AF: AFGHANS REQUESTING POSTPONEMENT OF APRIL 24-25 REGIONAL

UNCLAS KABUL 000674 SIPDIS DEPT FOR SCA/RA, SCA/A, EEB, EEB/ESC/IEC (GRIFFIN) DEPT PASS AID/ANE, OPIC DEPT PASS USTR FOR LILIENFELD AND KLEIN DEPT PASS OPIC FOR ZAHNISER DEPT PASS TDA FOR STEIN AND GREENIP CENTCOM FOR CG CFC-A, CG CJTF-76, POLAD, JICENT NSC FOR JWOOD TREASURY FOR ABAUKOL, BDAHL, AND MNUGENT MANILA PLEASE PASS ADB/USED PARIS FOR EMIN WINNICK AND POLMIN ROSENBLATT AND USOECD OSD FOR SHIVERS, SHINN COMMERCE FOR DEES, CHOPPIN, AND FONOVICH SIPDIS E.O. 12958 N/A TAGS: ETRD EFIN EMIN KPWR EAID PGOV AF SUBJECT: AF: AFGHANS REQUESTING POSTPONEMENT OF APRIL 24-25 REGIONAL ECONOMIC COOPERATION CONFERENCE (RECC) IN ISLAMABAD REF: (A) STATE 25526 (B) Maerkle-Holman email 3/15/08 ¶1. (U) On March 16, Mr. Enayatullah Nabiel, Director General for Economic Affairs at the Afghan Ministry of Foreign Affairs told Econ Counselor and Econoff that he had just met with the Pakistani Ambassador to Afghanistan to request a postponement of the Regional Economic Cooperation Conference (RECC),currently scheduled for April 24-25, 2008. The official reason given for the postponement request was the need of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan (IRoA) to focus on the upcoming June Donor Conference in Paris. He is proposing the last week of August or first week of September 2008 to allow for adequate Afghan Government preparation. ¶2. (U) Mr. Nabiel confirmed the IRoA has decided to focus its efforts on preparations for the June Donor Conference in Paris. According to him, President Karzai is eager to see the RECC go forward as soon as possible after the Donor Conference. ¶3. (U) Comment: This confirms our suspicions that the current list of international obligations/conferences facing the IRoA in spring 2008 is stretching their resources. Already on their plate are: the NATO Ministerial in Bucharest; IMF/WB meetings in Washington; a looming deadline for the completion of the Afghan National Development Strategy (ANDS); and an IMF mission expected in late April, early May plus, of course, the Paris donor conference in June. Postponing the RECC in Islamabad until late August 2008 will help ensure the IRoA is fully focused on engaging its neighbors on regional issues. Wood