GERMANY SUPPORTS U.S. GOALS FOR NOVEMBER 19 AFGHAN

C O N F I D E N T I A L BERLIN 001547 SIPDIS STATE FOR PRM/ECA - AMY WENDT AND NORMAN HASTINGS E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/15/2018 TAGS: PREL PREF PHUM AF PK IR GM SUBJECT: GERMANY SUPPORTS U.S. GOALS FOR NOVEMBER 19 AFGHAN REFUGEE CONFERENCE REF: STATE 118597 Classified By: POLITICAL MINISTER COUNSELOR JEFF RATHKE. REASONS: 1.4 ( B) AND (D). ¶1. (SBU) Post delivered ref A talking points regarding the November 19 international conference on Afghan refugees in Kabul to MFA Office Director for Afghanistan Affairs Director Ruediger Koenig on November 14. Koenig noted that Germany took the conference very seriously, although nobody from Berlin would be attending. He said that Germany will be represented by its ambassador to Kabul, Werner Lauk. Koenig stressed that Lauk had just been back in Berlin the previous week for consultations and that the refugee conference had been one of the main issues under discussion. ¶2. (SBU) Koenig agreed that it was important to get Pakistan and Iran to publicly commit to lengthen the time frame for refugee returns to correspond to that of the Afghan National Development Strategy (ANDS). He shared the impression that the Pakistanis were already inclined to do this, but that Iran might be more difficult. He said Germany supported the Afghan goals and priorities in the ANDS, but that it was important for the Afghans to have ownership of the refugee returns process and to follow through on their commitments. TIMKEN JR