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