NETHERLANDS/AFGHANISTAN: KARZAI CANDIDACY AND

UNCLAS THE HAGUE 001901 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PGOV PREL AF NL SUBJECT: NETHERLANDS/AFGHANISTAN: KARZAI CANDIDACY AND VICE-PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATES REF: STATE 162903 ¶1. Poloff delivered reftel message to MFA's head of South Asia Division Wilfred Mohr July 28. Mohr stated that the Dutch Ambassador in Afghanistan will soon call on Karzai to present his credentials, at which point he will also express GoNL support for reform and stability in Afghanistan. He said that GoNL would also have opportunities by Fall to convey Dutch/EU support to Russian and Iranian governments. The Dutch EU Presidency released a statement July 27 expressing full support for the democratic process. Statement follows. ¶2. Begin statement. Yesterday, the 26th of July, was the last day for Presidential candidates in Afghanistan to present their nominations to the Joint Electoral Management Body (JEMB) for the elections on 9 October 2004. The JEMB is expected to publish a full list of candidates on 29 July. The Presidency of the EU welcomes the fact that an encouraging number of candidates have put forward their candidacy. This is an important landmark on the path towards democracy. The Presidency of the EU looks forward to the elections and hopes that the electoral campaigning and the elections themselves will take place in an atmosphere of calm and non-violence, and expects that they will take place with full respect for political freedoms. Around 8 million Afghan voters have registered to exercise their democratic right to vote for a President for the first time in their country's history. The Presidency of the EU welcomes the fact that, among those registered voters, a promising 41% are women. The Presidency of the EU wishes to reiterate its full support to the Afghan authorities in enhancing the democratic process in order to make free and fair elections possible. End statement. MINIMIZED CONSIDERED SOBEL