U.S. COORDINATOR FOR COUNTERNARCOTICS AND JUSTICE

C O N F I D E N T I A L USEU BRUSSELS 003511

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

DEPARTMENT FOR EUR/ERA (NDEAN); EUR/RPM (JHILLMEYER); SCA;
INL/FO
JOINT STAFF FOR ENP (JHIRST, JSEAMON, JDIENNO) AND ENRA
(MSHIELDS)

E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/13/2017
TAGS: PREL MARR EUN AF
SUBJECT: U.S. COORDINATOR FOR COUNTERNARCOTICS AND JUSTICE

REFORM IN AFGHANISTAN SCHWEICH'S MEETING WITH EUPOL HEAD OF
MISSION IN BRUSSELS

REF: BRUSSELS 02603

Classified By: USEU Pol-Mil Chief Jeremy Brenner for reasons 1.4 (b) an
d (d)


1. (C) Summary. The EU Police Mission in Afghanistan is
deeply interested in working closely with the U.S. The EUPOL
mission was delayed in its deployment by internal procurement
difficulties, but these have been resolved and vehicles and
equipment should be delivered by January. The EUPOL mission
is supportive of the Focused District Development program
(FDD),but its current mandate does not provide for working
at the district level. End summary.


2. (C) Brigadier General Jurgen Scholz, the
recently-appointed Head of Mission for the European Union's
police training mission in Afghanistan (EUPOL) met November
29 with Ambassador Tom Schweich, U.S. Coordinator for
Counternarcotics and Justice Reform in Afghanistan. They
were joined by the USEU Charge, Political Minister-Counselor,
Pol-Mil Chief, and Joint Staff Liaison officer to review
EUPOL developments and examine ways for the U.S. to support
the mission. BG Scholz expressed the "deep interest" within
the EU for working closely with the U.S. on Afghan police
training. He acknowledged the difficulties that EUPOL has
encountered in reaching full operational capability, and said
that it will take some more time. He attributed much of the
delay to internal EU procurement procedures, which hampered
EUPOL's ability to get the equipment they needed to deploy
effectively. The need to negotiate individual bilateral
Technical Arrangements with lead nations for deployment to
PRTs caused additional delays. Scholz said that the
procurement issues have been resolved, and he expects to have
the necessary vehicles, communication equipment and
cryptographic gear in theater by January.


3. (C) General Scholz said that he has used the time since
his appointment to develop a new "organogram" for EUPOL and
to establish a more streamlined chain of command. He
characterized relations with BG Cone, Commander of the U.S.
Combined Security Transition Command for Afghanistan
(CSTC-A),as "excellent, but fragile." He urged closer
cooperation and coordination with the U.S. at all levels.


4. (C) The EUPOL HOM said that a priority of the mission
will be to work on reforming the Ministry of the Interior.
He urged close coordination with the U.S. in order to avoid
giving contradictory input. Any suggestion of a divergence
between the EU and the U.S. would be exploited by the
Afghans. Scholz said that he and BG Cone are in full
agreement that 90 mentors working with the MOI is
"ridiculous," and the international effort should be reshaped
to address corruption within the Ministry.


5. (C) In response to a question from DAS Schweich
concerning the "Focused District Development" program, Scholz
said that EUPOL would not be deeply engaged in the "robust
pillar" of Afghan police, and asked how much military style
training we considered necessary. He acknowledged the need
for skills and equipment to allow the police to counter
attacks by anti-coalition militias (ACM),but said that
involvement in this component of police training would be
politically problematic for the EU. Scholz was adamant that
the civil order police must not come under Ministry of
Defense (MOD) authority, but must be under civilian control.
He emphasized that he is not critical of the concept, but
noted that EUPOL has no mandate for working with the civil
order police.


6. (C) In response to General Scholz's expressed desire to
find ways to cooperate more closely with the U.S. police
training effort, Ambassador Schweich said he believed the
U.S. might be able to accommodate 10-12 EUPOL officers in the
Regional Training Center in Kandahar. Further discussions
will be required with the Bureau for European Affairs to
determine how to support EUPOL's deployment to PRTs elsewhere
in the country. Ambassador Schweich emphasized that any
eventual U.S. support would have to be provided only within
our means and capabilities. General Scholz acknowledged this
principle and said that force protection and vehicles are the


key short-term requirements. He said that EUPOL currently is
budgeted for force protection teams only in Kabul, not for
PRTs. The procurement problems that hindered the initial
deployment of the mission have been largely resolved, and
EUPOL expects delivery of armored vehicles beginning in
January. Scholz reiterated that ISAF support to the mission
is limited only to in extremis assistance, and that there is
a need for bilateral arrangements with the U.S. in order for
the mission to fully deploy.


7. (C) Scholz made the point several times during the
meeting that the EU wishes to signal Washington of its "deep
interest" in working closely with the U.S. on concrete
actions. He will maintain a close dialog with CSTC-A, and
expects soon to have an action plan that will spell out
EUPOL's activity in the provinces.


8. (U) Ambassador Schweich has cleared this message.

Murray
.