AFGHANISTAN: TWO BILLION YEN FOR PROJECTS

UNCLAS TOKYO 001006 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: EAID PREL NATO AFIN PINR JA SUBJECT: AFGHANISTAN: TWO BILLION YEN FOR PROJECTS IDENTIFIED BY NATO PRTS REF: A. TOKYO 00930 ¶B. TOKYO 00957 ¶1. (U) At the March 8 GOJ-NATO Tokyo Meeting, Deputy Minister Yabunaka announced ODA of 2 billion yen for Afghanistan reconstruction by NGOs, municipalities, community and district organization. MOFA European Affairs Bureau European Policy Division Akima Fumezawa informed AID Counselor that this announcement of approximately 18 million USD follows Prime Minister Abe's January 16 pledge at NATO/Brussels to assist NATO. ¶2. (U) Second Country Assistance Planning Division Director Naofumi Hashimoto clarified the mechanism to disperse this ODA assistance. The NATO Provincial Reconstruction Teams are to identify reconstruction and humanitarian assistance projects and also to identify the assistance implementer (NGO, municipality, district or community). Japanese Embassy/Kabul, upon receiving from the PRT the identification of the project and project implementer, would then fund the program and its implementer through the Embassy Grassroots/Human Security Grants. Director Hashimoto stated the Japanese Embassy is already funding projects and implementers identified by German PRT. Hashimoto suggested construction projects such as health clinics, schools, roads, bridges, water systems, saying that the PRTs in consultation with the local people know the highest priority projects. Because of the limited number of staff at the Japanese Embassy, Director Hashimoto said that the Embassy would ask the PRTs also to help monitor the reconstruction implementation. ¶3. (U) The March 8 GOJ-NATO Meeting was led by NATO Assistant Secretary General Martin Erdmann and Deputy Minister Mitoji SIPDIS Yabunaka, complemented by Ministry of Defense Director General for International Affairs Masaru Tsuji. SCHIEFFER