FATA PLAN IMPLEMENTATION UPDATE

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 ISLAMABAD 004889 SIPDIS SENSITIVE SIPDIS DEPT ALSO FOR PRM/ANE KABUL FOR REFCOORD E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PGOV PREL EAID MASS PK SUBJECT: FATA PLAN IMPLEMENTATION UPDATE REF: ISLAMABAD 4601 ¶1. (SBU) SUMMARY: Post still awaits publication of the Central Command Planning Order that will formalize the security development plan (SDP). Post appreciates funding for Pashto radio programming and the temporary FATA Coordinator, and will continue to urge Pakistani leadership to appoint a FATA czar for overall coordination. Post briefed CENTCOM's Admiral Fallon, developed a public information strategy, and is moving ahead with USAID education assistance and DEA training. END SUMMARY. FATA Coordination -------------- ¶2. (SBU) Hank Hendrickson arrived November 15 in Islamabad to assume responsibility as the Mission's FATA coordinator. We continue to urge the GOP to appoint a FATA czar as their government's point of contact for effective overarching coordination. ODRP: Training Center and Border Coordination -------------- - ¶3. (SBU) Equipment issues should not delay the initial training course at the Frontier Corps Training Center. The contractor is confident it can meet the January 15 delivery date for the required "train the trainer" equipment. The initial shipment will go to Warsak or Peshawar to simplify distribution and subsequent deliveries will be coordinated with Frontier Corps Headquarters. With a 90-day lead time, all equipment could conceivably be in Pakistan by March 2008. A contractor site survey from November 15-19 will give us a better timeline for infrastructure. ¶4. (SBU) "Border coordination center" (BCC) is the new name for the former "border surveillance center", a change made by the Combined Joint Task Force-82 (CJTF-82) in Afghanistan, with concurrence from the Afghan National Army and Pakistani military leadership. The new name emphasizes coordination and dispels misperceptions about the BCCs as intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance facilities. The Torkham BCC should be operational by March 2008; construction of the Lwara Dashte BCC is delayed, pending resolution of contractor and materials security. The original BCC budget assumed Afghan military security, but the Afghans said they were unable to provide it, so CJTF-82 looked at a contracted option. Contracted security would be expensive and ODRP is unwilling to pay for it by diverting funds from Frontier Corps projects. ODRP wants the Afghan military to honor their commitment. ¶5. (SBU) Post briefed Admiral Fallon on its FATA efforts during his November 2 visit. We eagerly await publication of the Central Command Planning Order, the tasking authority to implement SDP. Public Diplomacy -------------- ¶6. (SBU) The Public Affairs Section (PAS) has developed multiple strategies to build public support of Pakistan's FATA development plan and public acceptance and support for its social, political, and economic objectives. The strategies will be coordinated with the FATA Secretariat in close cooperation with USAID/OTI; details will be provided septel. PAS is collecting input from other Mission offices to establish a page on the Mission web site that outlines USG assistance in the FATA. ¶7. (SBU) A military information support team (MIST) assessment group briefed Post on November 15 on their evaluation of the environment for information operations in Islamabad and Peshawar. Their plan is to coordinate with all Mission agencies, develop a positive message, and develop capabilities to aid both USG and Pakistan information campaigns. PAS will coordinate their efforts with resources that the MIST can offer. USAID -------------- ¶8. (SBU) USAID signed a USD 90 million cooperative agreement for education, with USD 40 million planned for the FATA. USAID will begin a mapping exercise to assess basic enrollment and school data, and work with the FATA Secretariat's Directorate of Education to increase educational capacity and management. ¶9. (SBU) Mark Ward, USAID Senior Deputy Assistant Administrator for Asia and the Near East, visited Peshawar October 28-30 for ISLAMABAD 00004889 002 OF 002 discussions with key FATA officials regarding the FATA program and to discuss possible areas of cooperation. He also awarded scholarships to FATA students for study in Peshawar; visited a USAID-funded Campus Radio Station at University of Peshawar; and spoke with students at the Lincoln Corner about the FATA program. DEA --- ¶10. (SBU) The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) is working with DOD to secure funding to deploy TDY teams of counter narcotics contract trainers to Pakistan. Funded under a related program for Afghanistan, the teams would provide sustained counter narcotics training to the Frontier Corps at the Warsak Center, coordinated by DEA and ODRP. PATTERSON