MOI MINISTER DAOUD PROMISES SWIFT ACTION ON CN

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 KABUL 005194 SIPDIS INL/FO, SA FOR AMBASSADOR QUINN, NSC AHARRIMAN, KAMEND E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/18/2015 TAGS: KRIM SNAR AF SUBJECT: MOI MINISTER DAOUD PROMISES SWIFT ACTION ON CN Classified By: ADCM ASIMMONS FOR REASONS 1.4 B AND C ¶1. Summary: (U) Ambassador Neumann met with General Daoud Daoud, Afghan Deputy Minister of Interior for Counter Narcotics (CN),on December 17. The Ambassador used this first meeting as an opportunity to congratulate Daoud on the progress his Ministry has made on CN issues and encouraged him to continue developing his CN programs. The Ambassador said that the Government of Afghanistan (GOA) must take quick and decisive action against corrupt officials and police and it must arrest, charge and incarcerate drug traffickers. Neumann said if the GOA tackles these issues it will show the international community that it is serious and committed to CN. Daoud said that he plans to arrest 20-25 allegedly corrupt government officials and 75 drug traffickers. Minister Daoud advocated for the increased involvement of municipal and provincial leadership in the development of Alternative Livelihoods (AL) programs. The Ambassador suggested that the MOI develop a pilot program for roll-out in all seven PEP provinces to see if such a program is workable. Minister Daoud said while he believes the GOA is making progress on CN, he knows efforts to counter cultivation, stop opium production and combat corruption need to be intensified in the coming year. End Summary. MOI-sponsored Governors' Conference on PEP -------------- ¶2. (U) Ambassador Neumann met with General Daoud Daoud, Afghan Deputy Minister of Interior for Counter Narcotics (CN),on December 17 and used this first meeting as an opportunity to congratulate Daoud on the progress his Ministry has made on CN issues and encouraged him to continue his efforts in this regard. Daoud told the Ambassador about the positive effects of recent trips made by Counter Narcotics Task Force Director Doug Wankel to the major opium producing provinces and also spoke about his meetings with the Provincial Governors. Daoud said it is important that the governors realize that they are on the hook to develop plans to reduce poppy cultivation in their provinces. This message was reiterated at MOI-sponsored Governors' Conference on Eradication held in Kabul December 14-18 which brought together the governors and principal community leaders from the seven major poppy producing provinces. Using the conference as a means to drum up support for governor-led eradication, Daoud drove home the message that much has to be done to significantly reduce poppy cultivation in 2006. Corruption and CN Investigations -------------- ¶3. (U) Ambassador Neumann talked with Minister Daoud about corruption, especially relating to officials who facilitate drug trafficking. The Ambassador told Daoud that it is imperative that the GOA take quick and decisive actions to arrest and incarcerate drug traffickers, corrupt officials involved in the narcotics trade. Neumann said, the corruptive inherent influence of drug money affects the ability of government to function as it should and that the criticism from the international community is that the GOA has ben slow to act against corrupt officials. He emphasized that combating corruption is important not just because "it needs to be done," but pointed out that significant actions against corruption would send a positive sign to the international community that the GOA is serious about resolving this issue. Daoud agreed and said that corruption and how to combat it was a key theme of the Governors' Conference. ¶4. (U) Minister Daoud informed the Ambassador that he intends to arrest 20-25 government officials (including 13 District Managers) on corruption charges and 75 opium and/or heroin traffickers for which he has evidence against and witnesses in some cases. Daoud plans to brief President Karzai on the intended arrests in the coming days. ¶5. (U) Daoud discussed the case involving the recent appellate court decision to reduce the sentencing of a major drug trafficker. Reportedly the same judge also reversed the conviction and ordered the trafficker's release. Daoud said that he will ask President Karzai to authorize the removal of this judge and will arrest him on corruption charges. Upon the judge's removal from the appellate court, the lower court's decision will be reinstated. Daoud said he believes that this needs to be done in order to send a message to the judiciary, et al that the MOI will aggressively pursue corruption. Mixed Messages; Alternative Livelihoods -------------- ¶6. (C) Minister Daoud expressed concerns to the Ambassador about the recent activities of the Senlis Council. He said that its campaign to "legalize" poppy and opium production in Afghanistan is troublesome. Daoud said that talk of legalization sends conflicting and confusing signals to farmers. Daoud told the Ambassador that he is consulting with his government on how to get Senlis to cease these activities. ¶7. (C) Speaking about future planning for alternative livelihoods (AL) programs, Minister Daoud said that he would like the AL implementers to work with the provincial leadership to develop projects, rather than work solely with authorities in Kabul. Ambassador Neumann said that he agreed that the provincial leadership should take a more active role in developing AL programs, but questioned whether the Provincial Council is a fully adequate body. The Ambassador said that in some provinces, the Provincial Councils may not represent the interests of all parts of the province and the potential for disparity and inequities exists regarding the allocation of resources. The Ambassador recommended that the Provincial Councils and local leadership become more involved in recommending projects and forwarding their suggestions to the leadership in Kabul. ¶8. (U) Ambassador Neumann asked whether it makes sense to launch pilot AL projects using this more inclusive approach (as outlined in para 7) in several provinces rather than launch a program, of this nature, country-wide. CNTF Director Wankel suggested that a pilot program be conducted in the seven PEP provinces, six of which have ongoing AL programs and could call upon the expertise of the AL personnel working in these areas. The Ambassador asked CNTF Director Wankel to raise this issue at the next CN Strategy Meeting and said once a plan was ready, it should be presented to Karzai for discussion with his Cabinet and the donor community. Note: USAID AL programs are working very closely with provincial governments on project design and implementation. Provincial governments as well as district shuras were closely involved with "cash for work" site selections in the East and Southern regions. USAID will continue to work with its implementing partners to increase local and provincial involvement in their comprehensive development programs. End Note. ¶9. (U) Minister Daoud ended the meeting by thanking the Ambassador for his support and said that while he believes the GOA is making progress on the CN front, he knows that this year's results will have to be significantly improved. NEUMANN