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.