AFGHANISTAN: GERMANY INCREASES DEVELOPMENT AID 25%

UNCLAS BERLIN 000408 SIPDIS SENSITIVE SIPDIS STATE FOR SCA/FO - NEIL KROMASH, EUR/AGS USAID FOR MARK WARD KABUL FOR ECON COUNSELOR JOHN SPILSBURY E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: EAID ECON GM AF SUBJECT: AFGHANISTAN: GERMANY INCREASES DEVELOPMENT AID 25% ¶1. (SBU) Development Minister Heidemarie Wieczorek-Zeul announced on February 27 that Germany would immediately increase reconstruction support by EUR 20 million, bringing Germany's overall bilateral Afghanistan development aid to EUR 100 million annually. The German money will target primary education in line with requests from the Afghan government and following ongoing discussions between Germany and Afghanistan's Ministry of Education. The remainder of the funds will support other development initiatives in sectors to be finalized in May through bilateral negotiations. The new programming will also include projects in the southern region, beyond the traditional German development focus in the north. ¶2. (SBU) Development Ministry contacts informed Emboff that the timing of this announcement -- as the Bundestag debated a parliamentary mandate for the deployment of six to eight German Tornado surveillance aircraft to Afghanistan -- was not coincidental. The announcement by Minister Wieczorek-Zeul, formerly the deputy head of the SPD, effectively counters claims in the Bundestag from the opposition Left Party and Greens that the 40 million euros to be spent on the Tornado deployment should be allocated to development aid. DevMin officials acknowledged privately to Emboff that ongoing pressure from allies, particularly the United States and Canada, as well as from the Afghanistan government itself, to increase development aid had affected the decision. ¶3. (SBU) Comment. The latest announcement represents a significant departure from previous German positions on Afghanistan aid. Germany already contributes more bilateral assistance to Afghanistan than to any other country and claimed that its existing efforts appropriately reflected Afghanistan's position as the country's top development priority. End Comment. KOENIG