AFGHANISTAN/COUNTERNARCOTICS: GOVERNORS AND

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 KABUL 000156 SENSITIVE SIPDIS DEPT FOR INL, INL/AP, INR, SCA E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: SNAR PHUM KPAO AF SUBJECT: AFGHANISTAN/COUNTERNARCOTICS: GOVERNORS AND MINISTERS SUPPORT SUSTAINABLE POPPY ERADICATION REF: 08 KABUL 3066 ¶1. (U) This message is Sensitive but Unclassified -- please handle accordingly. ¶2. (U) SUMMARY: At a January 10 conference in Kabul, Afghan central government and provincial authorities -- including eight governors -- agreed that reducing poppy cultivation on a sustainable basis is a high priority requiring effective coordination at all levels. The workshop, sponsored by the Ministry of Counternarcotics and the Independent Directorate for Local Governance, brought together governors, ministers, and the international community to review the status of poppy cultivation in individual provinces and to lay out plans for the upcoming eradication season. The conversation was frank and open with several governors complaining of rampant corruption in their provinces as a factor inhibiting effective eradication; the Minister of Interior promised to address the issue. This was the second of two workshops (reftel) focused on laying the groundwork for an effective eradication campaign in 2009. END SUMMARY. AFGHAN MINISTRIES VOICE SUPPORT FOR ERADICATION EFFORTS ¶3. (U) The Ministry of Counternarcotics (MCN) and the Independent Directorate for Local Governance (IDLG) co-hosted the 2nd Governors Workshop on Poppy Eradication in Kabul on January 10 (reftel). The workshop brought together Ministers or senior representatives from the Ministries of Counternarcotics, Interior, Rural Rehabilitation and Development, Agriculture, Irrigation and Livestock, and the Ministry of Public Health. The governors of eight provinces also attended -- Balkh Herat, Kunar, Laghman, Jawzjan, Samangan, Sar-e-Pol and Takhar. The Governors of Ghor and Nangahar were invited but did not attend. The group discussed the challenges of eradicating poppy and how the central government can assist the provinces in their fight against narco-farmers, traffickers, insurgents and government corruption. The Director General of IDLG, Jelani Popal, praised the governors for their eradication efforts despite the lack of extensive financial or human resources. Popal stressed that creating alternative livelihoods is a key step in combating the narcotics economy, and encouraged the governors to share best practices and ides for reducing poppy cultivation. ¶4. (U) Minister Khodaidad of the Ministry of Counternarcotics (MCN) told the governors his ministry understands the problems of poppy cultivation and that more resources are being utilized to help them eradicate. Khodaidad said Helmand province cultivated 103,000 hectares of poppy in 2008 and he expected a sizable reduction this year due to Helmand Governor Mangal's "Food Zone" plan. The plan will demarcate 25,000 hectares of land that will only grow licit crops such as wheat. Any illicit crops within this zone and/or in accessible areas of "new growth" will be eradicated and the farmer arrested. The plan is heavily supported by USAID and the British Department For International Development (DFID) with physical eradication done by the INL-funded Poppy Eradication Force (PEF), supported by the Afghan National Army's Counter-Narcotics Battalion (CNIK) beginning in late January. The hope is that the plan can serve as a model for eradication efforts throughout the country. MINISTER OF INTERIOR PLEDGES TO ADDRESS POLICE CORRUPTION ¶5. (SBU) The Minister of Interior, Mohammed Hanif Atmar, described security, rule of law, and democracy as the main "pillars of progress" in the struggle against narcotics Atmar said opium "needs a place where rule of law does not exist, and that narcotics provide partial comfort to many people but eventually destroys you." Atmar stressed the Afghan National Police (ANP) operates under the direction of the governors in their eradication efforts, but made clear that while the ANP will manually destroy poppy fields, it will not spray herbicides. Atmar acknowledged the influence of corruption within the ANP and Border Police, but asserted that he would actively investigate and prosecute any actively corrupt officials brought to his attention. (Note: Atmar clarified that he did not intend to pursue past corruption in order to focus on current problems.) Atmar invited the governors to identify corrupt individuals and promised to KABUL 00000156 002 OF 003 investigate the allegations. (The governors enthusiastically applauded the Minister's remarks.) ¶6. (SBU) The Deputy Minister of Interior for Counternarcotics, Gen. Daoud Daoud, stated the MOI and Ministry of Defense (MOD) are working well together to fight poppy cultivation. Daoud said the MOD will support PEF forces in Helmand and Kapisa provinces. Daoud also stated the Afghan National Police will provide 300 police officers to 13 provinces to assist with security during Governor Led Eradication (GLE) efforts. (NOTE: The GLE is a governor led effort to use their provincial resources to eradicate poppy. In the past, the ANP has not provided extra assistance in this effort.) According to Daoud, arrests of corrupt police went up 350 percent from 2007 to 2008, and he stressed the MOI will continue its efforts to clean up the police force. ¶7. (U) The Minister of Public Health, Sayed Mohammad Amin Fahtimi, talked of the government systems and social structures that were destroyed by more than 30 years of war in the country. Fahtimi noted that poppy cultivation and drug use create poverty and instability, and the number of drug addicts is estimated to be 920,000 people. Fahtimi thanked the Ministry of Counternarcotics for providing $19 million to address drug addiction in Afghan. The Minister of Agriculture, Irrigation and Livestock, Asif Rahimi, said job opportunities, road construction and rigatoni repair are part of a holistic approach to fighting drugs and that providing alternative livelihoods was a key to future success. Rahimi stressed that a faster, less bureaucratic government was needed to better deliver essential services. UN CALLS FOR MORE SUPPORT TO PROVINCES ¶8. (U) Mr. Kai Eide head of the UN Assistance Mission to Afghan (UNAMA),praised the governors for their efforts and called on the international community to increase its commitment to the counternarcotics struggle. He complained about the lackluster performance of the Counternarcotics Trust Fund (CNTF),and said that the Good Performer's Initiative (GPI),was "too small" and should be increased. (Note: The CNTF receives support from several international donors -- not including the U.S. -- and is responsible for providing development assistance to provinces in which poppy cultivation is reduced; the GPI -- supported only by the U.S. and UK -- provides provincial governors with timely, targeted development funds used for community projects such as micro hydro facilities that create electricity, small dam projects to control flooding, and irrigation canals to direct water to farmland.) The governors praised the GPI as a valuable tool in combating illicit poppy cultivation and noted that it provides a quick and effective way to provide quick assistance to their citizens. GOVERNORS RECEIVE POPPY GROWING MAPS ¶9. (U) Embassy INL/NAS reps and the British Counternarcotics team met on the margins with the governors of Laghman (Luftullah Mashal),and Kunar (Sayed Fazullah Wahidi),and the Deputy Governor of Herat (Haji Mir),to discuss where poppy might be grown in 2009. The three provinces are nearly poppy free but there are remote areas in each province where poppy could be grown. We pointed out the areas on detailed maps so the governors know where they may have to eradicate. The governors knew from past experience which areas were likely to cultivate poppy, but appreciated receiving more current information. The Governor Mashal of Laghman said he supports the Governor Led Eradication (GLE) program but complained about the lack of money, equipment and manpower necessary to reach remote areas of his province. Mashal asked for additional support from the central government and international community to help him and the other governors eradicate poppy. The Deputy Governor of Herat argued that potential cultivation areas in his province are so remote that vehicles cannot reach them. During his voter register campaign he had to rent mules to carry people and material to those areas. ¶10. (SBU) The workshop was praised by central government representatives and the provincial governors as being productive and informative in the fight against poppy cultivation. The governors who attended this workshop -- in contrast to the first workshop -- generally do not face high KABUL 00000156 003 OF 003 levels of poppy cultivation, but keeping these provinces poppy free or nearly free is a high priority for the coming growing season. The various Ministers were encouraged by the governors' efforts to date and expressed understanding of the e challenges they face. In the past, the central government has not provided much assistance, but there is hope that this year will be different. WOOD