PRESIDENT KARZAI ISSUES DECREE ESTABLISHING

UNCLAS KABUL 004322 SIPDIS SIPDIS DEPT FOR SCA/FO DAS GASTRIGHT, SCA/A, E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PGOV KDEM AF SUBJECT: PRESIDENT KARZAI ISSUES DECREE ESTABLISHING TRANSPARENT APPOINTMENTS MECHANISM, SATISFYING FIRST LONDON COMPACT BENCHMARK ¶1. (U) On September 17, four days before the deadline, Afghanistan met the first benchmark from the London Compact (Pillar II: Governance, Rule of Law, and Human Rights) when President Karzai issued a decree establishing a Special Consultative Board to recommend candidates for Presidential appointment to posts as provincial governor, deputy minister, provincial police commanders, provincial intelligence heads, and members of the independent civil service commission (IARCSC). These posts fall below ministerial rank but lie outside the scope of the Civil Service Commission. ¶2. (U) The decree also named five individuals to the Special Consultative Board, following criteria which, according to UNAMA's Senior Governance Officer, Shakti Sinha, satisfy Compact obligations. One member (Mr. Mohammad Farid Hamidi) was named from the Afghan Independent Human Rights Commission (AIHRC) at least at the level of Commissioner, nominated by the AIHRC Chairperson. Two additional persons (Mr. Enyat Enayatallah and Dr. M. Hashem Esmatullahi) were named by President Karzai, based on their standing of high repute and from diverse background. A fourth person (Ms. Homa Sabri) was nominated by the Co-Chairs of the Joint Coordination and Monitoring Board (JCMB). And the fifth person (Mr. Zakim Shah) was selected to serve by the previously-named members of the Board. Following the preference of the JCMB, the Chairperson of the Board will be selected by the Board members themselves. NORLAND