BOTH GERMAN FM STEINMEIER AND SPECIAL ENVOY

C O N F I D E N T I A L BERLIN 000334 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/20/2019 TAGS: PREL NATO EU AF PK UN GM SUBJECT: BOTH GERMAN FM STEINMEIER AND SPECIAL ENVOY MUETZELBURG TO ATTEND MARCH 31 AFGHANISTAN CONFERENCE REF: STATE 24422 Classified By: POLITICAL MINISTER COUNSELOR JEFF RATHKE. REASONS: 1.4 ( B) AND (D). ¶1. (SBU) Post delivered reftel points to MFA Deputy Afghanistan/Pakistan Task Force Director Thomas Zahneisen on March 17, after coordinating with the Dutch Embassy, which briefed the MFA on their plans for the March 31 Afghanistan Conference the day before. ¶2. (C) Zahneisen warmly welcomed the conference as an excellent initiative and appreciated the "big tent" approach. He confirmed that Germany's participation at the conference would mirror that of the U.S., with both FM Steinmeier and Special Envoy for Afghanistan and Pakistan Muetzelburg attending. MFA Afghanistan/Pakistan Task Force Director Ruediger Koenig is also expected to be part of the German delegation, along with a special assistant from the minister's office and an MFA press spokesman. ¶3. (C) Zahneisen noted that, as briefed by the Dutch, some 73 countries and 10 organizations will participate in the conference, thereby limiting each delegation to just principal plus 2 in the meeting room, with 4 others accommodated in a separate listening room. Therefore it was not yet clear whether and how other German ministries that deal with Afghanistan (i.e., MOD, MOI and the Ministry of Economic Cooperation and Development) would be incorporated into the delegation. ¶4. (C) Zahneisen was also curious to get the U.S. view on the chairman's statement. He said the Dutch were stressing the need for a "crisp, positive and up-lifting" statement that addressed four major areas: political issues, security, development and the regional approach. Zahneisen said Germany thought it was important for the statement to stress Afghan ownership and the need for the Afghans to do their part by improving governance, eliminating corruption, and gradually taking on responsibility for security from the international community. Zahneisen said he realized, however, that based on past experience with such Afghanistan conferences, there was a limit to how critical the conference statement could be of Afghan performance. Koenig