PLEDGING AT THE PARIS SUPPORT CONFERENCE FOR

UNCLAS STATE 044359

SENSITIVE
SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: EAID ECON EFIN KDEM PGOV PREL
SUBJECT: PLEDGING AT THE PARIS SUPPORT CONFERENCE FOR
AFGHANISTAN

REF: STATE 32115

(U) This is an action request. Please see paragraph
nine.


1. (U) Summary: The United States views the upcoming Paris
Support Conference for Afghanistan as an opportunity for the
international community to reaffirm its long-term commitment
for Afghanistan through support for the Afghanistan National
Development Strategy and the 2009 and 2010 Afghan elections.
The U.S. Government will encourage all of Afghanistan,s
partners to pledge more than they did at the 2006 London
Conference, surpassing the $10.5 billion pledge total
achieved there, as a demonstration of this long-term
commitment. Many donors have announced large pledges since
the London Conference, and we encourage all donors to include
all assistance announced since the London Conference and
beyond in their pledges at Paris. The U.S. Government will
also urge all donors to include funding for the 2009 and 2010
elections in their pledges, which the UN has estimated will
cost $475 million. The need is immediate, as voter
registration will begin this summer. End Summary.


2. (U) The United States applauds France's decision to set
both political and financial objectives for the June 12 Paris
Support Conference for Afghanistan. We look forward to
joining our international partners to renew the international
community's support for the Afghanistan Compact and to help
raise new financial pledges to support the Afghanistan
National Development Strategy (2008-2013) and upcoming 2009
and 2010 elections. We also urge donors to live up to
previous, still-unfulfilled promises of assistance.


3. (U) Pledging is an important aspect of the Paris
conference because it demonstrates our long-term commitment
to Afghanistan. Donors are encouraged to pledge toward the
needs identified in the Afghan Government,s Afghanistan
National Development Strategy, which we anticipate the World
Bank and the International Monetary Fund will approve before
the Paris conference. Our goal at the conference is to put
money behind the plan.


4. (U) Donors are also urged to include funding for the 2009
and 2010 elections in their pledges at Paris. The need is
immediate. Voter registration must begin this summer. The
estimated cost of $100 million for registration is largely
unmet. Unlike the 2004/2005 elections, when the
international community had a direct technical role in
implementation, the Afghan Government will take the lead in
implementing the upcoming elections. To do so successfully,
they need our financial support. The UN has estimated the
elections will cost $475 million. The U.S. Government plans
to include approximately $205 million specifically for
election support in its Paris pledge and encourages other
donors to make significant contributions as well.
International support for voter outreach, election
administration and observer training will also be crucial.
Failure to support the elections will put the blooming
democracy, in which Afghanistan and its partners have
invested so much effort since 2001, at grave risk.


5. (U) There is no obvious target for pledging in Paris other
than the five-year Afghanistan National Development
Strategy's price tag of $50 billion over five years. The
Government of Afghanistan has stated that toward the $50
billion, $7 billion will be available from Afghan revenues
and $24 billion has already been pledged. However, a $50
billion pledge target is unrealistic, and we would set
ourselves up for failure in the public eye if we announced it
as such for Paris. We would also immediately find ourselves
in a complicated exercise of accounting for old money versus
new money if we break out the $50 billion according to
existing contributions versus additional needs.


6. (U) In making pledges, the United States believes that
donors should account for their respective pledges since the
London Conference as well as any new pledges they plan to
announce at Paris. If the international community agrees to
abide by this method, we will reduce the inevitable confusion
and undesirable complexity of debating old versus new money
that often plagues such
conferences. Standardizing our pledging will also dispel
criticism that some donors are pledging old money. Rather,
the measures of a successful conference will be whether the
international community exceeded the pledge total in
London - $10.5 billion -- and whether a large number of
countries and organizations announces pledges.


7. (U) We understand that EU member states have already
discussed a common no-pledging position for Paris and urge
them to reconsider. There have been very significant
contributions publicly announced in the past two years. For
example, the United Kingdom pledged $1 billion over four
years in late 2007, and the European Commission pledged $955
million for 2007 through 2010. EU donors should use the
Paris Conference as an opportunity to ensure broad public
recognition for their ongoing assistance, demonstrate the
full range of their long-term commitment to Afghanistan, and
back an Afghan Government-led effort to progress. We should
all aim to pledge more than we did at the London Conference.


8. (U) In Paris, the United States will pledge money
appropriated by or requested from Congress since the London
Conference. This was also our approach in London. The U.S.
pledge will be substantial. We hope also to maximize the
number of countries and organizations that announce pledges
to demonstrate continued long-term support for Afghanistan.


9. (U) Action Request: We request Embassies and USEU to
approach senior-level government counterparts to encourage
them to announce a pledge larger than they contributed at the
London conference. Please also stress the urgent need for
election support and encourage donors to provide funds
specifically for elections in their pledges. Please report
on whether counterparts agree with our approach to
determining their pledges and any additional information
received regarding counterparts' intended participation and
pledging at the Paris Conference. Posts are requested to
respond to this demarche to Washington no later than
Wednesday, May 14, slugged for Lauren Frese (SCA/A).
Embassy Kabul should inform the Afghan Government of the U.S.
effort. USNATO and USUN may also draw on this cable as
appropriate.

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