P 061302Z JAN 09
FM AMEMBASSY LONDON
TO SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 0839
INFO AMEMBASSY CANBERRA 
AMEMBASSY ISLAMABAD 
AMEMBASSY NEW DELHI 
AMEMBASSY OTTAWA 
SECDEF WASHDC

S E C R E T LONDON 000033 
 
 
NOFORN 
 
DEPARTMENT FOR S/CT 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/06/2018 
TAGS: PTER PREL PGOV AS CA IN PK UK
SUBJECT: HMG RECEIVES NIP AND DISCUSSES RELATED TOPICS 
 
REF: A. 08 STATE 134107 
     ¶B. ISLAMABAD 00024 
 
Classified By: Political Minister Counselor Greg Berry for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d).   

¶1. (S)  Summary.  Poloffs met with FCO's Simon Manley, Director of the Defense and Strategic Threats Directorate and Emily Maltman of the Strategic Partners and Multilateral Counter Terrorism Department to deliver the National Implementation Plan as per reftel.  Manley described HMG's counter-terrorism efforts and compared them to the USG program.  He also discussed the latest on Pakistan's position on cooperation with India on the Mumbai bombings.  DAO, LEGATT, and GPRU representatives earlier distributed the NIP to their contacts in relevant HMG agencies.  End Summary.  

Integration and Inter-agency Co-operation is Key --------------------------------------------- ---  

¶2. (C)  Manley informed Poloffs that he had already read the NIP, having received it in Washington in November.  He noted that the timing was very opportune as HMG is in the process of revising its own policies.  Manley also noted that what struck him most about the USG counter-terrorism plan was how integrated it was with counter-radicalization efforts.  He said that this was HMG's goal and that HMG were looking for ways to enhance integration between the two efforts.  Manley also said he looked forward to working with the Obama administration on enhanced and more cooperative efforts.  

¶3. (C)  Maltman noted that she had been in the U.S. to discuss CT with S/CT and NCTC in November and was impressed by the level of interagency cooperation.  She acknowledged that the USG was far ahead of HMG in this area.  She said it is especially impressive as interagency cooperation is "counter-cultural" within bureaucracies.  She noted that HMG has the same problem, in addition to legal impediments that HMG is working to resolve.  

HMG Struggles to Quantify Success ---------------------------------  

¶4. (C)  Poloff asked Manley how HMG's plans to develop criteria for measuring the effectiveness of HMG's counter-radicalization and counter-terrorism efforts were coming along.  Domestically, Manley listed a series of challenges such as: What is a baseline for terrorism improvement? How do you measure improvement? How do you determine British Muslim opinion? How does HMG justify trying to determine British Muslim opinion versus general British opinion?   Despite these concerns, Manley says that HMG expected to have a reliable measurement sometime in 2009. Internationally, Manley said the problem was complicated by other actors and how to measure their impact.  Specifically were USG actions helping or hindering HMG efforts? And the question arises as to whether doing nothing would have been better.  

Pakistan: USG Bombing Not Helpful ---------------------------------  

¶5. (S)  Poloff asked Manley what, if anything, he had heard regarding Pakistan and the investigation information on the Mumbai terrorist attack.  Manley said that HMG was hopeful the latest packet of information provided by India to Pakistan (with the help of U.S. and HMG) would be sufficient to convince Pakistan that it must act against the terrorists involved in the Mumbai bombings.  He also said that HMG was concerned that Zardari has limited room to maneuver and many things contributed to his predicament, not least of which was the U.S. military's bombings of Taliban targets on the Pakistani side of the border.  Finally, Manley said HMG had been told (via the Indian High Commission in Islamabad talking to the UK High Commission there), that Nawaz Sharif's brother, the governor of Punjab, was taking steps to limit mischief-making by the ISI. (Embassy Comment. Although ref B seems to indicate the reverse is true. End Comment).  Visit London's Classified Website: XXXXXXXXXXXX 
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