Contrary to public perception that India was opposed to US' Af-Pak envoy Richard Holbrooke
and apprehensive of his reported role in Kashmir, a top Indian diplomat had told him within a month of his appointment that New Delhi had a huge stake in his success.
In his meeting with Holbrooke on February 16, 2009; the then Foreign Secretary Shivshankar Menon told the Special US Representative that India "has a huge stake" in his success in his new role and promised to support his efforts publicly to alleviate negative media speculation about his mandate; says a secret US diplomatic cable released by WikiLeaks.
Menon, now the National Security Advisor, was
Wednesday ranked 18 in the list of 100 top global thinkers by the prestigious Foreign Policy magazine.
Holbrooke was one of the first editors of the
magazine, which is celebrating its 40th year of existence.
Holbrooke, accompanied by then US Ambassador to India, met Menon on February 16, 2009, along with his deputy Paul Jones, and his assistant Ashley Bommer.
The Indian side included Joint Secretary (Americas) Gaitri Kumar and Joint Secretary (Pakistan, Afghanistan and Iran) TCA Raghvan.
During the meeting, Holbrooke explained his
responsibilities as Special Representative and emphasised the importance of Indian views in the formulation of the new administration's Af-Pak policy.
According to the cable, Menon cited the numerous times he had worked both publicly and privately with Holbrooke in the past, and said he was very happy to see him in his new incarnation.
The Indian government, too, was pleased with
Holbrooke's appointment, he stated, adding: "We have a huge stake in your success in this role".
Menon agreed with Holbrooke's assessment that in regard to the problems in Afghanistan and Pakistan "you can't solve one without the other," said the cable issued by the US Embassy in New Delhi.
Menon said the Indian government was aware of the suspicions the media had created about Holbrooke's mandate, ie his reported mandate on Kashmir.
"While the media would always speculate, Menon
promised that the GOI would publicly support Holbrooke's efforts, adding that it would repeat the message 'India has a huge stake in your success' in its public comments," the cable
said.