Identifier | Created | Classification | Origin |
---|---|---|---|
02ROME1797 | 2002-04-10 14:03:00 | CONFIDENTIAL | Embassy Rome |
This record is a partial extract of the original cable. The full text of the original cable is not available. |
CONFIDENTIAL ROME 001797 |
1. (C) SUMMARY: THE SON-IN-LAW TO THE FORMER AFGHAN KING SAID THREATS AND DISTURBANCES WILL NOT DETER THE KING AND HIS PARTY FROM THEIR RETURN TO AFGHANISTAN. THEY ARE PLEASED WITH ARRANGEMENTS BEING MADE BY ITALY IN CONSULTATION WITH THE AIA, THEY REMAIN IN CLOSE TOUCH WITH CHAIRMAN KARZAI, AND ALL SYSTEMS ARE GO FOR THE RETURN. END SUMMARY. 2. (C) IN A MARCH 9 CONVERSATION WITH POLOFF, GENERAL ABDUL WALI, SON-IN-LAW AND ADVISER TO FORMER AFGHAN KING ZAHIR SHAH, SAID SECURITY ARRANGEMENTS AND ALL OTHER LOGISTICAL PREPARATIONS FOR THE KING'S APRIL 17 RETURN ARE WELL UNDERWAY AND ARE SATISFACTORY TO THE KING AND HIS ENTOURAGE. EVERYTHING IS MOVING FORWARD APPROPRIATELY, WALI SAID, AND THE GROUP IS ANTICIPATING THEIR ARRIVAL IN KABUL. WALI'S BROTHER, WALI SHAH, WHO WILL ALSO JOIN THE KING'S HOMECOMING, AND EXECUTIVE SECRETARY HAMED SIDIQ MADE THE SAME POINT TO POLOFF IN SEPARATE CONVERSATIONS. CONFIDENTIAL PAGE 03 ROME 01797 01 OF 02 102345Z 3. (C) WALI HAD CONCLUDED A CONVERSATION WITH MFA SPECIAL COORDINATOR FOR AFGHANISTAN ENRICO DI MAIO SHORTLY BEFORE POLOFF'S CALL, AND SAID DI MAIO HAD REFERRED TO ITALY'S APRIL 16 GENERAL STRIKE BUT HAD NOT CHANGED THE DATE FOR THE KING'S DEPARTURE. (COMMENT: WALI WAS REFRESHINGLY CAREFUL ABOUT NOT STATING THE EXPECTED DATE OF THE KING'S DEPARTURE ON THE TELEPHONE -- A FIRST SINCE THIS PROCESS BEGAN.) DI MAIO HAD DISCUSSED DIFFERENT "STAGING AREAS" WITH WALI, TIMING FOR DEPARTURE, AND THE ARRIVAL OF AIA CHAIRMAN KARZAI, FINALIZING DETAILS FOR THE RETURN. 4. (C) AS NOTED REFTEL, DI MAIO TOLD WALI THE GOI WOULD COORDINATE THE KING'S SECURITY UNTIL ZAHIR SHAH LANDS IN KABUL, BUT THAT GOI SECURITY EXPERTS WOULD REMAIN IN KABUL FOR SOME TIME THEREAFTER TO ADVISE AFGHAN PROTECTIVE FORCES. POLOFF ASKED IF THIS ARRANGEMENT WAS SATISFACTORY, AND WALI SAID YES. WAS THE KING ALSO SATISFIED? "YES, FULLY," WALI REPLIED. WALI ELABORATED THAT THE PROTECTION WOULD BE PROVIDED BY AFGHANS TRAINED BY "DIFFERENT EUROPEAN COUNTRIES," INCLUDING ITALY. "THEY ARE AFGHANS WE SELECTED," HE SAID, "BUT THE REAL SELECTION WILL NOT TAKE PLACE UNTIL I AM IN AFGHANISTAN AND CHOOSE THEM MYSELF." WALI WOULD SELECT "PEOPLE OF PROVEN LOYALTY," BUT NOT ONLY PASHTUNS. "THEY WILL BE LARGELY PASHTUNS BECAUSE PASHTUNS ARE THE LARGEST ETHNIC GROUP," HE OBSERVED. 5. (C) WALI REPORTED THE KING TO BE STILL LOOKING FORWARD TO HIS RETURN AND LARGELY UNFAZED BY THE DELAYS. ALTHOUGH ZAHIR SHAH HAD A "SLIGHT INFLUENZA" AND WAS TAKING ANTIBIOTICS, THERE WOULD BE NO FURTHER DELAY OF HIS RETURN, "BARRING SOMETHING UNFORESEEN." WALI EXPRESSED THE HOPE THAT CONFIDENTIAL PAGE 04 ROME 01797 01 OF 02 102345Z THE SITUATION IN THE MIDDLE EAST WOULD EASE, AS THAT INCREASES OVERALL DANGER, BUT AGAIN ASSERTED THAT "DELAYING IS OVER." POLOFF NOTED THE RECENT ATTEMPT AGAINST DEFENSE MINISTER FAHIM. WALI EXPRESSED DISAPPOINTMENT THAT THE ATTACK HAD OCCURRED, BUT SAID THE BOMBINGS AND DISTURBANCES WERE "NOT IMPORTANT" IN THE CONTEXT OF THE KING'S RETURN. IF THEY WERE MEANT TO DETER ZAHIR SHAH, "THEN SOMEONE MADE A MISTAKE ANALYZING THE KING'S CHARACTER," WALI ASSERTED STRONGLY. "HIS MAJESTY HAS A WILL OF IRON." ZAHIR SHAH WILL RETURN, WALI CONCLUDED FORCEFULLY. 6. (C) DESPITE HIS CARE IN DISCUSSING THE DATE FOR THE KING'S RETURN, WALI TOLD POLOFF CHAIRMAN KARZAI WOULD ARRIVE IN ROME ON APRIL 16 IN THE AFTERNOON, WALI BELIEVED STILL USING THE LOANED AIRCRAFT OF THE AGHA KHAN. FOREIGN MINISTER ABDULLAH, CIVIL AVIATION MINISTER "AND OUR FRIEND" ZALMAI RASSOUL, AND RECONSTRUCTION MINISTER FARHANG WOULD JOIN KARZAI, AS WALI UNDERSTOOD. THE KING AND WALI REMAINED IN CLOSE COMMUNICATION WITH CHAIRMAN KARZAI AND LOOKED FORWARD TO PROVIDING HIM THEIR SUPPORT. UNPROMPTED, WALI OBSERVED THAT KARZAI WAS DOING A GOOD JOB AS CHAIRMAN. CONFIDENTIAL CONFIDENTIAL PTQ6988 PAGE 01 ROME 01797 02 OF 02 102346Z ACTION EUR-00 INFO LOG-00 CIAE-00 DODE-00 SRPP-00 DS-00 EAP-00 EB-00 VC-00 H-01 TEDE-00 INR-00 IO-00 L-00 AC-01 NEA-00 NSAE-00 NSCE-00 OIC-02 OMB-01 PA-00 PM-00 PRS-00 ACE-00 P-00 SCT-00 SP-00 SS-00 TRSE-00 T-00 USIE-00 SA-00 ASDS-01 PMB-00 DSCC-00 DRL-02 G-00 SAS-00 /008W -------------------------- 823931 102346Z /30 P 101403Z APR 02 FM AMEMBASSY ROME TO SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 3202 INFO AMEMBASSY ISLAMABAD PRIORITY AMEMBASSY KABUL PRIORITY AMCONSUL PESHAWAR PRIORITY NSC WASHDC PRIORITY USMISSION USUN NEW YORK PRIORITY AMEMBASSY ALMATY AMEMBASSY ANKARA AMEMBASSY ASHGABAT AMEMBASSY BEIJING AMEMBASSY BERLIN AMEMBASSY LONDON AMEMBASSY MOSCOW AMEMBASSY NEW DELHI AMEMBASSY PARIS AMEMBASSY TASHKENT ALMATY FOR EMBASSY DUSHANBE NSC FOR KHALILZHAD E.O. 12958: DECL: 04/10/2012 TAGS: PREL PINS AF PINS AF IT ITPREL AFGHANISTAN SUBJECT: AFGHANISTAN: ALL SYSTEMS (STILL) GO FOR FORMER KING'S RETURN 7. (C) ASKED IF THE AFGHANS HAD ANY PARTICULAR CONCERNS OR ANYTHING THAT THEY WANTED OF THE U.S. TO FACILITATE THE KING'S RETURN, WALI SAID "ONLY THE CONTINUED AND UNDIMINISHED ATTENTION OF THE GOVERNMENT OF THE UNITED STATES FOR THE COUNTRY OF AFGHANISTAN." HE AGAIN SAID LOGISTICS, SECURITY AND OTHER ARRANGEMENTS FOR THE KING'S RETURN WERE ON TRACK AND THEY LOOKED FORWARD TO THEIR APPROACHING RETURN TO KABUL. SEMBLER CONFIDENTIAL > 2002ROME01797 - Classification: CONFIDENTIAL |