DEMARCHE ON JIRGA PREPARATIONS

C O N F I D E N T I A L STATE 093926 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 07/05/2017 TAGS: PGOV PK PREL PTER AF SUBJECT: DEMARCHE ON JIRGA PREPARATIONS Classified By: A/S Richard A. Boucher Reasons 1.4 (b) and (d) ¶1. This is an action request. Please see para 4. ¶2. (C) Proposed dates for the Afghanistan-Pakistan Crossborder Peace Jirga are less than four weeks away. Washington remains concerned that the two sides have not come to agreement on several key outstanding issues. It was hoped that the Bilateral Technical Committee would meet in Kabul the last week of June to address the outstanding questions, but it still has not met. ¶3. (C) Outstanding issues include: --Date of the jirga - the Afghan Commission Secretariat confirms that they still consider July 28 as SIPDIS the target start date --Duration of the jirga --List of representatives from each country --Agreed upon outcome for the jirga ¶4. (C) Action Request: Drawing on the background above, Embassies Kabul and Islamabad are requested to deliver demarches at the highest appropriate level urging: --That the Technical Committee meet next week. --That they reach agreement on date, duration, participation, and anticipated outcome. --That both parties aim for a simple, principled declaration as the outcome. RICE