BOUCHER ENGAGES FARUQUI ON FRIENDS OF PAKISTAN AND

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 ISLAMABAD 000072 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/13/2019 TAGS: EAID ECON EFIN EINV ENRG ETRD PGOV PREL PK SUBJECT: BOUCHER ENGAGES FARUQUI ON FRIENDS OF PAKISTAN AND DONORS' CONFERENCE Classified By: Anne W. Patterson for reasons 1.4 (b),(d). ¶1. (C) Summary. On January 5, Assistant Secretary for South and Central Asian Affairs Richard Boucher met with Salman Faruqui, Secretary General to the President of Pakistan, to outline a timeline leading to the Friends of Democratic Pakistan meetings and a donor conference. Faruqui and his advisors emphasized Water and Power projects and stressed the importance of Reconstruction Opportunity Zones. End Summary. ¶2. (C) Assistant Secretary Boucher met with Salman Faruqui, Secretary General to the President of Pakistan on January 5th. Also in attendance were Senior Advisor Caitlin Hayden, Political Counselor, and 13 representatives from the Government of Pakistan, including Foreign Secretary Salman Bashir, Finance Secretary Waqar Masood, MFA Additional Secretary for South Asia (Friends Coordinator) Aizaz Chaudhry, and Water and Power Development Authority Chairman Shakeel Durani. -------------- TIMELINE -------------- ¶3. (C) Boucher began the discussion by asking Faruqui and his advisors what direction and focus they envisioned for the Friends of Democratic Pakistan. Faruqui explained that on January 29, all of the various ministries within the Government of Pakistan will submit proposals based on their needs. On 3-4 February, the Government will circulate the proposals to the relevant Ambassadors involved in the Friends of Democratic Pakistan. On 20-21 February, Pakistan will tentatively host an expert-level meeting of the Friends. Faruqui expects a Ministerial-level meeting at some point in March. As to where it will be held (e.g. Tokyo, New York City),Pakistan has not decided. He proposed that the donors, conference be held after the International Monetary Fund review in February. He also suggested that the donors' conference and Friends meetings could be held at the same time, if necessary, as the Government of Pakistan's participants will be the same. -------------- FRIENDS OF DEMOCRATIC PAKISTAN MEMBERSHIP -------------- ¶4. (C) Assistant Secretary Boucher asked Faruqui's thoughts on expanding the membership of the Friends group. Boucher noted that his office has been receiving inquiries from Nordic countries, the Commonwealth, NATO, Spain and others on how to join the Friends of Democratic Pakistan. Foreign Secretary Bashir confirmed that the Government of Pakistan has also received similar inquiries and was thinking about membership for the Republic of Korea and Malaysia. As of yet, there has not been a discussion on how to proceed on this subject. Hayden noted that if they were to accept some countries and not others, the Government could be asked to explain what criteria makes a "friend." Assistant Secretary Boucher added his sentiment that "the more the merrier if you're prepared to bring something to the table." ¶5. (C) Bashir characterized the first meeting of Friends as a "show of political solidarity with Pakistan" which led to the identification of four critical tracks. He agreed with Boucher that it would be a good idea to enable those countries who want to participate at this time to do so. Of course, Pakistan would consult with the UNITED KINGDOM and the UNITED States since these two countries are in the "driver's seat." He admitted that he does not want the Pakistan Development Forum to merge with the Friends of Democratic Pakistan. If the Nordic countries, Spain, and others want join, Pakistan will support the move. -------------- DONORS, CONFERENCE -------------- ¶6. (C) The Finance Secretary asked about the idea of a World Bank Trust Fund for the frontier. Boucher commented that countries want to do work in the border areas but that the ISLAMABAD 00000072 002 OF 002 traditional way of being a donor does not work in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas because of the security conditions. While the UNITED States is able to operate fairly successfully, many other countries need a different way to provide assistance. Thus, the UNITED States was suggesting the idea of the trust fund with the World Bank to focus on education, infrastructure, and development in the border areas. ¶7. (C) Bashir questioned whether the trust fund becomes part of donors' conference or the Friends of Democratic Pakistan. Hayden explained that the trust fund could be launched at either meeting, but plans made under the auspices of the Friends of Democratic Pakistan should guide how the Government will spend money from the trust fund. Faruqui stated that he has not approached the World Bank yet. Boucher said that the UNITED States has talked to the World Bank but the Bank is looking for Pakistani interest and ownership if it is going to proceed. ¶8. (C) Bashir asked if the trust fund could be expanded to all of Pakistan rather than just the border areas. Boucher responded with "a note of caution," and explained that he has heard concerns on this subject from different donors. The Chinese, for example, insist on bilateral programs. Most donors do not want an overarching committee which will take all of their money. ¶9. (C) Boucher said that while the timeline sounded good, unfortunately, he cannot "commit a new Secretary of State (to a donor conference) until I have one," noting that the new administration is not in place yet. He advised the Government to continue with the timetable and proceed "with a little sense of flexibility," -- "providing specific ideas for the donors' conference would be a good way to proceed." Faruqui thanked him for his comments and indicated that March has been left open to schedule meetings. Bashir asked how the Pakistani Government should deal with Japanese offer to host the new Friends meeting, and Boucher advised him to thank the Japanese and mention that it is too early to pin down a time and location just yet. -------------- RELATIONS WITH AFGHANISTAN -------------- ¶10. (C) Bashir stated that President Zardari is very interested in bilateral cooperation with Afghanistan. Pakistan is in the process of institutionalizing bilateral agreements and joint projects between the two countries. Pakistan is interested in projects that would benefit both countries, specifically those involved in building roads, generating energy, and increasing communication. -------------- WATER AND POWER -------------- ¶11. (C) Durani highlighted two hydroelectric power projects that the Government of Pakistan would like to see come to fruition. According to Durani, the Munda Dam (850 MW) and the Kurram Tangi Dam are both good projects and he recommends investment in these two projects. The "country desperately needs" the Diamer Basha dam (4,500 MW). The World Bank has turned down financing of this project because the dam is located in disputed territory in Azad Jammu and Kashmir. The project cost is USD 9 billion which is too big for any single donor to support recounted Durani. The U.S. Export Import Bank reportedly offered its support if U.S. companies were involved in the project. ¶12. (U) A/S Boucher has cleared this message. PATTERSON