RESPONSE TO DUTCH POINTS ON MARCH 31 AFGHANISTAN

UNCLAS STATE 021540

SENSITIVE

C O R R E C T E D C O P Y (ADDING SENSITIVE CAPTION)

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PREL AF PK
SUBJECT: RESPONSE TO DUTCH POINTS ON MARCH 31 AFGHANISTAN
CONFERENCE

REF: STATE 21115


1. (U) This is an action request. Please see paragraph 5.


2. (SBU) On March 6, the Political Counselor at the Embassy
of The Netherlands in Washington conveyed an informal Dutch
response to the U.S. non-paper outlining our concept for a
Ministerial conference on Afghanistan. The Dutch envision
the conference as laying the foundation for a new Afghanistan
Compact once the current Compact expires in 2010. They
propose the format consist of UN and Dutch co-chairs, with
the UNSYG formulating the statement of conclusions. For the
formulation of the statement of conclusions, they have
suggested preparations be coordinated at UN Headquarters in
New York, assisted by a Friends of the Chair Group, which
would include The Netherlands. They also have requested the
Friends group follow the format of the Joint Coordination and
Monitoring Board (JCMB),a group based in Kabul. In response
to our suggestion that Pakistan be incorporated formally into
the agenda, the Dutch indicated they would prefer to focus on
Afghanistan while acknowledging the regional context of the
broader situation.


3. (SBU) While we agree with most elements of the Dutch
approach, we are concerned the process outlined by The
Netherlands for preparation of the Chairman's statement would
detract from UN Special Representative Kai Eide's role as
Chairman of the proposed conference and his broader position
as a key leader in the international community for
Afghanistan. In addition, we believe the Joint Coordination
and Monitoring Board is not appropriate for this task.


4. (SBU) We also believe it is crucial to address the
linkages between the common issues faced by both Afghanistan
and Pakistan, and will continue encouraging their formal
inclusion in the agenda.


5. (SBU) Action Request: Department requests that Charge
deliver the following points to the appropriate high-level
officials of the Government of The Netherlands:

--Thank you for your prompt and considered reply to our
proposal for a Ministerial Conference on Afghanistan on March
31, hosted by The Netherlands.

--We wholeheartedly concur with your characterization of the
nature of the meeting, and with the proposed co-chairmanship
by the United Nations and the Government of The Netherlands.

--As stated in our non-paper, we believe the key deliverable
of the conference will be a chairman's statement issued under
SRSG for Afghanistan Kai Eide's name.

--Such a statement would further our shared goal of
reinforcing SRSG Eide's position as an international leader
for issues on Afghanistan.

--To that end, we believe that preparation of the chair's
conclusions should be undertaken by SRSG Eide in Kabul rather
than by UN Headquarters working with a Friends of the Chair
group in New York. Having said that, SRSG Eide will travel
to New York this month.

--SRSG Eide will consult all stakeholders, especially your
government as co-chair, in the drafting process. This
process worked well for the Paris International Conference in
Support of Afghanistan in June 2008, and we believe it is the
best model for the March 31 conference.

--We also ask that you reconsider our request to broaden the
agenda of the meeting to encompass Pakistan as well as
Afghanistan.

--As you are aware, the U.S. government is in the final
stages of completing a strategic policy review for
Afghanistan and Pakistan, something for which we received
substantial input from the international community.

--This review process has made it abundantly clear that the
problems faced by Afghanistan and Pakistan spring from a
common source: violent extremism, sustained by
narcotrafficking, economic hardship, and poor governance.

--Furthermore, efforts to achieve our goal of a stable,
peaceful Afghanistan could be significantly undercut by a
destabilized Pakistan.

--These common problems require a common solution, and
broadening the agenda of the conference to include Pakistan
would demonstrate renewed impetus to bring sustainable
long-term stability to the region.

--As such, we think it critical that both the framework of
the conference and the resulting Chairman's Statement reflect
a decision to address these problems in an integrated manner.

--Given his deep experience and strong understanding of
Afghanistan and his current role with Pakistan, we would
expect former SRSG for Afghanistan Jean Arnault to play a
role in the conference as it moves forward as well.

--We look forward to supporting your work as host of this
conference, and appreciate your consideration of our proposal.
CLINTON