FM SPANTA: MORE HIGH-LEVEL PAKISTAN MEETINGS;

C O N F I D E N T I A L KABUL 003063 SIPDIS STATE FOR SCA/FO, SCA/A NSC FOR WOOD OSD FOR MCGRAW CENTCOM FOR CG CJTF-101 POLAD E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/23/2018 TAGS: PREL PGOV AF SUBJECT: FM SPANTA: MORE HIGH-LEVEL PAKISTAN MEETINGS; MILITARY TECHNICAL AGREEMENT REF: KABUL 3013 Classified By: Ambassador William B. Wood, for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d) -------------- Summary -------------- ¶1. (C) Pakistan President Zardari will visit Kabul soon. Karzai and Zardari are scheduled to meet President Gul in Istanbul on 12/5 as a continuation of that trilateral process. Spanta briefed on the 11/17 Cabinet decision to send to Washington the Government,s proposal on a bilateral technical framework agreement on security cooperation, an initiative endorsed by both sides at the September US-Afghan Strategic Framework talks. -------------- -------------- Pakistan: High-level engagement continues to be POSITIVE -------------- -------------- ¶2. (C) FM Spanta,s summary of the King Abdullah-Karzai-Zardari trilateral was consistent with Deputy NSA Spenzada,s (ref). Spanta also confirmed that he had just issued the official invitation for President Zardari to visit Kabul as soon as possible. The two sides expect to focus on bilateral anti-terrorist cooperation. Spanta indicated that King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia is following the rapprochement closely. ¶3. (C) Spanta confirmed Karzai and Zardari will conduct another Afghan-Pakistan-Turkey trilateral meeting with President Gul on 12/5. There will be a Foreign Ministers-level trilateral the day before. There were no details on the substance of the meetings. -------------- --- Bilateral Security Technical Framework Agreement -------------- --- ¶4. (C) Spanta said that on 11/17, the Cabinet approved a draft technical framework agreement on US-Afghan security cooperation. Spanta assured the Ambassador that this was not a status of forces proposal, but simply a follow up to the approach agreed to by both sides at the September strategic framework talks. The purpose of the agreement, in fact, was to keep the issue of our security cooperation in a technical channel. ¶5. (C) The Ambassador said the current Administration would not be evaluating new draft agreements. Spanta understood, and explained that the Government wished to deliver the draft now, so the incoming Administration would not interpret it as an unfriendly initiative in the early days of the Administration. WOOD