Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
09BRUSSELS1047
2009-07-30 15:43:00
CONFIDENTIAL
Embassy Brussels
Cable title:  

SPECIAL REPRESENTATIVE HOLBROOKE'S JULY 28 MEETING

Tags:  PREL MARR PGOV AF BE 
pdf how-to read a cable
VZCZCXRO0536
RR RUEHDBU RUEHPW RUEHSL
DE RUEHBS #1047/01 2111543
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
R 301543Z JUL 09 ZDK
FM AMEMBASSY BRUSSELS
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 9277
INFO RUCNAFG/AFGHANISTAN COLLECTIVE
C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 BRUSSELS 001047 

SIPDIS

STATE FOR EUR/WE, EUR/RPM, SCA/A AND SPECIAL REPRESENTATIVE
HOLBROOKE

E.O. 12958: DECL: 07/29/2019
TAGS: PREL MARR PGOV AF BE
SUBJECT: SPECIAL REPRESENTATIVE HOLBROOKE'S JULY 28 MEETING
WITH BELGIAN FOREIGN MINISTER YVES LETERME

REF: A. BRUSSELS 830

B. BRUSSELS 1023

Classified By: Acting Political Economic Counselor Robert Kiene, reason
1.4(b) and (d).

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 BRUSSELS 001047

SIPDIS

STATE FOR EUR/WE, EUR/RPM, SCA/A AND SPECIAL REPRESENTATIVE
HOLBROOKE

E.O. 12958: DECL: 07/29/2019
TAGS: PREL MARR PGOV AF BE
SUBJECT: SPECIAL REPRESENTATIVE HOLBROOKE'S JULY 28 MEETING
WITH BELGIAN FOREIGN MINISTER YVES LETERME

REF: A. BRUSSELS 830

B. BRUSSELS 1023

Classified By: Acting Political Economic Counselor Robert Kiene, reason
1.4(b) and (d).


1. (C) Summary: Special Representative for Afghanistan and
Pakistan Richard Holbrooke met on July 28 with Yves Leterme,
newly appointed Foreign Minister of Belgium. Holbrooke urged
the GOB to ensure that the Belgian public understands how
important operations in Afghanistan are to Belgian, European
and American security. Leterme admitted the GOB could do
more in that regard. Holbrooke said that ISAF will need to
be active beyond 2010 to accomplish its goals. Leterme said
that the GOB will consider extending its troop commitment at
an appropriate time. Coordination of assistance in
Afghanistan is a problem the USG is working with the UN to
solve, Holbrooke said. For now, he concluded, humanitarian
assistance to internally displaced persons in Pakistan is a
desperate need, to which Belgium is welcome to contribute.
End Summary.


2. (C) Leterme told Holbrooke that Belgium considers it
important to share the burdens of regional and global
security with other NATO members. While the U.S. effort in
Afghanistan is far larger, Belgium is contributing 500-600
troops to operations in Kunduz, Kandahar and Kabul.
Holbrooke replied that the United States is grateful for
Belgium's military contributions. Besides helping to secure
the country, he said, Belgian participation is important to
gaining the support of the Afghan people. Security
operations need to be seen as an international and not siThe mission is a test
o Leter knows that casualties aid that te conflict in
Afghanistan will continue beyonQ 2010 and Belgium's support
beyond that daQe will be needed. Leterme said that the GOB
will consider further extending its commitment atthe
appropriate time. He said that the decisQon to increase
Belgium's involvement in AfghaQistan was one of the first
decisions he to/k as Prime Minister in 2008. The government
did not take time then to prepare public opinion,and it has

work to do in that regard, he saidQ He mentioned that
Belgians are concerned about narcotics production and
trafficking originating in the region. Leterme thanked
Holbrooke for any help the U.S. Embassy in Brussels and the
USG in Washington can offer in terms of educating the public,
but recognized that the government has to most of the work
itself. Holbrooke informed Leterme that the USG is changing
its counter-narcotics strategy from crop eradication to
interdiction of production and marketing of narcotics. The
new strategy is proving more effective than the old one, he
said.

5.(C) Leterme asked Holbrooke how effective the coordination
of international reconstruction and development assistance is
in Afghanistan. Holbrooke responded that progress on the
ground has been made, especially in the areas of health and
education. Six to eight million students now attend school,
including 2-3 million girls, he noted. The focus of
assistance is now turning to agriculture. While the United
Nations was asked early on to play a coordinating role for
international assistance, it has had difficulty gathering
information on programs, he said, and added that coordinating
assistance is more difficult than coordinating military
operations because the UN is not a command like ISAF. The
USG wants to encourage the UN to be more active and will
begin sharing information more fully with it, he said.

BRUSSELS 00001047 002 OF 002




6. (C) Holbrooke explained to Leterme that he and the USG
prefer to think of the future in Afghanistan in terms of a
"success strategy" rather than an "exit strategy." The
United States and others cannot simply walk out on
Afghanistan, he said. The country has been always
strategically important and continues to be so. The USG aims
to build up Afghan institutions so it can begin removing
troops. This goal requires increasing the size of the Afghan
National Army (ANA) even beyond the currently planned 134,000
troops and providing additional training to it. Holbrooke
continued that the ANA is the most respected institution in
Afghanistan, but the National Police is a problem. Many
police officers are illiterate, drug-addicted, ill-trained
and corrupt, he said. Holbrooke noted that a consortium of
European Gendarmeries is sending 200 trainers. (Embassy
note: Belgium does not have a gendarmerie such as exists in
France or Italy. It is considering sending a handful of
police trainers to join the EUPOL-Afghanistan mission. See
Ref A.)


7. (C) Holbrooke said that right now, the situation in
Pakistan is more critical than in Afghanistan. There will be
no success in Afghanistan without success in Pakistan, he
said. There has been some progress, in that the insurgency
in the West of the country is being brought under control, a
key leader in Swat has been arrested and radio stations that
have broadcast threats from the insurgents have been shut
down. However, he said, Pakistan's electrical system is a
disaster. Most important, there are 2.5 to three million
internally displaced persons (IDP's) in the country that
desperately need humanitarian relief. UNHCR is hard pressed
to cope with the situation, he said. The USG is paying half
of all aid to the IDP's, Holbrooke said, and more is needed.
Belgian assistance in that regard would help with the overall
problems in the region, he suggested.


8. (U) Ambassador Holbrooke's staff has cleared this
telegram.

BUSH
.