PRT/GHOR - PICNIC POLITICS

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 KABUL 005071 SIPDIS SENSITIVE DEPARTMENT FOR SA/FO AMBASSADOR QUINN, SA/A, S/CT NSC FOR AHARRIMAN, KAMEND CENTCOM FOR POLAD, CG CFA-A, CG CJTF-76 USAID FOR AID/ANE, AID/DCHA/DG E.O. 12958 N/A TAGS: PREL PGOV PINR KDEM AF SUBJECT: PRT/GHOR - PICNIC POLITICS ¶1. (U) SUMMARY: PolOffs and Chaghcharan AIDOff spent the afternoon of December 8 with Ghor Governor Afzali, former Ghor Governor and current MP Dr. Mohammad Ibrahim Malekzada, and several of Afzali's wealthy family members chatting about local politics in classic Afghan style - over a lavish meal hosted in a garden setting. While discussions focused mainly on development projects and the future of Ghor, the style of the meeting and personalities of the main players revealed much about the way politics is done in Afghanistan. END SUMMARY. ATMOSPHERICS TO END ALL ATMOSPHERICS -------------- ¶2. (U) On the afternoon of December 8, a brisk but clear winter day in Kabul, PolOffs and USAID PRTOff met with two key power players from Ghor Province in what turned out to be a classic scene in modern Afghan politics. The hosts, Ghor Governor Afzali and former Governor Dr. Ibrahim Malekzada, along with several of Afzali's male family members and employees, were overwhelmingly gracious from the start. As with most worthwhile political gatherings in Afghanistan, the setting for the meeting was a private plot of land rather than a sterile office - in this case, a garden owned by Afzali's wealthy son-in-law. It was dominated at one end by a nearly complete domed and columned four-story mansion. So as not to disturb ongoing construction, lunch was served in the greenhouse outside, a 30-foot long structure filled with pots of rose bush clippings from across Afghanistan. ¶3. (U) In a typical show of Afghan hospitality, lunch was served by the tycoon son-in-law himself, who carted platter after platter of steaming dishes from the trunk of his new silver Mercedes-Benz to serve his American guests. Courses included enough roast pheasant, grilled fish, and baby lamb to serve a small army, as well as an overflowing mountain of fresh fruit and bowls of glowing pomegranate seeds for dessert. Expensive wine was poured for the foreign guests throughout the meal, a non-Muslim tradition which has become de rigueur among wealthy elites at events such as these. The meal was accompanied by the soft chirping of a pet parakeet, responding to the myriad kites dotting the sky outside. THE FINE LINE BETWEEN WARLORD AND POLITICIAN -------------- ¶4. (U) It is sometimes difficult to reconcile appearance with reputation. The iron-fisted warlord Ibrahim is a small and reserved man between 36 and 37 years of age with jet black hair and a neatly trimmed beard. After hearing so many stories of his power and martial strength, meeting him in person was almost a letdown. Small in stature and quiet - almost shy - throughout the meal, Dr. Ibrahim came across as more of an academic than a leader of men. Still, his reputation and accomplishments speak for themselves. He fought hard against both the Soviets and the Taliban, and with a sometimes uneasy truce with other Ghor warlords, Dr. Ibrahim brought relative security to Ghor. Earlier this year, he recommended that Afzali serve as Governor. Ibrahim's election to the Wolesi Jirga comes as no surprise given his popularity among the people of Ghor province, who look up to him as a protector and benefactor, despite the dark pages in his history. Although he had a Jamiat party background, he, like many MPs, now says that he is independent of any party affiliation. THE GROWTH OF GHOR -------------- ¶5. (U) USAID PRTOff spent much of the meal sharing updates and answering questions about various USG-sponsored projects in and around Ghor's capital city of Chaghcharan, including a recently-completed wall surrounding the girls' school, a boys' dormitory, the beginning of a new cobblestone road through downtown Chaghcharan, and plans for a new bridge to replace the existing structure spanning the river. Both Afzali and Ibrahim, as well as the various male family members and employees present at the meal, seemed pleased (and even slightly entertained) by the briefing, and were more than happy to discuss project details and the future development of the province. CONNECTIONS -------------- ¶6. (U) One of the main lessons of doing politics in Afghanistan is that everything and everyone is connected... somehow. Governor Afzali holds an Austrian passport and has sons-in-law who do business in Dubai and Pakistan, so he knows the people who do business there. Ibrahim, as a well- known strongman in Ghor province with a proud, if sometimes harsh past, had enough support in Kabul to be named Governor of Ghor province. Then, when it was once again time to change Governors, he was asked by Kabul to personally recommend a successor. ¶7. (U) In the end, the pattern revealed by such meetings gives the impression that there are only a few thousand people (almost all of them men) who are really involved in running affairs of the country, and that those men have known each other - and each others' families - since the dawn of time.