SPAIN'S IDEAS FOR AFGHANISTAN

C O N F I D E N T I A L MADRID 000836 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 05/07/2017 TAGS: PREL MARR AF SP SUBJECT: SPAIN'S IDEAS FOR AFGHANISTAN REF: MADRID 824 Classified By: DCM Hugo Llorens for reasons 1.4 b & d. ¶1. (U) Please see action request in paragraph 7. ¶2. (C) SUMMARY: During a conversation with DCM on May 3 that focused on missile defense (reftel),MFA PolDir Rafael Dezcallar raised four issues related to Afghanistan. Dezcallar wanted to know whom in the Department MFA should contact regarding a conversation that FM Moratinos had with the Secretary in Oslo about a possible regional conference for Afghanistan. He wanted to get the USG reaction to Moratinos' proposal in Oslo to name a high-visibility UN civilian to focus international attention more on reconstruction and development efforts in Afghanistan. Dezcallar also mentioned that Iran was concerned about narcotics from Afghanistan and said that ISAF and OEF could have coordinated better before a recent offensive in Herat. END SUMMARY. ¶3. (C) REGIONAL CONFERENCE: Dezcallar said that during the recent Oslo NATO Ministerial, Moratinos proposed a regional conference to support Afghanistan. The conference would review development, governance, counternarcotics, and security efforts in Afghanistan, with an eye towards how the region could work together to support these efforts. Dezcallar said that Moratinos had proposed Pakistan as the location for the conference, but that when Moratinos spoke to the Secretary later she supported the concept but suggested Kazakhstan instead. He said that Spain has no preference about the location. Dezcallar asked how Spain should follow up to get Department input on the substance and mechanics of the proposed conference. ¶4. (C) UN REP: Dezcallar said that Moratinos had also proposed at Oslo that the UN name a senior representative for Afghanistan to put a civilian face on international efforts there. He said that the current image is too military. (COMMENT. It isn't clear to Post whether Spain disagrees with the mandate of the current UNSYG Special Rep for Afghanistan, or simply thinks that the incumbent doesn't have a high enough profile. END COMMENT.) Dezcallar is interested in whether the US supports this proposal. ¶5. (C) IRAN/NARCOTICS: Based on his recent trip to Tehran, Dezcallar said that Iran is concerned by the flow of Afghani narcotics into Iran. Iranian officials told him that the problem is worse now than it was under the Taliban. Dezcallar said that while Iran does plenty of bad, it can also be helpful on certain issues, including possibly this one. Dezcallar emphasized that he wasn't making a specific proposal, but suggested that the US think about how someone in the international community might be able to usefully engage Iran on counternarcotics efforts. ¶6. (C) RECENT DEATHS IN HERAT: Dezcallar raised the issue of the recent battle in Herat that had killed 137 people. He said that this number of deaths would make Spanish relations with the local community more difficult. Dezcallar acknowledged that Spanish and other ISAF troops had supported the "OEF-led" offensive, but said that he wished they had been more involved in the planning. ¶7. (C) ACTION REQUEST: Post requests guidance on how to respond to Dezcallar about Moratinos' proposals for a regional conference and a high-profile civilian rep, as described in paragraphs 3-4 above. Aguirre