FINNS SEEK ASSURANCES WEAPONS DONATIONS WOULD

UNCLAS KABUL 002919 SIPDIS DEPARTMENT FOR SCA/FO, SCA/A, S/CRS, EUR/RPM, EUR/NB NSC FOR HARRIMAN OSD FOR BRZEZINSKI CENTCOM FOR CG CFC-A, CG CJTF-76 SIPDIS SENSITIVE E.O. 12958 N/A TAGS: PGOV PREL FI AF SUBJECT: FINNS SEEK ASSURANCES WEAPONS DONATIONS WOULD GO TO ANP ONLY ¶1. (SBU) Summary: Finnish Ambassador Antti Koistinen held separate meetings with Ambassador Neumann and CSTC-A Brigadier General OBrien the week of June 19 to inquire whether a donation of one hundred thousand AK-47s requested by the Afghans could be given to the ANP with guarantees that they would not be distributed to the ANA or irregular forces. The GOF would only consider the donation with such assurances. BG OBrien assured Koistinen that CSTC-A could guarantee donated weapons would be distributed solely to the ANP. Koistinen could not confirm a timeline, even if the donation were approved, and suggested a team of experts might need to be sent to analyze the distribution mechanisms. OBrien asked whether Finland could contribute to police training, and Koistinen said he would take the request back to Helsinki. End Summary. ¶2. (SBU) Finnish Ambassador to Afghanistan Antti Koistinen met with Ambassador Neumann June 21 to raise GOF concerns that a possible donation of Finnish weapons to the ANP could end up with the ANA or provincial irregulars or militias. Koistinen said the GOA recently requested a Finnish donation of one hundred thousand used/warehoused Kalashnikovs for the ANP, but Finlands strict bars on weapons donations required assurances any donated weapons would be used solely by the ANP. Koistinen said the GOF required ed such a guarantee prior to the Foreign Affairs Committee meeting to be held the week of June 26. Ambassador Neumann explained that he strongly supports the donation, but suggested that Ambassador Koistinen speak with CSTC-A regarding ANP programs. ¶3. (SBU) Ambassador Koistinen met with CSTC-A Brigadier General OBrien and PolMilOff June 24 to discuss the issue. BG OBrien said CSTC-A has procedures in place to distribute weapons to the ANP and could guarantee a firewall between the ANP and ANA (i.e. that no weapons would end up with the ANA). BG OBrien and PolMilOff also confirmed that the U.S. is not equipping irregulars or militias, and that any donation would be distributed only to the ANP. Ambassador Koistinen said this last point was particularly important to the Finnish government. ¶4. (SBU) Koistinen indicated that even if the Finnish government decides in favor of the donation, he could not offer a timeline for actual weapons transfer. He He mentioned the possibility of sending a team of technical experts to discuss the distribution mechanism with CSTC-A officers. OBrien warmly welcomed such a visit. ¶5. (SBU) BG OBrien asked if the Finns would be willing to contribute police trainers, noting a number of vacancies in the trainer program. Koistinen responded positively, noting that the Finns are training Iraqi police in Jordan, and said he would take that proposal back to Helsinki. NEUMANN