DEMARCHE TO AFGHANISTAN ON CLUSTER MUNITIONS

C O N F I D E N T I A L KABUL 000078 SIPDIS KABUL FOR COS USFOR-A E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/13/2018 TAGS: PARM MOPS PREL SUBJECT: DEMARCHE TO AFGHANISTAN ON CLUSTER MUNITIONS DELIVERED TO MFA REF: SECSTATE 134777 Classified By: Classified by DCM Christopher Dell for reasons 1.4 (b) a nd (d) 1.(C) SUMMARY: The MFA will urge president Karzai to adopt a broad interpretation of Article 21 of the Cluster Munitions Convention (CCM) in an effort to prevent any disruption of US efforts in Afghanistan, according to a senior MFA official. He expressed disappointment that Karzai had ignored the MFA,s original recommendation against signing the convention in the first place. END SUMMARY 2.(C) On Jan. 12, per reftel request, POLMILoffs demarched Assistant Secretary Khaled A. Zekriya, head of the MFA,s Fifth Political Division. Zekriya said he had already had preliminary conversations with Minister of Foreign Affairs, Dr. Rangin Dadfar Spanta, about interpreting Article 21 broadly. He said he would speak further with the Foreign Minister and Defense Minister Gen. Abdul Rahim Wardak to have them encourage President Karzai to accept this approach. 3.(C) Zekriya demonstrated a solid understanding of U.S. cluster munitions policy from both the humanitarian and military perspectives. He said the MFA understands the steps the US has taken to reduce unintended risk to civilians. Zekriya noted that it will take a long time for the CCM to be ratified by the Afghan Parliament and implemented, suggesting that there is time to properly brief Karzai on the implications of the Article 21 interpretation. 4.(C) Zekriya recounted that he had recommended to Spanta from the beginning that Afghanistan not sign the convention. "In view of our strategic partnership, I was saddened on one hand because I indicated to your Ambassador we would not sign. On the other hand, I was happy from a humanitarian stand point," he added. 5.(C) COMMENT: Zekriya concluded the meeting by stating that he expected the MFA would confirm to the U.S. that Afghanistan will broadly interpret Article 21 as we requested. However, in view of Karzai,s sudden about-face and decision on the CCM, and Zekriya's ambivalent statement about his mixed reaction to the GIRoA vote on the CCM, Post counsels caution before concluding that this outcome is certain. END COMMENT. 6.(C) BIOGRAPHICAL NOTE: Zekriya appears to have a strong western lean in both personal style and philosophy, having spent half of his life in the US and half in Afghanistan. He attended the University of California, San Diego for his undergraduate studies, and San Diego State for his Masters in political science. His parents still live in San Diego. He spent 18 months pursuing a PhD in Afghan civic culture at UC Berkeley before returning to Afghanistan. His work with the MFA follows a family tradition of diplomatic service in which his father and grandfather both worked for the MFA. Zekriya was married for 11 years to a Mexican attorney who is a notary public. He spent part of his marriage residing near Tijuana. He attributes the break-up of his marriage to his decision to return to Afghanistan. He is intelligent, articulate, and well-informed to the point of being a braggard in making it clear to foreign interlocutors that his influence in MFA runs to the Minister and into other MFA departments. Zekriya speaks fluent English and Dari. He is ethnic Pashtun, but he speaks Pashtu only marginally, although he understands it fluently. He also speaks some level of Spanish. WOOD