AFGHANISTAN COMPACT IN LONDON: PRELIMINARY FRENCH

C O N F I D E N T I A L PARIS 008698 SIPDIS STATE FOR SA, EUR, AND EB/IFD/ODF E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/30/2010 TAGS: EAID PREL AF SUBJECT: AFGHANISTAN COMPACT IN LONDON: PRELIMINARY FRENCH PLANS REF: STATE 226670 Classified By: Econ Counselor Kenneth Merten for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d ). ¶1. (SBU) We delivered reftel points to Jerome Walter, Counselor for Multilateral and Bilateral Financial Affairs at Cooperation (AID-equivalent),Ramon Fernandez, in Tresor's Office of Multilateral Affairs and Development, and to Afghanistan desk officer, Cyril Gerardon at the MFA. Fernandez and Walter were unable to comment on the Compact before departing for the holidays. Gerardon said he was grateful to get the USG points as the GOF prepared for the conference because it helped to have things as transparent as possible as they ramp up. ¶2. (C) Gerardon told us in a second conversation on 30 December that the French are still deciding on the composition of their delegation to the Afghanistan Compact and how much money will be given. He said that while the French are considering contributions to trust funds including the Afghanistan Reconstruction Trust Fund (ARTF),they have not yet decided whether they will contribute or how much they are prepared to give. Gerardon added that the French are constrained financially at this time. He reported that the French Ambassador in Kabul had recommended that the French pledge ten million Euros but Gerardon said the GoF would most probably not be able to give that much. He said that the French delegation would probably use the conference in London to focus more on effective use of contributions. He said that two big factors for the French that they hoped to address at the conference were (1) determining/predicting/anticipating how aid money can best be put to use and (2) better coordinating disparate providers of aid to increase efficiency and establishing benchmarks. He said that Afghanistan was often not capable of absorbing the money it had been given thus far and that the Afghan Government, a year after coming to power, had not proved itself as effective as many had hoped. Gerardon said that the French expected to address many of these more political issues at the London conference. He added that the French would have more substantial answers, at least on the composition of their delegation, on January 12. Please visit Paris' Classified Website at: http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/eur/paris/index.c fm Stapleton