[Australia]: Message to India [SEC=SECRET]

[Owen]

​

ASSISTANT MINISTER FOR FOREIGN AFFAIRS​

SECURITY CLASSIFICATION: SECRET ​

14 February 2006

Dear Mr. Sayan, The Minister for Foreign Affairs, Mr. Kevin Rudd and the Prime Minister, Ms. Julia Gillard, are increasingly becoming impressed at the important role that your nation has been playing on the global stage, particularly in our region. We appreciate you contributing to multinational efforts to combat terrorism in South East Asia. With your growing role and growing importance to the region, we see it as necessary to begin establishing more formal diplomatic relations. There may be opportunities for us to sign off on bilateral agreements. Australia and India share a deep and historical relationship that goes back to the days of the Raj. The town of Australind in Western Australia is a portmanteau of Australia and India and three towns in Australia have adopted the name "Mangalore". We used to breed many horses for use by the British Indian Army and Indian soldiers died beside us in the First and Second World Wars. We support India's position on claims to Arunachal Pradesh. We already have a good fundamental basis for our relationship and I invite you to Perth to conduct meetings. I have chosen Perth because of its position on the Indian Ocean and being the gateway to India, as well as the location of Australind. I look forward to hearing from you. Yours sincerely, Don Farrell.

Parliament House, CANBERRA, ACT 2600 Telephone: (02) 6277 7700​

Protective Marking:	Business Impact Level:	Compromise of Information Confidentiality:	Required to be Encrypted:
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OFFICIAL	Low Business Impact	No or insignificant damage. This is the majority of routine information.
OFFICIAL: Sensitive	Low to Medium Business Impact	Limited damage to an individual, organisation or government generally if compromised.
PROTECTED	High Business Impact	Damage to the national interest, organisations or individuals.
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[Basedcnt]

Encrypted, Secure - Restricted

Recipient: Don Farrell, Assistant Minister for Foreign Affairs, Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Commonwealth of Australia < Owen >
CC: Department Head Shyam Saran, External Affairs Department < dpthead@extaff.india.gov >
Sender: Deputy Department Head Isha Varma, External Affairs Department < depdpthead@extaff.india.gov >
Subject: Diplomatic Relations

Dear Mr Farrell,

Thank you for reaching out to the External Affairs Department. Unfortunately, the Department Head is not currently available. However, I am available to meet with you in Perth at your earliest convenience to discuss several bilateral topics that you have raised.

Would you be prepared to receive a diplomatic team comprising of myself, several aides and experts plus a small security detachment on the 16th of February?

Furthermore, are there any regulations prohibiting supersonic aircraft from flying in Australian airspace or over Australian territory?

Thank you,

Deputy Department Head Isha Varma, External Affairs Department
Gandhi Empire of India

 

[Owen]

Don Farrell would sit there and raise an eyebrow at the mention of flying in on a supersonic aircraft.

"What a strange.... Since when do they have a supersonic aircraft?"

​

ASSISTANT MINISTER FOR FOREIGN AFFAIRS​

SECURITY CLASSIFICATION: SECRET ​

14 February 2006

Dear Mr. Varma, That is an acceptable date in order for us to meet. In regards to the supersonic aircraft, I'm afraid you will need to reach out to the Civil Aviation Safety Authority in regards to that. I am sure it will be fine as you are only flying over the ocean until reaching Metropolitan Perth. I assume you wouldn't be able to make any supersonic booms near Perth for obvious reasons. Yours sincerely, Don Farrell.

Parliament House, CANBERRA, ACT 2600 Telephone: (02) 6277 7700​

Protective Marking:	Business Impact Level:	Compromise of Information Confidentiality:	Required to be Encrypted:
UNOFFICIAL	No Business Impact	No damage. This information does not form part of official duty.
OFFICIAL	Low Business Impact	No or insignificant damage. This is the majority of routine information.
OFFICIAL: Sensitive	Low to Medium Business Impact	Limited damage to an individual, organisation or government generally if compromised.
PROTECTED	High Business Impact	Damage to the national interest, organisations or individuals.
SECRET	Extreme Business Impact	Serious damage to the national interest, organisations or individuals.
TOP SECRET	Catastrophic Business Impact	Exceptionally grave damage to the national interest, organisations or individuals.

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[Basedcnt]

The Deputy Department Head would log the message with the GIASF and IAF and would send a message confirming that they had received the Australian message back to Mr Farrell.

The GIASF's No. 202 Squadron would be notified of the diplomatic assignment and one of its Concorde aircraft would be readied for duty, with a full fuel and supply load aboard. The Deputy Department Head, the Secretary for Oceania and South Asia (Sharad Kumar), the Secretary for the Indian Ocean and Subcontinent (Rameshwar Thakur) and the Foreign Secretary (Nirupama Rao), plus a few aides would board the aircraft at around 3 am on the 16th of February. It would take off from Palam AFS and head south at subsonic speed, landing at Sulur AFS to quickly refuel. After refueling, the Concorde would take off again and head south, until it was over the open ocean, when it would turn towards Perth and speed up to mach 2.

The Concorde would maintain contact with ATC at all times. When coming into Australian airspace, it would slow down to mach 0.9 and follow ATC directions to land at Perth International Airport.

Owen

 

[Owen]

A Concorde landing in Australia was certainly a sight to be seen, certainly it had been many years since a Concorde visited Australia of the days when it was operated by British Airways and Air France. Many plane spotters would turn out to Perth Airport, particularly around the public viewing platform on the southern end of Runway 03. It would be noticeable from the southern suburbs of Perth as well as Rottnest Island as it came in to land. As there was no VIP terminal at Perth, they would park the Concorde next to the International Terminal. Don Farrell would greet Mr. Kumar, Mr. Thakur and Mr. Rao on the tarmac. The Australian Federal Police would escort them all through the International Terminal. They would exit the terminal and enter COMCAR vehicles from the Perth Depot. They would drive into the centre of Perth to the Exchange Tower, which was the home of the Commonwealth Parliament Offices for Perth, overlooking Elizabeth Quay. They would enter a secure underground carpark at the building and head up the elevators to the offices and meeting spaces.

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Upon sitting down in the meeting room, the proceedings would begin.

"Well thank you very much Deputy Department Head Kumar, Secretary Thakur and Secretary Rao for coming to attend this meeting. I give you a warm Namaste and welcome you here to Perth and Western Australia, where Australia meets the Indian Ocean. I also acknowledge the presence of the Premier of Western Australia, Mark McGowan, attending today and I acknowledge that we also meet on the lands of the Whadjuk Noongar people.

Australia and India's relationship is deep. Much deeper than the Cricket rivalry that bestows both of us. Indeed, Indians and Australians have shed blood in past wars, notably in the name of the British Empire. Times have changed now. We are both strong and independent nations pursuing our own independent foreign policies. Australia supported the creation of India in 1947 and we continue to support India in its ambitions, including when it comes to Arunachal Pradesh. We support your right to assert your sovereignty in what can be a very volatile region. We acknowledge the role that India is playing in supporting our counterterrorism operations in oceans around South East Asia and we are thankful for that. And with that I pass to you."

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[Basedcnt]

Deputy Department Head Varma would nod towards the Australian, and would say, "Thank you, Mr Farrell. After the rocky start to relations, the Gandhi leadership is eager and glad to see this meeting take place. I'm glad to be here, both to represent Indians in Australia following the riots a few months ago, and to display Gandhi interests in the nations across the Indian Ocean.

There are number of topics my colleagues and I would like to discuss with you. These mainly include trade, geopolitics in Asia and security. However, you requested this meeting, and mentioned bilateral agreements. What did you have in mind?"

Owen

 

[Owen]

"We have no bilateral agreement proposals at this time, though I'm sure we can see if there are areas of cooperation which we could sign an agreement on. What would you like to discuss in terms of security and geopolitics in Asia? How is India faring and how does it see its position in the region?"

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