GERMANY ON AFGHANISTAN POLICE NEXT STEPS: ESDP?

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 BERLIN 003195

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E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/02/2016
TAGS: PGOV PREL KCRM PTER AF GM
SUBJECT: GERMANY ON AFGHANISTAN POLICE NEXT STEPS: ESDP?

REF: BRUSSELS 3672

Classified By: Minister-Counselor for Economic Affairs Robert F. Cekuta
for Reasons 1.4 (b) and (d)


1. (C) Summary. German agencies continue to disagree on the
merits of turning to an ESDP mission to expand training of
the Afghanistan police, even though Germany has made this
proposal to the EU in Brussels (ref A). The MFA, which
formally leads the German effort, sees a way to streamline
operations and secure the participation of several dozen more
police officers from several different countries -- goals
mentioned in the recent Dubai II Conference. The Ministry of
the Interior (MOI),which provides the personnel for the
program, does not believe that a modest increase in training
resources merits changing existing structures. Separately, a
new agreement between Germany and Afghanistan spells out the
terms of the stationing of German and possibly other police
in Afghanistan. End summary.

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The View from MFA: ESDP Offers Resources, Structure
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2. (C) Foreign Ministry Counselor for Afghanistan Police
Reform Gerhard Schlaudraff told Global Affairs Officer
Afghanistan needs two or three times more police training
assistance -- more than Germany can send -- if police reform
is to succeed. At the same time, as came out in the October
1-5 Second International Civilian Police on Afghanistan
(Dubai II),current police training programs have problems
with duplication and miscommunication. Therefore,
Schlaudraff said the German MFA is turning to the EU and
hopes to transform the German program into an ESDP (European
Security and Defense Policy) mission. Per ref A, the German
proposal is under consideration in Brussels. The MFA hopes
an ESDP mission will broaden participation and streamline
operations. As to resources, the ESDP police training
program from the start would allow more EU member countries,
as well as third countries, to participate. Schlaudraff
listed several who have expressed interest: Finland and the
UK are each prepared to send ten officers, the Czech Republic
is prepared to send five, Norway will put its existing
program under ESDP, the Netherlands is considering sending
its police, and so are Canada and New Zealand. He admitted
France was not enthusiastic; the presumed stationing of ESDP
mission police in PRTs would require some legal basis and
creating such a foundation would necessitate NATO - ESDP
coordination, which Schlaudraff said France is reluctant to
discuss.


3. (C) Turning to the need to streamline operations,
Schlaudraff said the ESDP initiative could address the
recommendations of Dubai II by providing a clearer chain of
command. For instance, all non-U.S. police training
assistance could come under ESDP, resulting in only two
entities responsible for Afghanistan's police training. Even
with robust EU and third country participation, Schlaudraff
said, the United States will continue to have the largest
police training program in Afghanistan. Therefore, if the
ESDP effort is to work it would be important to agree how the
ESDP mission would fit into existing and proposed
coordination structures, like Dubai II's proposed
Secretariat. Schlaudraff said the MFA seeks U.S. support for

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the ESDP initiative; if the U.S. agrees with the proposal, it
could lobby third countries to participate in it.
Schlaudraff admitted the German MOI was reluctant to lose its
leading role in rebuilding Afghanistan's police. Schlaudraff
hopes an ESDP program chief would be a German national.

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The View from MOI: Changing Jockeys in the Middle of the Race?
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4. (C) Ministry of the Interior Office Director for
International Police Cooperation and Training Juergen Werner
said his Ministry is less optimistic than the MFA on the
merits of an ESDP mission. He agrees the size of the
existing German program -- forty officers -- needs to double
or triple, and that international police training officers
need to be part of every PRT. That said, he disagrees that
after four years, the existing structure should be "turned on
its head" if the ESDP mission brings only twenty extra police
officers.


5. (C) Werner also said an ESDP mission would not address one
of the most serious problems that he said faces the police in

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Afghanistan: the judicial system. Trained Afghan police are
carrying out their work and making arrests, but "the corrupt
judicial system is releasing all but those who cannot afford
to bribe their way to freedom." Expanded police training
would not solve this problem, Werner said, and he stresses
the need for greater coordination between law enforcement and
the judicial process.

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New Afghanistan - Germany Police Agreement
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6. (SBU) German Federal Interior Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble
announced October 23 that he and Afghanistan Interior
Minister Ahmad Zarar Moqbel signed an agreement, during the
Afghan's visit that day, on rebuilding the Afghanistan police
(faxed to EUR/AGS). An MOI press release says the agreement
provides a new legal basis for the 40 German police officers
at work in Kabul, Mazar-e Sharif, Kunduz and Feyzabad.
Schaeuble said Germany has spent 70 million Euro on
Afghanistan's police rebuilding since 2002 and that Germany
remained dedicated to the effort. Schlaudraff and Werner
said the text is mainly carried over from the 2002 agreement
on the stationing of German police officers in Afghanistan,
However, it contains revisions to enable the participation of
third country police officers, to replace outdated language,
and to take into account the creation of the Afghan
government.
TIMKEN JR