KABUL SCENESETTER FOR CODEL INHOFE

UNCLAS KABUL 002365 SIPDIS SENSITIVE SIPDIS STATE PASS H SCOTT FISHER E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PREL PGOV ECON OTRA AF SUBJECT: KABUL SCENESETTER FOR CODEL INHOFE ¶1. (SBU) Summary: The U.S. effort in Afghanistan continues to promote economic reconstruction, build democratic institutions and develop the government's capacity to deal with continuing threats to security. The Afghanistan Compact adopted at the January London Conference and Parliament elected in September and seated in December 2005 are major achievements. Significant challenges remain however, including the need for economic reform and development and an uptick in the level of violence this year, particularly in the south. The recent Christian convert case of Abdul Rahman caused perplexity among many in the West and concern among the Afghan population because of the contradiction in the Afghan Constitution between the right enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and respect for Sharia Law - both of which are written into the Constitution. In order to ensure that U.S. nation-building efforts in Afghanistan are successful, we will have to remain committed for years to come to ensure that Afghanistan does not once again become a breeding ground for extremist terrorist groups. End Summary. The Afghanistan Compact -------------- ¶2. (SBU) At the January 2006 Afghanistan Conference in London, President Karzai presented to the world the face of a reborn and newly confident Afghanistan that, with the seating of its first parliament in 32 years, has successfully fulfilled the last major task set out in the 2001 Bonn Agreement. There he delivered to the broader international donor community a post-Bonn vision of integrated political, economic and social development designed to ensure a donor and IFI commitment to provide Afghanistan the support needed to see it through the next five years. An Afghanistan Compact that lays out these accomplishments and this vision was endorsed by over 60 national delegations who pledged USD 10.5 billion in additional support. The key principle of the Compact is Afghan leadership of - and accountability for - its reconstruction and development process. It identifies four interdependent areas - Security; Governance, Rule of Law and Human Rights; and Sustainable Economic and Social Development; plus a crosscutting Counternarcotics agenda that need to be tackled over the next five years. The Compact sets out over 90 high-level benchmarks to measure progress and creates a UN and GoA-led monitoring and coordination board to ensure appropriate GoA and international community engagement. The Afghan Economy -------------- ¶3. (SBU) In the four and a half years since the Taliban's defeat, post-conflict Afghanistan has achieved a remarkable degree of macro-economic stability that is laying a foundation for economic growth, development and job creation. Yet progress is fragile - with an average longevity of only 47 years, twenty percent literacy, and only 6 percent of the population enjoying access to electricity from the national grid - life for millions of Afghans has not advanced much beyond the Middle Ages. Sustaining a viable Afghan nation will require the GoA to continue structural reforms encouraging private sector development; work hard to enhance customs and tax revenue generation; target its limited budget resources at pro-poor spending and productive investment; and contain wage costs. Until that point ) at least a decade down the road -- when the GoA can generate sufficient domestic customs and tax revenue to cover its recurring budget expenses, Afghanistan will require a steady, reliable and well-coordinated flow of assistance from the United States and from the broad international donor community. ¶4. (U) Economic growth in Afghanistan will be driven by private sector-led development. The most serious constraints on such private sector development remain security and access to basic factors of production, including physical utilities and infrastructure (power, water, telecom, roads, etc.), land, skilled labor and finance. The willingness of investors to put capital into play is further limited by a still inadequate commercial and financial sector activity. None of these constraints is unique to Afghanistan,s post-conflict economy. But their concentration and telescoped immediacy brings the limited capacity of the GoA's line economic ministries into sharp relief. Two key areas of commercial reform where the GoA has lagged are in establishing a legislative framework and in privatizing state-owned enterprises. Parliament -------------- ¶5. (U) Afghanistan's National Assembly is the country's first democratically elected legislature since the Soviet invasion. Its members are diverse, including former warlords and mujahideen commanders, tribal leaders, intellectuals, former leftists, reconciled Taliban and professionals. All are eager to learn from international experience and wish to establish a close relationship with the U.S. Congress. ¶6. (U) The National Assembly consists of two houses, the Meshrano Jirga (upper house - 68 members elected by Provincial Councils and 34 appointed by President Karzai) and the Wolesi Jirga (lower house ) 249 members elected by province on September 18, 2005). One of the great achievements of Afghan women in post-Bonn Afghanistan is the fact that there are 68 women (one-quarter) in the Wolesi Jirga and 29 women in the Meshrano Jirga. These women MPs are talented and playing a vital and accepted role in the Parliament. ¶7. (SBU) Parliament has hit a rough spot after months of successfully organizing itself and a positive vote on the Cabinet (confirming 20 of 25 ministers). Parliament rejected the Afghan budget May 21 ) on the grounds civil service salaries and payments to the disabled should be increased. The GOA was not able to accept these amendments due to international conditions attached to the budget, and the process is now at an impasse. On May 24, Parliament approved only two of nine Supreme Court Justice nominees ) with voting that may have taken place on ethnic grounds. They have also spent an extended amount of time talking about internal procedures (including the definition of a parliamentary majority). The upper house of Parliament also recently voted to form a commission to review the security situation in the country. ¶8. (U) USAID funds several projects to support the National Assembly. They technical assistance and training on legal procedure through the State University of New York (SUNY) Center for International Development. The National Democratic Institute (NDI) and International Republican Institute (IRI),which receive USAID funding, will also conduct programs on constituent relations and coalition-building in the near future. Abdul Rahman Case -------------- ¶9. (SBU) The Christian convert case of Abdul Rahman focused international attention on the lack of protection for religious freedom (the right of conversion) in Afghanistan. Credible evidence indicated that Rahman had a history of being under a doctor's care, and on medication, as well as allegedly abusing his family. The case received huge attention both in the West and in Afghanistan where the overwhelming majority of Afghans, in their interpretation of Islam,s tenets, do not support the right of conversion. A contradiction remains in the Afghan Constitution, which states that & no law can be contrary to the beliefs and provisions of the sacred religion of Islam,8 (and Shariah Law),while also stating support for the Universal Declaration on Human Rights, which specifically includes the right of conversion. Helping Afghanistan to resolve this contradiction will likely be the focus of our efforts for some time. The GOA was able to release Rahman from detention on the grounds that facts concerning his mental state rendered the case incomplete, and he subsequently received asylum in Italy. Security -------------- ¶10. (SBU) There has been a significant increase in security incidents and attacks since the beginning of the year, an increase which the Embassy predicted. There are many reasons behind the upsurge ) from pushback to poppy interdiction efforts in the south, to the Taliban,s desire to &test8 newly-arriving ISAF forces taking over from the coalition in the South. The GOA is developing a plan to send more Afghan National Police to areas in the south which have heightened security concerns. Details on the security situation are sensitive, but the codel will be briefed on the key issues the morning of their arrival. Conclusion -------------- ¶11. (SBU) Afghanistan is where the 9/11 plot was hatched. The U.S government is working hard at the task of nation-building to ensure that Afghanistan will never again be the source of another major terrorist attack. In order to succeed, it is crucial that we continue our long term commitment to support the creation of a democratic, stable and prosperous Afghanistan. We will continue to work on security to provide a safe environment for development. Many challenges remain in improving the economy, putting Afghanistan's nascent democracy on a stronger footing and creating a stable Afghanistan that is part of the modern world. It is in our country's vital interest to see this effort through. NEUMANN