SRSG EIDE MEETS WITH AMBASSADOR RICE

C O N F I D E N T I A L USUN NEW YORK 000642 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/29/2019 TAGS: PREL PGOV UNSC AF SUBJECT: SRSG EIDE MEETS WITH AMBASSADOR RICE Classified By: AMBASSADOR SUSAN RICE, FOR REASONS 1.4 B/D ¶1. (C) SRSG Kai Eide met briefly with Ambassador Rice on June 29, in advance of his June 30 briefing to the Security Council on UNAMA/Afghanistan. Eide previewed his intervention. First, he will focus on planning for elections while also rejecting the accusation of "foreign interference." (In a private one-on-one with Ambassador Rice, Eide expressed grave concern that some influential foreign officials were in fact putting their hands on the electoral scales.) He will also touch upon aid effectiveness, donor coordination, the regional dimension, the goal of announcing benchmarks at the next quarterly report and more resources for UNAMA. Ambassador Rice said the U.S. would be supportive of Eide and UNAMA, and noted that in the coming weeks the U.S. would work with Council members to adopt a Presidential Statement on the Afghanistan elections and funding for UNAMA. ¶2. (C) Eide said he would clearly describe the "very promising developments" in Afghanistan. He said there were many examples of all actors doing a much better job. He said he would also praise General McChrystal,s recent statement that U.S. and NATO forces needed to undertake a fundamental shift in Afghanistan, from conventional warfare to protecting civilians. RICE