EU, U.S. AMBASSADORS DISCUSS STRATEGY, DEVELOPMENT

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E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PREL EAID ECON AF
SUBJECT: EU, U.S. AMBASSADORS DISCUSS STRATEGY, DEVELOPMENT

CIV-MIL SURGE TOPS LIST OF TOPICS


1. (SBU) During a brief June 7 courtesy call, Ambassador Eikenberry
briefed European Commission Ambassador Hansjoerg Kretschmer on the
US strategy in Afghanistan. The Ambassador told Kretschmer that
strategy focuses on the most insecure areas in southern and eastern
Afghanistan, and that the civilian aspect would be highlighting work
on both governance and reconstruction. The Ambassador said that
there would be a more balanced civ-mil approach to operations.


2. (SBU) At the same time, the Ambassador acknowledged that the lack
of a secure environment for implementation of civilian programs was
going to require a military effort. He said the objective of
military operations would be to improve the security of the
population and create an environment in which civilian efforts could
engage effectively. The Ambassador added that the concept of Clear,
Hold, Shape, Build was not linear, with each step in order; rather,
he emphasized that some of these steps would be simultaneous and
that the civilian and military activities would need to be well
integrated to exploit this. District Support Teams would be crucial
in this effort, he said.

INTEGRATION OF CIV-MIL EFFORTS CRUCIAL


3. (SBU) The Ambassador told Kretschmer that civ-mil activities
needed to be better coordinated at the regional level and below. He
said that often military commanders cannot identify real civilian
counterparts. The Ambassador said that measures were being taken to
address this problem. Kretschmer noted that the strategy depended
on numerous variables, and he asked the Ambassador if some
relatively peaceful areas would see a benefit to being "bad boys" in
order to get attention and economic aid. Kretschmer also asked what
the strategy would mean for cooperation with the international
community. He specifically asked if the USG still found ANDS
relevant.


4. (SBU) The Ambassador said that SRAP Holbrooke had created an
international network to address just such issues. He added that
the United States was not pulling back from ANDS, and remained very
much committed to the Afghan Reconstruction Trust Fund (ARTF). The
Ambassador did note, however, that some funding for security may be
applied in ways perhaps not envisioned by the JCMB. Kretschmer
expressed concern about the military's role in Rule of Law issues.
He also asked why the United States believed that an increase in
military force would address security concerns, when an increase in
troop levels has coincided with an increase in insurgent activity.


5. (SBU) The Ambassador said that the increase in military forces
will provide troops to secure at-risk populations and help
accelerate the training of the Afghan National ARMY and Police. He
said that much depends on how we define progress. While NATO-ISAF
and the Afghan National Security Forces will not be able to gain
control over all areas in the East and South, there will be evident
gains. Still, the Ambassador emphasized that we will still be
fighting there a year from now, and perhaps as we squeeze the
insurgency in some areas, there will be additional violence in other
areas. He added that having control over significant population
centers in Helmand and Kandahar is also an attainable goal. The
Ambassador added that Pakistan remains a crucial variable in all
this and that the Pakistani Army's actions in Swat are important and
possible action in Waziristan could yield significant gains. At
present, however, there was no indication that the Pakistanis would
be taking on the Afghan Taliban.

WHAT CONSTITUTES "A WIN"?


6. (SBU) Kretschmer asked how we would define victory in
Afghanistan. Are defeating the Taliban and eliminating the source
of international terror the same thing, or are they different
objectives? He asked further if indeed international terror could
be defeated. Does defeat of international terror mean an end to Al
Qaeda operations worldwide? Kretschmer noted British Prime Minister
Gordon Brown's recent comment that the coalition was in Afghanistan
"to create a living democracy." Kretschmer bluntly said that if

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that were the real reason, "we wouldn't be here now."


7. (SBU) The Ambassador said that "modern jihad" began with the
fight against the USSR and not 9/11. He added that if AQ were to be
driven out of Pakistan and its top leadership eliminated, then the
movement would lose credibility. As to Afghanistan, our efforts
here were to ensure that the country never again becomes a safe
haven, and to do that we must transform conditions on the ground.
Kretschmer said that the country can only be transformed to the
extent that it wanted to be. He noted the National Solidarity
Program (NSP) as being perhaps a good model of success, empowering
the local village leadership and giving them a stake in providing
security. Kretschmer opined that currently, the choice for many
Afghans was to suffer the Taliban reluctantly or fight them, risking
death on behalf of what he called a corrupt and unresponsive
government.
EIKENBERRY