Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
06ISLAMABAD18778
2006-09-22 08:32:00
CONFIDENTIAL
Embassy Islamabad
Cable title:  

OPTIMISTIC VIEW ON PAK-AFGHAN RELATIONS FROM MFA

Tags:  AF EAID PK PREL 
pdf how-to read a cable
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C O N F I D E N T I A L ISLAMABAD 018778 

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 09/20/2016
TAGS: AF EAID PK PREL
SUBJECT: OPTIMISTIC VIEW ON PAK-AFGHAN RELATIONS FROM MFA

Classified By: CDA Peter W. Bodde, Reasons 1.4 (b) and (d)

C O N F I D E N T I A L ISLAMABAD 018778

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 09/20/2016
TAGS: AF EAID PK PREL
SUBJECT: OPTIMISTIC VIEW ON PAK-AFGHAN RELATIONS FROM MFA

Classified By: CDA Peter W. Bodde, Reasons 1.4 (b) and (d)


1. (C) Summary: The MFA Afghanistan Director told PolOff
September 20 that high level engagement between Pakistani and
Afghan leaders would continue through the autumn and was, he
hoped, becoming institutionalized. The official reported
that Presidents Karzai and Musharraf would meet on September
26 in New York and added that Musharaff's UNGA speech was
designed to assure President Karzai that the GOP was
committed to fighting the Taliban. End Summary.

-------------- --
High Level Engagement Continuing
-------------- --


2. (C) PolOff met with MFA (Afghanistan) Director Amir
Shaukat on September 20. Amir was quite optimistic about the
direction of Pak-Afghan relations and cited President
Musharraf's UNGA address the night before as evidence the GOP
was committed to improving relations with Afghanistan. He
singled out Musharraf's reference to the Taliban's being the
enemy of both Pakistan and Afghanistan as an attempt to
assure President Karzai that the GOP was committed to
stopping the Taliban. Amir added that Presidents Karzai and
Musharraf would hold a bilateral discusion on September 26,
the day before the U.S.-Pakistan-Afghanistan trilateral.


3. (C) Amir was pleased with recent developments in
high-level dialogues and was particularly excited by an
upcoming (but still unscheduled) visit by the Speaker of
Afghanistan's lower house, Younis Qanooni. The GOP's
analysis was that Qanooni was attempting to become more of a
leader and statesman than just a politician. Pakistani
leaders had been particularly impressed with Qanooni's use of
his office to squelch a draft bill that would have criticized
Pakistan for the death of Baloch leader Nawab Bugti.


4. (C) Other meetings planned for after Ramadan include:

--FM Kasuri and FM Spanta, who last met in June. (During a
pull aside at the Economic Cooperation Organization meeting
in Baku in May, the two FMs promised to meet quarterly, but
had to postpone the September bilateral until after Ramadan
because of UNGA and NAM travel.)

--The Pak-Afghan Joint Economic Committee, which last met at
the ministerial level June 14-15.

--The ministerial level Tripartite Refugee Committee
(Afghanistan, Pakistan and UNHCR,) which met May 30 and
September 12.

--A study tour to Afghanistan of Pakistani journalists.

--------------
Comment
--------------


5. (C) In a land of pessimists, Amir is a refreshing
optimist, especially on Pak-Afghan cooperaton. Embassy
Kabul, who cleared this cable, notes that Amir's comments on
Qanooni's possible transformation from political operative to
statesman may indeed be optimistic, but the Embassy welcomes
any attempts at fence-building.
BODDE