AFGHAN SPEAKER OF PARLIAMENT ASKS NAC FOR SUPPORT

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 USNATO 000165

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 02/15/2017
TAGS: MARR NATO PREL PTER AF PK
SUBJECT: AFGHAN SPEAKER OF PARLIAMENT ASKS NAC FOR SUPPORT

Classified By: Charge d'Affaires Ian Kelly, reasons 1.4 (b) and (d)


1. (C) SUMMARY. During a March 12 coffee with Permreps the
Speaker of Afghanistan,s Wolesi Jirga (Lower House of
Parliament)Yanus Qanuni challenged NATO to provide a
long-term commitment to Afghanistan. He said the Afghan
Parliament and people did not want NATO and international
military forces to leave the country prematurely, but rather,
welcomed a long-term presence that combined enhanced security
assistance and increased civilian development aid. Qanuni
thanked the U.S. administration for its recent $12 billion
request to Congress that encompassed both civilian
development and support for the Afghanistan National Army
(ANA) and police. Qanuni offered specific suggestions:

- NATO should share responsibility for planning and
operations with the ANA;

- NATO should increase training and equipment for ANA;

- ISAF should take measures to prevent collateral damage to
civilians from airstrikes;

- NATO should enhance ISAF and PRT coordination with local
populations, civil society and Parliament;

- NATO should increase public awareness of NATO activities;

- Deployment of PRTs should be balanced between both
relatively peaceful as well as more unstable provinces;

- Civilians should have a more prominent role in PRTs; END
SUMMARY.


2. (C) Qanuni told PermReps that Afghanistan had made much
progress in five years with the help of the international
community, including: establishment of a national
constitution, election of a President and Parliament: and
establishment of civil society. Now enhanced long-term
international support was needed to sustain the momentum and
to overcome Afghanistan's main problems: terrorism;
narcotics cultivation; corruption; and the need to convince
citizens of the relevancy of their government and civil
society. Terrorists are returning to Afghanistan from its
neighboring countries, he asserted, and without international
help Afghanistan could once again become a center for
terrorism.


3. (C) Qanuni remarked that in spite of recent Afghan
success in establishing national institutions, the government
lacked the professional capacity to adequately staff and run
those institutions. He urged each Ally to take
responsibility for imparting technical skills and equipment
to one ministry. He also noted that Allies could do more
with regards to provincial development, remarking that PRTs
should be established in all Afghan provinces. This, he
said, would have a tremendous impact on the effectiveness of
provincial governments. He urged each Ally to fully train
five persons in provincial government each year, which would
have a multiplier effect in producing (train the trainers)
competent civil servants in the provinces.


4. (C) Qanuni urged Allies to commit more resources to
training and equipping the Afghan National Army. While
acknowledging that many Allies were supporting difficult
international missions in Lebanon and Iraq, he said that by
redirecting to the ANA the resources for an additional Allied
deployment of 5,000 troops, NATO could train and equip 50,000
ANA soldiers, reduce Allied casualties, and allow the ANA "to
stand on its own feet."


5. (C) Qanuni asked for NATO's help in "finding a solution
to Pakistan's interference in Afghanistan's internal
affairs." He said Allies needed to be courageous and put
pressure on Pakistan.


6. (C) Ambassador Nuland asked Qanuni what more NATO could
do to strengthen relationships between citizens, provinces,
Parliament and the government? Qanuni replied that NATO
could better coordinate its communication and media strategy
towards Afghanistan's people, Parliament and civil society.
He urged NATO to take a balanced approach in supporting both
relatively peaceful provinces and provinces where there is
conflict with the Taliban. Ambassador Nuland, along with the
Italian and Spanish Ambassadors urged Qanuni to engage in
media outreach throughout Europe.

USNATO 00000165 002 OF 002




7. (C) In bringing the meeting to a close, SYG Jaap de Hoop
Scheffer said Afghanistan's Parliament had a strong first
year in governance. He noted that Parliaments must exercise
an important oversight role. He said Afghanistan's own
Parliament had not been timid in challenging government
policies.
KELLY