AFGHANISTAN: SWISS "CONSOLIDATING" RECONSTRUCTION

C O N F I D E N T I A L BERN 000192

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

DEPT FOR SCA/A AND EUR/AGS (Y.SAINT-ANDRE)

E.O. 12958: DECL: 04/21/2018
TAGS: EAID KDEM PGOV PREL AF SZ
SUBJECT: AFGHANISTAN: SWISS "CONSOLIDATING" RECONSTRUCTION
ASSISTANCE -- NO INCREASES PLANNED

REF: STATE 32155

Classified By: DCM Leigh G. Carter; reasons 1.4(b) and (d).


1. (C) Summary: Charge met April 16 with Ambassador Pierre
Combernous, Chief of the MFA's Division for Asian and Pacific
Affairs, to discuss Swiss plans for the upcoming
International Support Conference on Afghanistan, to be hosted
by France in Paris on June 12. Per reftel, Charge emphasized
the importance of the conference and the hope that
Switzerland will increase its assistance to Afghanistan,
particularly in the wake of the Swiss MOD's decision to
withdraw Swiss contributions to ISAF. Combernous said that
he expects that MFA State Secretary Michael Ambuehl -- FM
Calmy-Rey's deputy -- probably will head the Swiss delegation
to the conference. According to Combernous, a reluctant
Swiss Parliament and disinterested Swiss public have made it
difficult for the GOS to provide more reconstruction
assistance to Afghanistan. He said that he therefore expects
the Swiss commitment to Afghan reconstruction to remain at
USD 15 million per year. While Swiss annual contributions to
Afghan reconstruction are not likely to increase in the
foreseeable future, Combernous emphasized that the GOS was
looking for ways to "consolidate" Swiss assistance, with a
view to finding synergies with other partners, spending
assistance funds more efficiently, and placing assistance on
a more solid, longer-term basis. End Summary.


2. (C) Charge met April 16 with Ambassador Pierre Combernous,
Chief of the MFA's Division for Asian and Pacific Affairs, to
discuss Swiss plans for the upcoming International Support
Conference on Afghanistan, to be hosted by France in Paris on
June 12. Per reftel, Charge emphasized the importance of the
conference and the hope that Switzerland will increase its
assistance to Afghanistan, particularly in the wake of the
Swiss MOD's decision to withdraw Swiss contributions to ISAF
(Note: Switzerland had two staff officers at PRT-Konduz
until late February. End Note). Pierre-Yves Fux, MFA Senior
Coordinator for South Asia joined Combernous in the meeting;
poloff accompanied Charge.

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Likely Head of Swiss Delegation
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3. (C) Combernous said that no final decision had been made,
but that he expects that MFA State Secretary Michael Ambuehl
-- FM Calmy-Rey's deputy -- probably will head the Swiss
delegation to the June 12 conference in Paris. This is
because FM Calmy-Rey likely will need to be in Switzerland at
that time to receive senior foreign dignitaries expected to
attend the 2008 European soccer championship ("Euro 2008"),
which Switzerland is co-hosting with Austria in June.

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Swiss Reviewing Assistance to Afghanistan
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4. (C) Combernous said that the International Support
Conference on Afghanistan comes at a useful time for the GOS,
which has been reviewing its assistance to Afghanistan. He
commented that Afghanistan was "never a major partner of
Switzerland," and, while there is "no lack of interest" in
Afghanistan in the MFA, the Swiss Parliament remains
reluctant to become more involved, and the Swiss public is
relatively disinterested in Afghan issues. Combernous noted
that the Swiss MOD had withdrawn the Swiss contribution to
ISAF in February, due to concerns about the implications of
Swiss participation in ISAF for Swiss "neutrality" and
related legal/constitutional restrictions. According to
Combernous, these factors have made it difficult for the MFA
to do more in terms of reconstruction assistance. He said
that he therefore expects the Swiss commitment to Afghan
reconstruction to remain at USD 15 million per year.


5. (C) While Swiss annual contributions to Afghan
reconstruction are not likely to increase in the foreseeable
future, Combernous emphasized that the GOS was looking for
ways to "consolidate" Swiss assistance, with a view to
finding synergies with other partners, spending assistance
funds more efficiently, and placing assistance on a more
solid, longer-term basis. He also mentioned that Swiss
assistance to Pakistan was under review, and that there was a
possibility that assistance to Afghanistan could be
increased, if the GOS were to reduce its assistance to
Pakistan. Charge stressed the importance of both Pakistan
and Afghanistan to achieving our common goals.



6. (C) Combernous outlined four "pillars" of ongoing and
prospective Swiss assistance to Afghanistan: 1) projects of
the Swiss Development Corporation (SDC -- roughly the Swiss
equivalent of USAID) in the areas of rural economic
development and governance; 2) Swiss projects in the area of
"national heritage" preservation (Note: Combernous said the
GOS would like to do more in this area -- a "rampart against
the Taliban" -- either alone or with the Germans, but was
having trouble finding partners on the ground. End Note); 3)
using the Swiss MOD-funded training centers in Geneva to
train more Afghan security officials (Note: the centers
include the Geneva Center for Security Policy, the Center for
Democratic Control of Armed Forces, and the Humanitarian
Demining Center. End Note); and 4) assistance to Afghan
border management -- specifically in support of possible
future OSCE projects. Charge reiterated the importance of
increased political and economic support for Afghanistan, and
urged the GOS to increase its engagement there.
CONEWAY