CODEL LANGEVIN DISCUSSES SECURITY AND ELECTIONS

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 KABUL 001390

SENSITIVE
SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PGOV PREL MASS KDEM PTER AF
SUBJECT: CODEL LANGEVIN DISCUSSES SECURITY AND ELECTIONS
WITH CONFIDENT KARZAI


1. (SBU) Summary. Codel Langevin (Rep. James Langevin, Rep.
Mike Coffman, Rep. Tom Rooney, Rep. Kilili Sablan) met with a
relaxed, confident President Karzai May 30 to discuss
Afghanistan's greatest challenges - insecurity and weak
governance, as well as Karzai's plans for the country's
future. Karzai was confident of re-election and stressed the
need for continued U.S. assistance to achieve a more secure,
sustainable Afghanistan. He pledged to strengthen his focus
on capacity building and anti-corruption efforts if
re-elected, and contended reconciliation was both feasible
and desirable to promote stability.

FIGHT AGAINST TERROR STILL TOP PRIORITY
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2. (SBU) Karzai agreed that Afghanistan and the U.S. must
continue to focus on the fight against terrorism. Karzai was
increasingly worried about the impact Pakistan's growing
instability - especially in the border areas - was having on
Afghanistan's own security. Afghanistan continued to seek
improved security cooperation with Pakistan. Karzai thought
assistance from countries from the Arab world and the "world
of Islam" (especially Saudi Arabia) was necessary to
successfully address the insurgent threat in Pakistan. The
Ambassador noted that President Obama would deliver a speech
in Cairo this week addressing broader global issues and the
Muslim world.

KARZAI'S OUTLINES DESIRED LEGACY
--------------


3. (SBU) Whatever the outcome of the upcoming elections,
Karzai stressed the Afghan people must see the election
process as fair and transparent. This, he said, would be a
key step in the institutionalization of democracy in
Afghanistan. The Codel asked how Karzai saw his legacy in
five years if he were re-elected. The Representatives
pointed to some good ministers working to strengthen their
institutions, especially the Ministers of Interior, Defense
and Finance, and asked if Karzai intended to retain these
officials if re-elected. Karzai assured the Codel he
intended to continue forward with his most effective
ministers.


4. (SBU) If elected to another term, Karzai hoped 2014 would
see a more united Afghanistan in which its people did not
live in fear, either from militants or their own officials.
A more democratic, economically sound Afghanistan that
offered its children a brighter future, took its place as an
equal among nations, and lived at peace both within its own
borders and with its neighbors, and an Afghanistan that still
counted the U.S. as a strong ally.

GOVERNANCE AND SECURITY CHALLENGES
--------------


5. (SBU) Responding to the Codel's concerns regarding
governance and security problems, Karzai acknowledged there
were still many problems but added his government had
accomplished much in recent years. He pointed to education
and health as areas were Afghanistan had made great strides -
from primary schools to universities, thousands more students
were participating in the education system each year. And
the spread of health clinics and practitioners to more remote
parts of the country was directly improving quality of life
for the Afghan people.


6. (SBU) Counterterrorism remained at the top of the list of
Afghanistan's concerns, but close behind, Karzai said, was
the lack of governance capacity. Below the most senior
levels, administrative and governmental capacity remained
extremely weak. If re-elected, he planned to focus more
closely on ways to bridge this gap and praised India's model
of civil service training and administration. Karzai wanted
to develop programs to build up Afghanistan's civil service
similar to those programs already being implemented to reform
and strengthen the army, police and judiciary. In the
absence of significant improvements in governance, Karzai
asserted that Afghanistan would be a long-term burden for the
U.S. and the international community. U.S. and international
support to build this administrative capacity was critical.


7. (SBU) Regarding the Codel's inquiry on his efforts to
combat corruption and strengthen rule of law, Karzai noted
Afghanistan's judicial structures had been virtually
destroyed after 30 years of war. The judiciary needed more
technical assistance and educated judges and lawyers. Karzai
agreed widespread corruption was a problem, but asserted that
it went beyond government and represented a societal
challenge as well. He noted the government sometimes
struggled to hold a local official or community leader

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accountable for misconduct because the community would often
band together out of loyalty and pressure the government to
drop its efforts, even knowing the individual was guilty of
wrongdoing.

KARZAI OPTIMISTIC ON RE-ELECTION
--------------


8. (SBU) Karzai was cautiously optimistic regarding his
re-election prospects. He related that earlier in the day,
he had struck deals with leaders of the Hazara and Uzbek
political contingents (Haji Mohammed Mohaqqeq and Sayed
Noorullah, respectively). Karzai noted the leaders had
attached surprisingly few conditions in offering to throw
their support to Karzai. According to the President, both
Mohaqqeq and Noorullah said their communities were satisfied
with Karzai's representation of ethnic minorities and saw him
as a unity candidate.


9. (SBU) The President claimed the overall political system
was weakened by having too many marginal presidential
candidates. Many had joined the race only to see what deals
could be made when the major candidates sought to consolidate
support. This "dealmaking" diminished the process in the
eyes of the public. (Note: An ironic observation coming from
the candidate making most of the deals thus far.) The Codel
asked if development of stronger political parties would not
go far in addressing this concern. Karzai agreed, saying he
favored the U.S. system of two strong parties instead of "30
small squabbling parties." (Note: Karzai has consistently
opposed development of strong Afghan political parties in
favor of the more traditional system of personal patronage
and informal, shifting political alliances - the system that
enabled him to strike the deals with Mohaqqeq and Noorullah.)

RECONCILIATION
--------------


10. (SBU) The Codel asked about the prospects for
reconciliation. Karzai affirmed reconciliation remained an
attainable, desirable goal to heal rifts within Afghanistan.
Only those with ties to al-Qaeda or foreign intelligence
services were outside the circle of potential reconcilables.
Karzai maintained most local taliban fighters were poor,
uneducated people who could be convinced to lay down arms and
accept Afghanistan's constitution. Karzai hoped for
continued support from partners like the U.S. and Saudi
Arabia in moving reconciliation forward, however
incrementally. One ongoing problem in securing the support
of at-risk communities was civilian casualties. Karzai
recognized the U.S. suffered losses - along with Afghan
forces - in fighting the enemy and that Coalition Forces
continually sought to avoid civilian losses. Nonetheless, it
was a profoundly sensitive issue for the Afghan people and
one that was used as an effective wedge by those hard-core
militants who opposed reconciliation.

POPPY STILL A PROBLEM
--------------


11. (SBU) The Codel asked about Karzai's counternarcotics
efforts, noting that 93 percent of the world's opium still
came from Afghan poppy. Karzai pointed out that the vast
majority of that poppy originated in Helmand province in
areas outside government control. He pointed to the dramatic
decline of poppy cultivation in other parts of Afghanistan,
saying that in areas where security and some level of
governance were present, poppy declined or disappeared,
adding that where there is little security there is "much
poppy" and where there is no security there is a "lot of
poppy." Karzai also criticized earlier poor coordination of
counternarcotics efforts by the international community and
the UN with the Afghan government, but noted coordination had
improved markedly over the past year.

EIKENBERRY