UNAMA SEEKS CLEAR AGENDA FOR LONDON CONFERENCE

C O N F I D E N T I A L KABUL 003819 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/30/2019 TAGS: PGOV PREL AF SUBJECT: UNAMA SEEKS CLEAR AGENDA FOR LONDON CONFERENCE Classified By: CDDEA Ambassador E. Anthony Wayne for reasons 1.4 (b) an d (d) ¶1. (C) In the weekly ambassadorial meeting held on November 30 at UNAMA, SRSG Kai Eide began by raising the importance of reaching agreement among the donor countries and UNAMA on the key agenda items for the London Conference, which UN Secretary General Ban Ki Moon confirmed would take place on January 28. Eide stressed the need to obtain clarity on the scope of the conference promptly. He also noted that there would likely be a "JCMB plus" meeting prior to the London conference, and that the objectives of the JCMB would dovetail with the London agenda. ¶2. (C) British Deputy Ambassador Tom Dodd reported that a paper on the London conference agenda would be circulated November 30/December 1 to all relevant capitals. The conference would focus largely on security and international engagement; however a security-focused agenda would not preclude the discussion of other issues, particularly the domestic transformation agenda. Dodd suggested that the conference would also touch upon the "architecture" of the civilian campaign in Afghanistan. He said most of these non-security issues would be left for more in-depth discussion at the subsequent Kabul conference in March or April. ¶3. (C) The German Ambassador seconded the UK points that security issues should be the focus in London but added that "security" should include issues like police training, not just military issues. He added that there could also be broad discussions of the "political reshaping" President Karzai announced at his inauguration. The EU representative advocated for a wider scope at the London conference, and also suggested civil society leaders be included in the conference as a way of ensuring that input from the provincial and district level would be heard in London. SRSG Eide recommended holding off on inviting civil society leaders until there was greater clarity on the London conference's scope of agenda and further discussions with Afghan leaders. Eikenberry