KARZAI MEETS WITH CODEL BAYH

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 KABUL 000146

SIPDIS

SENSITIVE

DEPT FOR SA/FO AMBASSADOR QUINN, SA/CT AND SA/A
NSC FOR AHARRIMAN, KAMEND
CENTCOM FOR POLAD, CG CFA-A, CG CJTF-76
USAID FOR AID/ANE, AID/DCHA/DG

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PREL PGOV EAID PTER SNAR PK AF
SUBJECT: KARZAI MEETS WITH CODEL BAYH



1. (SBU) SUMMARY: IN A JANUARY 10 MEETING WITH SENATORS
BAYH (D-IND) AND BOND (R-MO) AND REPRESENTATIVE FORD (D-TN),
KARZAI OUTLINED THE PROGRESS AFGHANISTAN HAD MADE OVER THE
PAST FOUR YEARS, FOCUSING ON COUNTERNARCOTICS RATHER THAN
TERRORISM AS THE REAL CHALLENGE FOR THE FUTURE. HE
REITERATED SEVERAL TIMES THAT THE AFGHAN PEOPLE DID NOT WANT
THE U.S. TO LEAVE. THE DELEGATION ASSURED HIM OF OUR
LONG-TERM COMMITMENT TO AFGHANISTAN. END SUMMARY.


2. (SBU) KARZAI OPENED THE MEETING BY NOTING THAT HE HAD
NOT FORESEEN THE SPEED AND SMOOTHNESS WITH WHICH THE
DEMOCRATIC PROCESS WOULD TAKE HOLD IN AFGHANISTAN; HE GAVE
CREDIT TO THE AFGHAN PEOPLE, BUT SAID IT COULD NOT HAVE BEEN
ACHIEVED WITHOUT THE HELP OF THE INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY, AND
THE UNITED STATES IN PARTICULAR. HE WENT ON TO SAY THAT THE
AFGHAN PEOPLE WERE WORRIED THAT THE U.S. WOULD WITHDRAW,
WHICH "MAKES US NERVOUS AND ANGRY". SENATOR BAYH ASSURED THE
PRESIDENT THAT, WHILE THERE MIGHT BE A DOMESTIC DEBATE ABOUT
U.S. PRESENCE IN IRAQ, THERE WAS TOTAL UNANIMITY ABOUT
STAYING THE COURSE IN AFGHANISTAN - "THIS IS A JOURNEY STILL
IN PROGRESS AND WE ARE WITH YOU UNTIL THE END."


3. (SBU) KARZAI COMMENTED ON THE LARGE NUMBER OF WOMEN WHO
HAD BEEN ELECTED TO PARLIAMENT (71 IN THE LOWER HOUSE),MANY
OF WHOM HAD WON THEIR SEATS OUTRIGHT RATHER THAN THROUGH THE
25 PERCENT RESERVATION FOR WOMEN. HE GAVE THE EXAMPLE OF A
FEMALE CANDIDATE IN HERAT PROVINCE, WHICH SENT 17 MPS TO THE
NATIONAL ASSEMBLY, WHO RECEIVED THE MOST VOTES OF THE 17, AS
WELL CASES IN FARAH AND JALALABAD.


4. (SBU) AFTER REFERRING TO THE "LAZY AND CORRUPT"
BUREAUCRACY, THE PRESIDENT CHARACTERIZED TERRORISM AS
"DEFEATED" BUT NOT "COMPLETELY GONE". ATTACKS ON SOFT
TARGETS, SUCH AS SCHOOLS AND CLERGY, WERE A SIGN OF THE
TERRORISTS' INCREASING DESPERATION, HE SAID, AND WOULD ONLY
MAKE THEM MORE HATED BY THE AFGHAN PEOPLE. POPPY CULTIVATION
WAS THE BIGGEST CHALLENGE FACING AFGHANISTAN, IN KARZAI'S
VIEW, ALTHOUGH HE SAID HIS PRELIMINARY INFORMATION INDICATED
THAT POPPY CULTIVATION HAD DECLINED IN 11 PROVINCES THIS
YEAR. (NOTE: HIS STAFF DEMURRED, SAYING THIS INFORMATION
WAS ONLY ANECDOTAL, AND WHEN HE ASKED AMBASSADOR NEUMANN FOR
HIS VIEWS, THE AMBASSADOR REPLIED THAT, ALTHOUGH IT WAS TOO
EARLY TO TELL, HE WOULD HAVE A BETTER FEEL AFTER THE
COMPLETION OF THE GOVERNOR-LED ERADICATION CAMPAIGNS. END
NOTE)


5. (SBU) KARZAI DESCRIBED THE OVERALL RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN
AFGHANISTAN AND PAKISTAN AS "EXCELLENT," COMMENTING ON THE
FIVE-FOLD INCREASE IN PAKISTANI EXPORTS IN THE PAST FIVE
YEARS. THE ONLY AREA OF FRICTION - "AND IT IS QUITE BITTER"
- IS IN THE FIGHT AGAINST TERRORISM. IF THE REGIONAL ELEMENT
OF AL-QAEDA WERE HANDLED FORCEFULLY BY PAKISTAN, "THERE WOULD
BE NO TWO COUNTRIES MORE FRIENDLY."


6. (SBU) IN RESPONSE TO A QUESTION FROM SENATOR BAYH, THE
PRESIDENT DESCRIBED VOTING IN THE 2004 PRESIDENTIAL ELECTIONS
AS NOT "ENTIRELY" ETHNIC, PARTICULARLY IN LARGE URBAN
CENTERS. HE ALSO GAVE EXAMPLES OF TAJIK-DOMINATED PROVINCES
WHERE HE, A PASHTUN, HAD CARRIED THE VOTE. HE CHARACTERIZED
THE VOTING PATTERNS IN THE PARLIAMENTARY AND PROVINCIAL
COUNCIL ELECTIONS AS "SUB-ETHNIC" - TRIBE AND CLAN BASED.
KARZAI SAID THE DECISIONS ON THE LEADERSHIP IN BOTH HOUSES OF
PARLIAMENT WERE NOT DETERMINED BY ETHNICITY; FOR EXAMPLE,
QANOONI, A TAJIK, RECEIVED THE VOTES OF ALL THE MPS FROM THE
PASHTUN STRONGHOLD OF KANDAHAR. AMBASSADOR NEUMANN PRAISED
PROFESSOR SAYYAF FOR BEING A GOOD LOSER AND ADVANCING THE
CONCEPT (SOMEWHAT FOREIGN IN AFGHAN CULTURE) THAT LOSING IS
NOT DISHONORABLE. KARZAI SAID THAT, ALTHOUGH ETHNICITY WAS
PRESENT, IT WAS DISCUSSED MORE BY FOREIGNERS AND THE PRESS
THAN IT WAS BY AFGHANS, WHO HAVE ALWAYS HAD A CONCEPT OF
NATIONAL IDENTITY.


7. (SBU) SENATOR BOND, NOTING THAT ALL THREE MEMBERS OF THE
DELEGATION CAME FROM AGRICULTURAL STATES, OFFERED TO HELP
AFGHANISTAN WITH AGRICULTURAL EQUIPMENT AND INPUTS TO ASSIST
IN THE COUNTERNARCOTICS EFFORT, AN OFFER WHICH THE PRESIDENT
ENTHUSIASTICALLY ACCEPTED. WHEN ASKED BY REPRESENTATIVE FORD
ABOUT OTHER AREAS WHERE HELP WOULD BE WELCOMED, KARZAI
MENTIONED TERRORISM AND THE DAY TO DAY LAW AND ORDER
SITUATION, WHICH COULD BE IMPROVED BY BETTER POLICE TRAINING.
WHILE 40,000 HAVE BEEN TRAINED, THE GOAL IS 80,000, KARZAI
SAID. KARZAI EMPHASIZED THE NEED FOR QUALITY, LONGER-TERM
TRAINING FOR THE OFTEN ILLITERATE POLICE, NOTING THAT "QUICK
IMPACT" ACTUALLY MEANS A PROJECT IS "NOT THERE TOMORROW". HE
ACKNOWLEDGED THE NEED FOR THE GOA TO INCREASE ITS TAX
COLLECTION EFFORTS (ONLY 20 PERCENT OF CUSTOMS DUTIES ARE
ACTUALLY COLLECTED) SO THAT AFGHANISTAN COULD BECOME LESS
DEPENDENT ON THE INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY'S LARGESSE.


8. (U) THIS CABLE WAS NOT CLEARED BY CODEL BAYH BEFORE THEY
DEPARTED POST.
NORLAND