Identifier | Created | Classification | Origin |
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09PARIS1203 | 2009-09-03 09:16:00 | SECRET//NOFORN | Embassy Paris |
VZCZCXYZ0001 OO RUEHWEB DE RUEHFR #1203/01 2460916 ZNY SSSSS ZZH O 030916Z SEP 09 FM AMEMBASSY PARIS TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 7082 RHEHNSC/WHITE HOUSE NSC WASHINGTON DC IMMEDIATE RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHINGTON DC IMMEDIATE INFO RUEHZL/EUROPEAN POLITICAL COLLECTIVE IMMEDIATE RUEHBJ/AMEMBASSY BEIJING IMMEDIATE 2072 RUEHIL/AMEMBASSY ISLAMABAD IMMEDIATE 1019 RUEHBUL/AMEMBASSY KABUL IMMEDIATE 0877 RUEHNE/AMEMBASSY NEW DELHI IMMEDIATE 1318 RUEKJCS/JOINT STAFF WASHINGTON DC IMMEDIATE |
S E C R E T PARIS 001203 |
Afghanistan and Pakistan Richard Holbrooke and U.S. Ambassador to France Charles Rivkin met Jean-David Levitte, Diplomatic Advisor to President Sarkozy, to discuss Afghanistan and Pakistan. Levitte asserted that the Government of France (GOF) was reversing its policy of "benign neglect" towards Pakistan but raised concerns about the security of Pakistan,s nuclear deterrent. Levitte and Holbrooke also agreed to approach the Chinese government separately to seek greater coordination on AfPak policy. END SUMMARY. 2. (S/NF) Diplomatic Advisor Levitte hosted Ambassador Holbrooke on August 31 for a discussion about GOF and USG policy towards Afghanistan and Pakistan. Embassy Paris considers Levitte, a National Security Advisor equivalent and Holbrooke,s former counterpart at the UN, to be one of the most important and influential voices within the GOF on national security policy. 3. (S/NF) Levitte said that President Sarkozy recognized anew the importance of Pakistan and sought to reverse French policy of "benign neglect," but that Pakistan remains "an army in search of a country." He asserted that the Pakistani army is well regarded by the Pakistani people when not in power, but that it fails when in power. He further stated that PM Gilani is currently the "civilian in charge" but does not now seek the Presidency, nor does Nawaz Sharif, who views the current turbulent situation as an inopportune time to be President. As a result, Levitte said that the consensus GOF view is that the Pakistani government will "remain as-is" in the near future. 3. (S/NF) Levitte said that he was "more pessimistic" than the U.S. about Pakistan. He stated that Pakistan has "chosen Islamicization for generation after generation," and that it is now a "transformed society"with an educational system focused on the Koran. Levitte cited A.Q. Khan,s recent release from house arrest as an issue of concern to the GOF. Furthermore, he said that the GOF was "not sure that the Pakistani nuclear deterrent is secure," especially with the frequent movement of nuclear weapons by the Pakistani military. He said that the GOF would provide technical assistance to Pakistan on issues of nuclear safety, but he firmly stated that the GOF would not supply nuclear energy technology. Furthermore, Levitte said that Sarkozy,s Chief of Staff had recently visited Pakistan and informed the Pakistani government that the GOF would not sell submarines to Pakistan, but it would provide counter-insurgency training to boost Pakistani capacities in a niche area of traditional strength for France. 4. (S/NF) Levitte concurred with Ambassador Holbrooke,s assessment that China shares the same strategic view of Pakistan as the U.S. and France, including concerns about training of terrorists (including Uighurs) in Afghanistan and Pakistan. Holbrooke and Levitte agreed that they consequently believed that China should engage more with international partners on Pakistan, despite its disinclination to do so, as stated at the recent Friends of Democratic Pakistan meeting in Turkey. At Holbrooke,s request, Levitte agreed to raise this issue in his meeting on September 1 with Chinese Councilor Dai Bingguo; Holbrooke said that he would re-enforce this message in his meeting with Councilor Dai in Beijing on September 7-8. 5. (S/NF) On Afghanistan, Levitte said that the GOF would "take its share of the risks" on security. He asserted that the French public accepts its military,s mission to bring stability within two years to the areas where French troops serve, and that "the public response to the elections has been good." Levitte also said that, as security responsibilities around Kabul are transferred to the Afghan army, the GOF planned to reassign approximately 500 maritime military positions to RC-East because of "the need for two strong battalions there." The GOF plans no public announcement of the shift because "President Sarkozy does not want a national debate on the number of French troops" in Afghanistan. 6. (S/NF) Levitte said that the GOF plans to provide 40 million Euros of civilian assistance funding tied to specific projects in Kapisa and Surobi districts, and that it was "difficult to get out of its tradition" on assistance. He added that the GOF remains skeptical of the U.S. approach on Provincial Reconstruction Teams, but that the GOF is integrating military-civilian assistance in the provinces "in its own way," which he did not explain. Levitte said that France would provide gendarmerie advisors for the European Gendarmerie Force, and that France and Italy had agreed to move beyond their recent disagreements in this area, although they have not integrated (and probably will not integrate) their respective training programs. Finally, Levitte said that President Sarkozy planned to visit Afghanistan in the spring of 2010. (Comment: This is yet another deferral of Sarkozy,s planned trip to the region, which was originally planned for the spring of 2009, and which the GOF recently told Embassy Paris would occur before the end of the year.) 7. (U) Ambassador Holbrooke reviewed and cleared this message. RIVKIN |