AFGHAN AMBASSADOR ON SAUDI RELATIONS

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 RIYADH 001387

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/13/2019
TAGS: PREL PGOV SA AF PK
SUBJECT: AFGHAN AMBASSADOR ON SAUDI RELATIONS

RIYADH 00001387 001.2 OF 002


Classified By: AMB James B. Smith for
reasons 1.4 (B) and (D)

SUMMARY
--------------


1. (C) During an October 12 courtesy call, to the Ambassador,
Afghan Ambassador Azizullah Karzai admitted fraud had
occurred in the recent Afghan elections; lamented the state
of Saudi-Afghan bilateral relations; commented on perceived
U.S. missteps in Afghanistan; and explained the challenges
faced by Afghans resident in the Kingdom of SAUDI Arabia.


"I CANNOT SAY THERE WAS NO FRAQ"
--------------


2. (C) Afghan Ambassador Azizullah Karzai admitted that fraud
occurred in the recent Afghan elections, explaining that
Afghanistan is very inexperienced with democracy and mistakes
are bound to happen. "I cannot say there was no fraud,"
Karzai said, adding, "What can you expect from a country
where most people are illiterate?" Karzai defended President
Hamid Karzai-- who is his nephew-- as the best possible
candidate, regardless of the outcome of the elections, and
insisted that President Karzai was the only person who could
effectively unite the country. He went on to say that any
power-sharing deal would put too much control in the hands of
the Northern Alliance and marginalize the Pashtun South.
Karzai dismissed the idea of holding a runoff election,
saying that snow was already falling in the mountains, and
that there was no funding. The earliest possible time a
runoff could be held would be next spring, he observed, and
by then the country would have been without a leader for half
a year.


LIMITED SAUDI SUPPORT FOR AFGHANISTAN?
--------------


3. (C) Karzai lamented the SAG,s failure to respond to his
many requests for help. He said that SAG funding has stopped
since the Bonn Accords, adding, "they took everything back
after that." Karzai claimed that he had been asking the SAG
to help with Taliban mediation efforts for over a year, but
received no response at all. Karzai also complained that the
Taliban leadership was raising funds in KSA and that "they
pray for the Taliban in the mosques here." He explained SAG
support of the Taliban by saying that "they want the fighting
to stay in Afghanistan and Pakistan, otherwise the fighters
will come back to Saudi. They need a place to send the
people who want to do this jihad hobby."


IT DOESN'T HAVE TO BE THIS WAY
--------------


4. (C) In response to the Ambassador's question of what the
Afghans want from the SAG, Karzai heralded the great respect
that all Afghans have for the Saudis as the "true descendants
of the prophet." He said that all the GOA really wants is to
have normal bilateral relations with SAUDI Arabia, and to be
seen as a fellow Muslim country. He added that in addition,
they needed help with funding.


U.S. MISTAKES IN AFGHANISTAN
--------------


5. (C) Karzai stated his support for the U.S. military in
Afghanistan, saying that the Afghan people were happy to have
the U.S. in their country building bases and roads. The only
thing that will turn the people of Afghanistan against the
coalition forces, he said, was the death of civilians and
disrespect for Afghan customs. "Entering houses at night
when the children and women are sleeping, searching the
women, bringing dogs into the houses; these things cannot be
forgiven." Karzai also complained that
the coalition forces do not have a coherent strategy, and
that different troops in different regions do not seem to
coordinate with each other.


AFGHANS RESIDENT IN SAUDI ARABIA
--------------


6. (C) Karzai then spoke about some of the difficulties

RIYADH 00001387 002.2 OF 002


facing Afghans in KSA, noting that there are currently
450,000 Afghans living in the Kingdom. He explained that
issuing new passports to all Afghans in KSA after the fall of
the Taliban had been a challenge, and estimated that
20-25,000 Afghans were living illegally in the Kingdom, with
more "staying over" after the hajj every year. This created
problems for Afghans who were picked up by the police or
could not return to Afghanistan because they lacked proper
identification. "This is a normal, complicated problem."
(NOTE: Estimates of unidentified third country nationals are
very difficult to verify in KSA. END NOTE.)


COMMENT
--------------


7. (C) Karzai does not seem to be very well connected with
the SAG, as evidenced by his difficulty getting any
substantive response from his requests for assistance. He
does offer some insight into the problems that Afghans living
in KSA face, and may be a source of information about
President Hamid Karzai. END COMMENT.


BIOGRAPHIC NOTE
--------------


8. (C) Ambassador Azizullah Karzai is Afghan President Hamid
Karzai's uncle. The U.S.-educated Karzai served in the
Afghan MFA under King Zahir Shah, with assignments to
Pakistan, India, Poland and Iraq. He returned to Afghanistan
in 1979 to fight the Soviets. During the Soviet occupation,
Karzai was injured and airlifted to a hospital in Washington,
DC. While recuperating in the U.S., Karzai met President
Reagan. Karzai returned to Afghanistan with his nephew in
2001, to fight the Taliban and act an advisor and emissary
for tribal issues. His previous post was as Afghan
Ambassador to the Czech Republic. Karzai is estimated to be
68 years old, and has a grandson who lives in San Diego, CA.
SMITH