Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
05PARIS8698
2005-12-30 13:09:00
CONFIDENTIAL
Embassy Paris
Cable title:  

AFGHANISTAN COMPACT IN LONDON: PRELIMINARY FRENCH

Tags:  EAID PREL AF 
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This record is a partial extract of the original cable. The full text of the original cable is not available.

301309Z Dec 05
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
).

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