Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
06KABUL4990
2006-10-11 14:57:00
CONFIDENTIAL
Embassy Kabul
Cable title:  

GOA'S PLANS AND EXPECTATIONS FOR THE CROSS-BORDER

Tags:  PGOV PREL PTER AF 
pdf how-to read a cable
VZCZCXRO5948
OO RUEHDBU
DE RUEHBUL #4990/01 2841457
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
O 111457Z OCT 06
FM AMEMBASSY KABUL
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 3460
INFO RUCNAFG/AFGHANISTAN COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
RUEHZG/NATO EU COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHINGTON DC PRIORITY
RHEHAAA/NSC WASHINGTON DC PRIORITY
RHEFDIA/DIA WASHINGTON DC PRIORITY
RUEKJCS/OSD WASHINGTON DC PRIORITY
RUEKJCS/JOINT STAFF WASHINGTON DC PRIORITY
RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHINGTON DC PRIORITY
RUEHNO/USMISSION USNATO PRIORITY 3278
RHMFISS/HQ USCENTCOM MACDILL AFB FL PRIORITY
RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK PRIORITY 3149
C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 KABUL 004990 

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

DEPT FOR SCA/FO DAS GASTRIGHT, SCA/A
STATE PASS TO USAID FOR AID/ANE, AID/DCHA/DG
NSC FOR AHARRIMAN
CENTCOM FOR CG CFC-A. CG CJTF-76 POLAD

E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/11/2016
TAGS: PGOV PREL PTER AF
SUBJECT: GOA'S PLANS AND EXPECTATIONS FOR THE CROSS-BORDER
JIRGA INITIATIVE

Classified By: Charge d'Affaires, a.i. R. Norland, for Reasons 1.4 (B)
AND (D)

-------
SUMMARY
-------

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 KABUL 004990

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

DEPT FOR SCA/FO DAS GASTRIGHT, SCA/A
STATE PASS TO USAID FOR AID/ANE, AID/DCHA/DG
NSC FOR AHARRIMAN
CENTCOM FOR CG CFC-A. CG CJTF-76 POLAD

E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/11/2016
TAGS: PGOV PREL PTER AF
SUBJECT: GOA'S PLANS AND EXPECTATIONS FOR THE CROSS-BORDER
JIRGA INITIATIVE

Classified By: Charge d'Affaires, a.i. R. Norland, for Reasons 1.4 (B)
AND (D)

--------------
SUMMARY
--------------


1. (C) NSA Dr. Zalmay Rasool met with Charge on October 11
to review the GOA's expectations regarding the grand jirgas
agreed to during the September 27 trilateral dinner with
President Bush. Rasool said the focus should be on security
issues in the border region and the goal would be to mobilize
civil society against terrorism. Agreements by tribal elders
on actions to counter terrorism and on prohibitions against
violence will have "moral force" more powerful than law and
go a long way to bringing security to the region. Rasool
expects the parallel jirgas in Afghanistan and Pakistan to
each last one or two days, with both President Karzai and
President Mucharraf attending both events. President Karzai
is aiming for dates in late November or early December if
possible. The "paired" locations would likely be Peshawar
and Kandahar or, alternatively, Quetta and Jalalabad.


2. (C) The GOA would like for there to be parallel, wide,
national representation in both jirgas, and hopes the U.S.
and the UN would actively support a small bilateral
commission responsible for planning, including overseeing the
selection process. The GOA will name its point of contact
(and senior commission member) soon -- after consulting with
the U.S. and the UN. While the GOA would like strong U.S.
engagement during the planning process, Rasool described the
international community role during the jirgas themselves as
a "monitor or observer -- as during the elections." This
would lead to the U.S. having a "facilitative" role as both
sides followed up on the commitments made. Rasool underlined
need for international help on logistics and security for the
jirgas themselves. Karzai has scheduled a meeting with UN
SRSG Koenigs and Charge on October 12 to further outline the
GOA on the jirga process. End Summary.


-------------- --------------
The Agenda: Security; The Goal: Moral Commitments
-------------- --------------


3. (C) Charge, A/DCM, and POLCOUNS met with NSA Rasool on
October 11 to review President Karzai's latest thinking on
the agenda, goals, and plans for the parallel Afghan and
Pakistani grand jirgas agreed to during the September 27
trilateral meeting at the White House. Rasool said the
agenda would be "mobilizing civil society against terrorism,"
in short "dealing with security issues in the (cross-border)
region." Rasool agreed tangible confidence-building measures
and development incentives might be useful, but underlined
that, in his view, the key goals were agreements, reached by
discussion and then consensus among the tribal leaders
attending and representing the groups in the region. There
would be agreements "to do some things and to prohibit some
things" in order to reduce violence and counter terrorism.
He emphasized that, in tribal culture, "these agreements
become absolute commitments and have great moral force."

-------------- --------------
The Structure: Parallel Structure and Participation
-------------- --------------


4. (C) Rasool confirmed Afghanistan expects two, parallel
jirgas, one on each side of the border. Each would last a
day or two. President Karzai and President Musharraf would
attend both. Asked about likely location, he said the jirgas
would be in the region, in cities that have facilities for
the meetings and can handle the numbers, which he predicted
would be over a thousand for each. To avoid concentrating
both jirgas in one region, if the Pakistanis decide to hold
theirs in Peshawar, the Afghan jirga will be in Kandahar. If
the Pakistanis decide on Quetta, Afghanistan will choose
Jalalabad.

KABUL 00004990 002 OF 002




5. (C) According to Rasool, Afghanistan would like to extend
the idea of parallelism to participation. Acknowledging the
process will be controversial, Rasool proposed a small
commission -- five or so members from Pakistan and from
Afghanistan. Supported by the U.S. and UN representatives,
the two countries would negotiate guidelines for choosing
participation in both jirgas, with the U.S. and UN overseeing
the process, including selection, to ensure that both jirgas
have "genuine representation -- so neither side can load its
list." (Note: Other senior Afghans have expressed concern
that Musharraf (some also mention Karzai) will work to
exclude participation of those unwilling to follow the
government's script. End Note) Rasool said the idea is to
have national representatives as a complement to the tribal
participants. "We do not want this to be a Pashtun jirga."
Parliament, whose members represent the different provinces,
would need to be included, "but not all members."


6. (C) Rasool confirmed that the process would be run from
the Palace rather than any ministry. Rasool himself would be
one of the five individuals who would serve on the
commission. He said President Karzai is considering several
candidates and would name the GOA's point of contact (and
senior planning commission member for Afghanistan) very
shortly. He volunteered that the person to be named would be
discussed with the U.S. prior to any announcement, adding
that both the U.S. and the UN would be invited to vet the
list of proposed participants in the Afghan jirga itself.

--------------
Timing and IC Role
--------------


7. (C) President Karzai is still aiming for dates late in
November or early in December for the jirgas, according to
Rasool. He underlined that this will be possible only with
significant international support, not just on the planning
and selection commission, but on logistics and particularly
security. International participation in the jirgas
themselves will be as "monitors or observers -- as during the
elections. This, according to Rasool, will facilitate a
third IC role in the post-jurga period -- as guarantors to
implementation of whatever decisions are made.

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


8. (C) In addition to discussing this with us, the GOA has
also reached out to UNAMA. The GOA appears to see the U.S.
and the UN jointly as providing the necessary international
community support for the jirgas. Zarzai has asked to meet
with UN SRSG Tom Koenigs and Charge late on October 12 to
further outline GOA thinking. End Comment.
NORLAND