances, prosecution at the international criminal court.

The targeting of diplomats from North Korea and the permanent representatives of the security council from China, Russia, France and the UK leaves the US government exposed to action from any of those countries.

Dapo Akande, lecturer in international law at Oxford University, said: "Obtaining passwords and information on communications systems violates the 1947 headquarters agreement between the US and UN and the general convention on the privileges and immunities of the United Nations.

"The only reason they can be asking for this information is to break into the communication systems or monitor them in some way."

PS:And a prize gem about Gordon Brown's former advisor,ethnic Indian,Shriti Vadera (fomer business minister) "Private secretary told us Vadera would regularly scream, 'Get me a cup of coffee' with a string of expletives."

rohitvats · Post by **rohitvats** » 03 Dec 2010 18:46

With respect to the CSD - has anyone kept tab of the exercise cycle and duration recently and the formations involved?

Muppalla · Post by **Muppalla** » 03 Dec 2010 19:26

Wikileaks is a new tool of diplomacy(coercive, disinformation and posturing). Modern day approaches to statecraft. IMVHO, thinking beyond that is waste of time. Instead if we all try to put our minds what could be future actions and current achievements of US strategy from the information that is spread out so far. Analyzing to know if there are any upcoming messages and actions and things like that will give us a better perspective rather than reading these and validating with what BRF already know.

ramana · Post by **ramana** » 03 Dec 2010 21:14

US SD is morphing into Comintern.

That task list is what Comintern used to keep tabs on people of interest.

Most likely thing is the Rebulicans get their wits together is to sack Hillary for subverting the US SD (memo of 2009) a prime institution since the days of John Jay.

ramana · Post by **ramana** » 03 Dec 2010 23:25

Hindu reports:

US Diplomats withheld criticism of Indian intelligence failures

Washington: In the aftermath of the Mumbai terror attacks of November 2008, European and other diplomatic missions in New Delhi deliberately chose to offer India a sympathetic message “rather than pound on the government for its massive intelligence failure,” according to a cable of the United States State Department released recently by the WikiLeaks.

{So considerate of them. B Ramanji must be very happy.}

In the cable, which was dated December 2, 2008 and written by the U.S. embassy in New Delhi to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, U.S. officials reported that the Australian, British, Canadian, and New Zealand High Commissions had conveyed their intent to adopt this “controlled approach” in their reactions to the attacks.

However, they were equally clear that any offers of assistance ought to be made with care, so as to avoid being interpreted by India as politically motivated or attempts to monitor its actions, and there was a need to take extra care to not get “sucked into the blame game Pakistan and India are currently playing.”

Regarding the investigations into the attacks, the U.S. embassy termed the “Million Dollar Question” the issue of whether the ISI was behind the Mumbai attacks.

On this, the British High Commission officials said that while there were clear links between the attacks' perpetrators and the militant group Lashkar-e-Taiba, and also links between the LeT and the ISI, there was “no clear evidence yet to suggest that the ISI directed or facilitated the attacks.”

{However US knows for its agent David Headley was the chief enabler of this outrage. He was a double agent with ISI giving him specific instructions on what to do!}

A contact within the British High Commission in New Delhi also informed the American diplomats that India's move to place high-profile criminal figures, such as Dawood Ibrahim and Jaish-e-Mohammed Chief Maulana Azhar, on the Most-Wanted List submitted to Islamabad “took away from the focus on LeT members implicated in the Mumbai attacks.”

{Your turdniess, all these are same terrorists of the ISI.}

In the same cable, U.S. officials also recorded that a Pakistani diplomat in New Delhi informed them that President Asif Ali Zardari of Pakistan had to “backpedal on [his] initial offer, made before the Mumbai attacks, to send [the] ISI Chief to India,” after misrepresentations of the move in the Indian press fuelled the “deterioration in the Indo-Pak relationship.”

Its blame the victim time. It ignores the role of US agent David Headley aka Daoud Gilani in scouting and enabling the 26/11 attack by ISI controlled terrorists.

Prem · Post by **Prem** » 03 Dec 2010 23:37

Uncle Sam and 'WikiLeaks Documents!'

A_Gupta · Post by **A_Gupta** » 03 Dec 2010 23:38

^^^ refers to events before Headley's arrest in Chicago.

Rahul M · Post by **Rahul M** » 04 Dec 2010 00:14

rohitvats wrote:With respect to the CSD - has anyone kept tab of the exercise cycle and duration recently and the formations involved?

very interesting comment boss.

from my layman perspective Indian military has definitely been exercising at a considerably higher tempo than it did in the 90's or early 2000's. another important factor is the way IAF is involved in many of these exercises. 'jointmanship' after all is one of the building blocks of CSD.

people are automatically assuming that no CSD means that the India's armed forces are sheathing their claws. perhaps it's the other way around ? that they have moved beyond CSD to an even more aggressive posture ?

of course, going by the way project name for K4 was changed (ref. sandeep unnithan's article) they might be doing the simple thing of playing musical chair with doctrine name.

shynee · Post by **shynee** » 04 Dec 2010 00:49

CSD could be DCS (Doctrine in Cold Storage). We can pull it out whenever there is a need

Rahul M wrote:Of course, going by the way project name for K4 was changed (ref. sandeep unnithan's article) they might be doing the simple thing of playing musical chair with doctrine name.

saip · Post by **saip** » 04 Dec 2010 00:59

May be they changed the name to LSD which will give hallucinations to the pakis.
(Lightning)

Gagan · Post by **Gagan** » 04 Dec 2010 02:11

What is heartening to note is that the Good General that Pasha saab is, when he heard that some terrorist organization was about to launch a terrorist strike on India, on Mumbai, and also possibly against jewish/israeli targets.
The good general went on a tour to the middle east, called up the CIA for any information on the attacks, even in a gesture of piss and tranquility asked the CIA to inform the Indians
!!!
The good general and his parter-in-arms Kiyani did everything except call up their partner-in-arms Hafiz sayeed, Ilias Kashmiri, Haqqani to find out who is planning that attack. Also they forgot to ask their junior and middle level officers who the phuck was liasoning for such a terrorist strike from within ISI.

My diagnosis:
1. They wanted any info so that they might find out where this leak was coming from. Because as we all know this was to be India's 911. (There is the little matter of the other 911 that happened)
2. Classic case of CYA (Cover Your Arse) in case the Indians decided to invoke cold start and a few months down the line were lining up the Pakistani senior officers in a human rights court and awarding death sentences left right and center.

LOL

Gagan · Post by **Gagan** » 04 Dec 2010 02:14

The good general pasha sahib also was warm hearted, and informed BB sahiba that she would be ass-ass-e-nated soon.

CYA I say.

The good Jernail is playing both sides.

Gagan · Post by **Gagan** » 04 Dec 2010 02:16

And Pasha sahib actually met the Israelis !!!

Kufr Kufr Kufr.

The head of the ISI is meeting with mossad and telling them that the bad LET guys did 26/11 hain ji?

Lahore-via-kuwait!!!

Is the good general back stabbing the Jihad hain?

ramana · Post by **ramana** » 04 Dec 2010 02:30

Yeah in the barrage of leaks this fact, that ISI chief Pasha was informed of some plans to attack Israelis in India was lost. Who informed him and what did the US do with that info wrt India?

Nandu · Post by **Nandu** » 04 Dec 2010 02:36

Assange's interpol arrest warrant is for having sex without a condom.

http://slatest.slate.com/id/2276690/

Details here. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/worldne ... story.html

Both women had consensual sex with him. The second one, in fact, was a "groupie" who pursued and seduced him. It only became a "criminal matter" when they each found out he was also having sex with the other woman.

Rahul M · Post by **Rahul M** » 04 Dec 2010 02:43

ramana wrote:Yeah in the barrage of leaks this fact, that ISI chief Pasha was informed of some plans to attack Israelis in India was lost. Who informed him and what did the US do with that info wrt India?

IIRC media reports caimed that they sent a warning on the lines of 'there could be a terrorist strike somewhere in India sometime in the future'

ramana · Post by **ramana** » 04 Dec 2010 02:45

Like a Nostradamus report?

Rahul M · Post by **Rahul M** » 04 Dec 2010 02:48

worse, if that is possible.

arjunm · Post by **arjunm** » 04 Dec 2010 05:00

US private Security Companies using Afghan Dancing Boys to lure to train the AFGHANS says WIKI
The US embassy cables/ How low this people can go?
Foreign contractors hired Afghan 'dancing boys', WikiLeaks cable reveals

A scandal involving foreign contractors employed to train Afghan policemen who took drugs and paid for young "dancing boys" to entertain them in northern Afghanistan caused such panic that the interior minister begged the US embassy to try and "quash" the story, according to one of the US embassy cables released by WikiLeaks.

In a meeting with the assistant US ambassador, a panicked Hanif Atmar, the interior minister at the time of the episode last June, warned that the story would "endanger lives" and was particularly concerned that a video of the incident might be made public.

The episode helped to fuel Afghan demands that contractors and private security companies be brought under much tighter government control. However, the US embassy was legally incapable of honouring a request by Atmar that the US military should assume authority over training centres managed by DynCorp, the US company whose employees were involved in the incident in the northern province of Kunduz.

There is a long tradition of young boys dressing up as girls and dancing for men in Afghanistan, an activity that sometimes crosses the line into child abuse with Afghans keeping boys as possessions.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/de ... ncing-boys

ShivaS · Post by **ShivaS** » 04 Dec 2010 05:58

I had said that in a bliqued way had I said in such clear terms I would have been called villiagde idiot ( whiCh - don't cosider bad at all)

We as a nation adore symbols hence symbolic power we exhude

Muppalla · Post by **Muppalla** » 04 Dec 2010 06:16

could someone go to this link and post the contents here
http://is.gd/i9ApW

The cables site is blocked by my ISP Verizon FIOS

Apparently that leak has Nirupama Rao Vs Hellbrook dialog.

Manny · Post by **Manny** » 04 Dec 2010 06:24

Wikileaks websites are getting shutdown by the US and by hackers funded by the US.

But new sites are popping up.

Here are some sites where its still open

http://wikileaks.nl/

http://213.251.145.96/

Prem · Post by **Prem** » 04 Dec 2010 06:26

Muppalla wrote:could someone go to this link and post the contents here
http://is.gd/i9ApWThe cables site is blocked by my ISP Verizon FIOSApparently that leak has Nirupama Rao Vs Hellbrook dialog.

Â¶1. (C) Summary: In a January 18 meeting with Special Representative Richard Holbrooke, Foreign Secretary Nirupama Rao described the Indian effort in Afghanistan as focused on strengthening governance by building Afghan capacities. She said Indian engagement is transparent and should not be threatening to Pakistan. She urged U.S. pressure on Pakistan to break its ties to the terrorist groups and to permit Afghanistanâ€™s economic links with India to grow. Rao said India needs some deliverables on terrorism before it can engage bilaterally with Pakistan. Holbrooke pledged transparency with India on U.S. activities in Afghanistan and Pakistan. He noted that the increase in U.S. troops has helped stabilize the security landscape, saying that the top security focus now is on unified training of Afghan army and police personnel. He identified agriculture as the highest civilian priority for the quick returns it promises, which Rao welcomed. Rao expressed Indian reservations on reintegration programs, saying they are unlikely to change Taliban thinking. Holbrooke drew a distinction between reintegration and reconciliation, saying that there will be no power sharing with elements of the Taliban. Rao was neutral on postponing Afghan parliamentary elections, saying the decision should be left to the Afghan government. She said that Iran could play a positive role and should be engaged in finding a solution in Afghanistan. End Summary.

Transparency With India
-----------------------

Holbrooke Briefing on Afghanistan
---------------------------------
Â¶5. (C) Holbrooke said that on the civilian side, the number one priority is agriculture because it produces the quickest payoff. He noted that investment in mining, power, and other sectors is important but the gestation and payback periods are longer. Besides, he observed, Afghanistan has traditionally been an agricultural export country, with India as its biggest market. With revival of an agricultural credit bank and other agriculture support programs, the
NEW DELHI 00000163 002 OF 004
Â¶6. (C) Rao responded that supporting Afghan agriculture is a high priority for India as well, with Joint Secretary Sinha on his way to Kabul on January 19 to explore opportunities to build Afghan capacities in this sector. She noted that the GOI is considering establishment of an agriculture college and enhanced training, in part through scholarships to Indian agricultural colleges. Holbrooke offered to arrange a briefing for Sinha in Kabul on the USGâ€™s agriculture support programs and plans.

Indian Approach to Afghanistan
------------------------------

Â¶7. (C) Rao described the Indian effort in Afghanistan as a focus on strengthening governance by building Afghan capacities through training and infrastructure such that the country can develop a functional administration. In her view, the international community should resist the temptation to micromanage in Afghanistan. Instead, the effort should be to build institutions and let them manage the country. Rao observed that India has the resources and the willingness to assist Afghanistan and is prepared to explore areas that the may assist the U.S. effort.

Â¶8. (C) Rao observed that each year the GOI provides about 1,300 scholarship to Afghans for education and training and is considering increasing this number sharply. She noted that security assistance was minimal, limited to 150 training scholarships to Afghan army personnel in various Indian Army training facilities, including the Staff College. Rao readily agreed to Holbrookeâ€™s request for a briefing on Indian training for Afghan security personnel, emphasizing that this engagement is completely transparent. She supported her argument by noting that the GOI had previously provided a detailed briefing on this at the U.S.-India Defense Policy Group meetings. â€œWe have nothing to hide,â€ she declared. Holbrooke assured Rao that he is in favor of Indian assistance programs in Afghanistan and is not influenced by what he hears in Islamabad.

Reintegration
-------------

Â¶9. (C) Rao and Sinha raised grave concerns about Taliban reintegration plans currently under discussion. Sinha argued that no amount of monetary incentives would induce the Taliban to alter its core beliefs of intolerance and militancy. He was particularly troubled by the British plan which, in his view, takes Afghanistan back to the pre-1990s. Rao expressed skepticism that such a plan would work unless Pakistan changes its policy on supporting the Quetta Shura and other Taliban elements. She observed that it had failed to bring in the Maoists in Nepal and was likely to fail for similar reasons in Afghanistan.

Â¶10. (C) Holbrooke explained that some of the anxiety stems from confusion between reintegration and reconciliation. He noted that the reintegration program is not a political negotiation designed to give Taliban elements a share of power. The United States cannot be a party to any such arrangement, in his view, because the Taliban is allied with the Al Qaeda and the social programs of the Taliban are unpalatable. He noted further that the Taliban leadership appears to have no interest in talking to the international community in Afghanistan. Holbrooke also allayed Indian concerns that UNSCR 1267 policy would be altered with respect to Taliban and LET leaders such as Mullah Omar, Gulubuddin Hekmatyar, and Hafiz Saeed.

Â¶11. (C) Holbrooke said it is important that the Afghan
NEW DELHI 00000163 003 OF 004
government have in place a program to respond to frequent ceasefire calls at the local level. Such a program should involve laying down of arms and commitments to participate peacefully in society. He outlined the public rollout of the reintegration plan, with a Karzai announcement soon, to be followed by the London conference where a reintegration fund would be established, and to be capped by a conference in Kabul where funding pledges will be solicited. He urged Indian support and contributions. Rao said reintegration could work if it is Afghan-led, if it is painstaking in its selection, and if it involves real commitments to respect human rights and the constitution. She underscored her skepticism by noting, â€œthese are big ifâ€™s.â€

Parliamentary Elections
-----------------------

Â¶12. (C) Holbrooke identified the upcoming Parliamentary election as the most important political event of 2010. He offered the USG view that the election be postponed to the fall because of inadequate preparation and insufficient ISAF troops on the ground to ensure a peaceful and smooth election in May. He noted that Afghan law allows for such changes in election dates. He requested Indiaâ€™s support for this proposal. Rao responded that it must remain the Afghan Governmentâ€™s responsibility to make the call on postponement of elections. â€œUnlike Pakistan, we do not interfere in the affairs of Afghanistan,â€ she quipped with a smile. She offered Indian assistance in administering the elections.

Pakistan Role in Afghanistan
----------------------------

Â¶13. (C) Rao said that Afghanistan has the potential to prosper as a hub or transit point for energy, agriculture and trade if it could be connected to its natural market in India. She said it was unfortunate that Pakistan does not allow this to happen. She asked that the U.S. apply pressure on Pakistan to stop supporting the Afghanistan Taliban and to allow Afghanistan to develop through trade and commercial links. Holbrooke responded that Pakistan views certain Taliban groups, particularly the Quetta Shura, as an insurance policy to protect its strategic interests in Afghanistan and it is not clear that anyone can easily influence Pakistan to turn on these groups, although the U.S. is exerting tremendous pressure. Rao said she was alarmed at this continued Pakistan support for terrorist groups, noting that the LET was â€œideologically fusedâ€ with both the Quetta Shura and the Haqqani network. As evidence, she pointed to the Haqqani groupâ€™s 2008 bombing of the Indian Embassy in Kabul. She was also disturbed at the length to which Pakistan had gone to exclude India from the Istanbul conference on Afghanistan, citing it as an example of unwarranted Pakistani insecurity over Indian intentions in Afghanistan. Citing the USGâ€™s own difficulties in dealing with the Pakistan government, Holbrooke suggested that many people overestimate the U.S. influence in Pakistan.

India-Pakistan Relations
-----------------------

Â¶14. (C) Rao expressed concern that there has been a sharp increase in unseasonal Pakistan-inspired violence and preparation for violence. She pointed to incidents of cross-border shelling along the line of control and in Punjab, increased infiltration, and transfer of terrorist hardware. They are clearly trying to â€œstir the potâ€ in Kashmir, she added. In her view, Pakistan is trying to deflect attention to its eastern border from the Afghanistan-Pakistan border, where the focus ought to be. Yet, Rao argued, India has not turned its back to Pakistan but needs some Pakistani progress on terrorism to reengage. Holbrooke noted that India and Pakistan working together is obviously in the interests of the region and the international community. He said that Foreign Minister Qureshi was very pleased at the phone call with Foreign Minister Krishna. He reassured Rao that he understands
NEW DELHI 00000163 004 OF 004
clearly where the U.S. strategic interests lie. Holbrooke and Special Advisor Vali Nasr briefed Rao on the evolving political landscape in Pakistan with a weakening President Zardari and the fluid dynamic between the various centers of power, including COAS Kayani, Prime Minister Gilani, PML-N chief Nawaz Sharif and Chief Justice Choudhary.

Iran-Afghanistan; Iran-India
----------------------------

Â¶15. (C) In response to Holbrookeâ€™s query, Rao and Sinha suggested that Iran could play a positive role in stability in Afghanistan. They cited Iranâ€™s common border with Afghanistan, its strong links with the Hazara ethnic group and its economic and cultural connections as reasons for involving Iran in shaping a solution. She said that India was willing to play a helpful role in enabling Iranâ€™s engagement with the international community and this had been conveyed by the Prime Minister to the Iranian Foreign Minister. India, however, does not want to be a mediator in any capacity, she declared. Rao said Iran-India relations were good -- civilizational ties, Indiaâ€™s large Shia community, petroleum trade -- but â€œnot as good as you may expectâ€ because Iran is difficult to deal with.

China in South Asia
-------------------

Â¶16. (C) Holbrooke and Rao agreed that the Chinese have a big interest in Afghanistan but it is focused on exploitation of the countryâ€™s natural resources. They also agreed that China does not use the influence it has in Pakistan to shape responsible Pakistani behavior

Muppalla · Post by **Muppalla** » 04 Dec 2010 07:02

Thanks Prem

Raja Ram · Post by **Raja Ram** » 04 Dec 2010 08:48

Folks,

Please look out for any reference that comes out to the Kunduz Airlift operations operated by the PAF and PA. If we get any reference, we should ensure that it is captured and given wide publicity.

Thanks

krishnan · Post by **krishnan** » 04 Dec 2010 09:25

Raja Ram wrote:Folks,

Please look out for any reference that comes out to the Kunduz Airlift operations operated by the PAF and PA. If we get any reference, we should ensure that it is captured and given wide publicity.

Thanks

….In interviews, however, American intelligence officials and high-ranking military officers said that Pakistanis were indeed flown to safety, in a series of nighttime airlifts that were approved by the Bush Administration. The Americans also said that what was supposed to be a limited evacuation apparently slipped out of control, and, as an unintended consequence, an unknown number of Taliban and Al Qaeda fighters managed to join in the exodus. The Administration ordered the United States Central Command to set up a special air corridor to help insure the safety of the Pakistani rescue flights from Kunduz to the northwest corner of Pakistan… [According to] an Indian assessment, thirtythree hundred prisoners surrendered… A few hundred Taliban were also turned over to other tribal leaders… That left between four and five thousand men unaccounted for. “Where are the balance?” … None of the American intelligence officials I spoke with were able to say with certainty how many Taliban and Al Qaeda fighters were flown to safety, or may have escaped from Kunduz by other means. India, wary of antagonizing the Bush Administration, chose not to denounce the airlift at the time….Diplomatic notes protesting the airlift were sent to Britain and the United States. Neither responded… Indian intelligence was convinced that many of the airlifted fighters would soon be infiltrated into Kashmir. There was a precedent for this… Our reading is that the fighters can go only to Kashmir….” (source: centre for research on globalization)

http://blogs.alternet.org/grantlawrence ... it-expose/

SSridhar · Post by **SSridhar** » 04 Dec 2010 09:46

The Brits are continuing to play their nasty game

However, the British got alarmist even before India and Pakistan could begin discussing the modalities of their cooperation. They agreed with the rest of the world for quick, credible action by GoP. But among the U.K.'s fears were “increased [where there was none] proxy action” by India in Balochistan and aerial attacks on Lashkar-e-Taiba training camps in the Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK). The cables later reveal that the large PoK-origin population had coloured British views.

The Americans felt London was “overreacting,” but agreed on the need for a coordinated message urging concrete GoP action against Lashkar.

Rangudu · Post by **Rangudu** » 04 Dec 2010 10:26

Raja Ram wrote:Please look out for any reference that comes out to the Kunduz Airlift operations operated by the PAF and PA. If we get any reference, we should ensure that it is captured and given wide publicity.

Great minds.

I've been on the lookout for this topic since Day 1. There are no releases from 2001. We have some from the 1990s but in this decade it starts from 2003.

arjunm · Post by **arjunm** » 04 Dec 2010 10:46

Cablegate

INDEX OF CABLES: 4 cables from New Delhi; 21 from Guardian; 22 from IBNLive (As of 4 Dec. 2010)

.https://sites.google.com/site/indiawikicable/home