AUSTRALIA: PM'S ADVISOR ON AFHANISTAN-PAKISTAN

C O N F I D E N T I A L CANBERRA 000156 SIPDIS DEPARTMENT ALSO FOR SCA, EUR, EEB AND EAP NSC FOR GEN. JONES E.O. 12958: DECL: 02/16/2019 TAGS: PREL PARM EFIN MARR AS SUBJECT: AUSTRALIA: PM'S ADVISOR ON AFHANISTAN-PAKISTAN REVIEW, NATO SUMMIT AND G-20 SUMMIT REF: STATE 14097 Classified By: Charge d'Affaires Daniel A. Clune. Reasons: 1.4 (b)(d). SUMMARY -------------- ¶1. (C) In response to the U.S. invitation to contribute ideas to the Afghanistan-Pakistan strategic policy review, Prime Minister Rudd's senior international adviser said Australia has been hard at work on its own review and believes the U.S. and Australian efforts can complement one another. On other topics, Prime Minister Rudd remains intent on seeking an ISAF leaders meeting at the NATO Summit, and hopes the United States can weigh in to ensure it is on the agenda. Prime Minister Rudd is also focused strongly on developing ideas and a package of options for the April 2 G-20 Summit. End Summary. AFGHANISTAN-PAKISTAN POLICY REVIEW -------------- ¶2. (C) Charge briefed Gary Quinlan, Senior Adviser for International Affairs to Prime Minister Rudd, on details of the Administration's comprehensive strategic review in Afghanistan and Pakistan on February 17, drawing on points in reftel. In soliticing views on goals, strategies, actions and resources, Charge stressed that this would meet Australia's long-standing request for advance consultations and input into the planning process in the region. He urged the Australian government to move quickly, noting the review chairs would welcome a well-reasoned paper on the topic. ¶3. (C) Quinlan welcomed the points and said the GOA had undertaken its own strategic review of Afghanistan, in anticipation of engaging with the new U.S. Administration on the topic and in advance of the NATO Summit, and was nearing completion of a draft paper. Duncan Lewis, National Security Adviser, was coordinating the review. (Charge is scheduled to meet Lewis February 18 to deliver reftel points.) Quinlan said the National Security Committee of Cabinet planned to meet in March to review Australia's overall commitment to Afghanistan, including possible new contributions. On a side note, he added, the NSC would likely take up for discussion at its next meeting an analytical paper on the issue of political reconciliation in Afghanistan, and how this fits with the overall approach. He was quick to note that the GOA took no position on reconciliation. NATO SUMMIT -------------- ¶4. (C) Quinlan reprised Prime Minister Rudd's strongly-held position that the April 3-4 NATO Summit should include a separate ISAF leaders meeting. Rudd points to the summit at Bucharest one year ago as an important precedent in this regard, and believes it would be a mistake to push it down to the foreign/defense minister and military command levels, which already have regular meetings on Afghanistan. Most important to Rudd, Quinlan emphasized, was the domestic political context; he needed to demonstrate to the Australian people, a majority of whom now opposed military involvement in Afghanistan, the importance of maintaining their commitment, which meant leader-level engagement. Public support would be necessary if Australia were to increase its contribution, he argued. Rudd had recently written to French President Sarkhozy, German Chancellor Merkel and UK Prime Minister Brown to stress this point. He added Ambassador Richardson had taken heart from a comment by NSA QAmbassador Richardson had taken heart from a comment by NSA Gen. Jones that it had been "sorted out," suggesting an ISAF session was still possible at the Summit. Rudd was concerned that time was running out to try to ensure the Summit took up ISAF; U.S. support with other NATO members was therefore critical. The Dutch had suggested trying to organize a separate ISAF session for leaders in the Netherlands, but with so little time that was not a viable option. Quinlan said PM Rudd may write to President Obama overnight on the issue. G-20 -------------- ¶5. (C) Turning to economic matters, Quinlan said the Prime Minister had turned from the recent bushfire emergency, which had killed 189 people in Victoria, to concentrate almost fully on the global economic crisis. He had commissioned a paper to focus on ideas to manage the crisis and develop a package of options for the April 2 G-20 Summit, drawing ideas from Treasury Secretary Geithner's recent financial stabilization plan. The paper would address problems of recapitalization, distressed assets and restoring the flow of credit flow, among other topics. CLUNE