CODEL DREIER AND PRESIDENT KARZAI ON PAKISTAN,

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 KABUL 005644

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E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PGOV PREL PTER AF
SUBJECT: CODEL DREIER AND PRESIDENT KARZAI ON PAKISTAN,
MUSA QALA, CORRUPTION, AND POLITICAL PARTIES


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SUMMARY
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1. (SBU) In their November 26 meeting with President Karzai,
Representatives David Dreier (R-CA),David Price (D-NC),Lois
Capps (D-CA),and Earl Pomeroy (D-ND) reaffirmed the USG's
unwavering commitment to providing development assistance and
combating terrorism in Afghanistan. The congressional
delegation (CODEL) also discussed Afghanistan's engagement
with Pakistan, public perceptions of the Musa Qala Agreement,
corruption and political parties. The CODEL informed Karzai
of its recent contribution to the library of the Afghan
Parliament and encouraged the GOA to use prosecutions of
high-profile anti-corruption cases to signal that corruption
will no longer be tolerated. End summary.

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CODEL DREIER'S THOUGHTS ON THE AFGHAN PARLIAMENT
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2. (SBU) Remarking on his visit to the Afghan Parliament,
Representative Dreier told Karzai how much he was impressed
by the parliamentarians. Dreier explained that during his
Parliamentary visit he signed a Memorandum of Understanding
with Acting Secretary General of the Lower House Ghulam
Hassan Gran pledging a donation of a core collection of
written materials and technical training for the
Parliament,s library staff. He also suggested that the GOA
and USG work together to find ways to ensure Afghan MP's have
greater opportunities to interact with the PRT's. Karzai
agreed, noting that "the more we decentralize, the better
we'll be able to govern."

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ENGAGEMENT WITH PAKISTAN
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3. (SBU) Karzai used the meeting as an opportunity to
highlight his concerns about Islamic extremism in Pakistan.
He noted that he was hearing bad things from Pakistan over
the last two days, referring to threats reportedly made
against Afghanistan by Lt. Gen. Ali Mohammad Jan Aurakzai,
Governor of Pakistan's Northwest Frontier Province. When
asked what the USG could do to help, Karzai encouraged the
USG to have a frank talk with Pakistan emphasizing that they
cannot become an Islamic power by relying on extremists.
"Tell them you will hang on in Afghanistan until (the USG) is
sure the border area is secure," Karzai suggested.

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PUBLIC PERCEPTIONS OF MUSA QALA
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4. (SBU) Regarding the Musa Qala Agreement, Karzai noted that
he was taking great pains to stress to the Afghan People and
international community that the GOA will under no
circumstances negotiate with the Taliban. He alleged that
Pakistan was, in fact, conducting such negotiations. He
acknowledged the Afghan public was particularly suspicious of
the Musa Qala Agreement precisely because of how soon it
followed Pakistan's North Waziristan Agreement. He said that
the timing of the two agreements had given some Afghans the
impression that both governments were negotiating with the
Taliban and providing them safe havens along the border area.
Karzai stressed that this was not the case in Afghanistan
and noted that the agreement is one between the British, the
governor of Helmand province, and tribal elders living in
Musa Qala. He reiterated that if Taliban elements resisted
ANP efforts to maintain order in Musa Qala, "We will crush
them."

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CORRUPTION AND AFGHANISTAN'S NEW "GUNSLINGER", AG SABIT
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5. (SBU) When asked about efforts to stem corruption, Karzai
noted that previous efforts had been hampered by a weak law
enforcement and a weak Attorney General. He highlighted his
recent appointment of Attorney General Sabit as a turning
point for the campaign against corruption. He likened Sabit
to a gunslinger in old Western movies who takes no prisoners
and voraciously goes after corrupt officials. He observed
that Sabit's public persona helped to create a new
environment in Afghanistan that both exposes and rejects
corruption. He stressed that the GOA had a measured plan of
action which would be very focused on three initiatives:
thoroughly prosecuting a small number of high-profile cases
against corrupt officials, "right-sizing" GOA ministries that
have grown too large, and paying adequate salaries to all
civil service employees.

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KARZAI HAS NO INTENTIONS OF CREATING POLITICAL PARTIES
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6. (SBU) In response to CODEL,s question about forming his
own political party, Karzai reflected on his role as
President at this stage of Afghanistan's political
development. He stressed that it is essential to project
himself as a "President for all Afghans," explaining that
this idea lies behind his decision not to support development
of political parties in Afghanistan. Given the sour taste
that past actions by political parties and military
coalitions have left in the mouths of the Afghan public,
Karzai noted that any action on his part to create a party
system would lead the Afghan people to view him as a
President only for the people of the party he sought to
create - not as a President for all Afghans.
NEUMANN