AFGHANISTAN: MALAYSIAN PRIME MINISTER TO VISIT

C O N F I D E N T I A L KUALA LUMPUR 000812 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 05/07/2027 TAGS: PREL MARR MASS MOPS EAID KISL AF MY SUBJECT: AFGHANISTAN: MALAYSIAN PRIME MINISTER TO VISIT KABUL JUNE 3-4 REF: A. KUALA LUMPUR 575 ¶B. KUALA LUMPUR 811 Classified By: Political Section Chief Mark D. Clark for reasons 1.4 (b and d). ¶1. (C) Summary: Prime Minister Abdullah Badawi plans to visit Kabul on June 3-4 at the invitation of the Aga Khan to attend an Enabling Environment Conference on Enhancing Private Investment and Development. Abdullah is expected to spend one over-night in Kabul on his 36 hour visit. A delegation of eleven Malaysian police and foreign ministry officials will leave Malaysia on May 7 to visit various Afghan government ministries in preparation for the upcoming state visit. End Summary. ¶2. (C) Afghan Embassy contacts advise us that the Malaysian Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) has been working with their embassy to arrange Prime Minister Abdullah Badawi's trip to Afghanistan currently scheduled for June 3-4. The Aga Khan visited Malaysia on March 9, and during that trip encouraged PM Abdullah to visit Kabul and attend the Aga Khan Foundation's development conference styled "an Enabling Environment Conference on Enhancing Private Investment and Development" and scheduled for June 3 - 5. Abdullah accepted the Aga Khan's invitation and plans are currently underway for a state visit to coincide with the conference. The Afghan Embassy is working with the Prime Minister's office to facilitate approximately fifty visitors from Malaysia to accompany the Prime Minister. Afghan Embassy officials report that PM Abdullah is scheduled to be in Kabul for approximately 36 hours, including an over-night at the Aga Khan-funded Kabul Serena Hotel. ¶3. (C) Afghan sources also informed us that an eleven person advance team, consisting of officials from the PM's office, MFA and Royal Malaysian Police, will depart Kuala Lumpur on May 7 to perform an initial assessment in preparation for the PM's state visit. ¶4. (C) MFA's South Asia division confirmed that the Prime Minister will attend the conference at the invitation of the Aga Khan and claimed the visit "is 90 percent certain to occur," but insisted that the Prime Minister's office has not yet confirmed whether he will remain in Kabul overnight. USDAO has not yet received a request for flight coordination or assistance from the GOM, but we have extended our offer of assistance. ¶5. (C) Comment: The GOM has long expressed its interest in visiting Kabul, and the MFA had previously confirmed PM Abdullah's intent to attend this June 2007 conference (ref A). As Chairman of the Organization of Islamic Conference (OIC),Abdullah has encouraged Muslim solutions to Muslim problems but has yet done little to contribute to the stability or reconstruction of either Afghanistan or Iraq. Abdullah's trip to Kabul on the heels of FM Hamid's visit to Baghdad (ref B) shows a heightened interest in taking some action relative to these conflict zones before handing over the OIC chair to Senegal in March 2008. We have long encouraged Malaysia to assist in meeting needs in Afghanistan and Iraq, and we hope that Malaysia's example will contribute to greater OIC interest in peace and stability in both countries. LAFLEUR