POLES ON BOARD FOR COORDINATED APPROACH ON

C O N F I D E N T I A L WARSAW 001100 SIPDIS DEPT FOR S/SRAP AND EUR/CE (GLANTZ) E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/30/2019 TAGS: PREL NATO PL AF SUBJECT: POLES ON BOARD FOR COORDINATED APPROACH ON GUBERNATORIAL APPOINTMENTS REF: STATE 109882 Classified By: Political Counselor F. Daniel Sainz for Reasons 1.4 (b) and (d) ¶1. (C) MFA officials welcomed reftel suggestion to engage in a coordinated approach to the Afghan Government on gubernatorial appointments. Ambassador Jerzy Wieclaw, Chief of the MFA's South Asia Division, said he would encourage the Polish Embassy to reach out to the U.S. mission in Kabul to begin the process. Emphasizing that such discussions should take place at the local level rather than in capitals, Wieclaw said coordination on gubernatorial appointments could serve as the foundation for a broader discussion among allies and other interested parties in Kabul regarding a common approach on other issues concerning the Afghan Government. He suggested, for example, that the group consider a common approach on appointments of Afghan officials below the governor level. Finding competent, trustworthy interlocutors among local officials has been an ongoing problem for the Polish contingent in Ghazni Province, one that might be mitigated if the West insisted on clear criteria for appointments. ¶2. (C) Wieclaw, who recently returned to Warsaw after serving as Poland's Charge d'Affaires in Kabul, observed that it would be difficult to secure President Hamid Karzai's agreement on criteria. He predicted that Karzai would win the November 7 run-off election, but was optimistic that a coalition government could be formed. Wieclaw acknowledged the existence of strong opposition to such a government, based on ideological and ethnic considerations, but the U.S. and other influential players should strongly encourage Karzai (or whoever wins the election) to try to unify the various political and clan factions. This, along with ending corruption, is key to Afghanistan's long-term stability. At a minimum, Wieclaw thought it was crucial to keep former FM Abdullah Abdullah constructively engaged regardless of the outcome of next week's election. ¶3. (C) Poland's small civilian contingent in Ghazni Province was working closely with local provincial officials at various levels, but Wieclaw acknowledged that it was difficult to overcome Afghani political and ethnic dynamics that undermined the effectiveness of Warsaw's modest development assistance program. In the meantime, the GoP was under growing pressure from the Parliament to withdraw from Afghanistan, especially militarily, but Wieclaw did not foresee this occurring in the near future. He was aware that MOD was conducting an internal review of its military deployment, taking into consideration COMISAF's latest assessment, but no conclusions have been reached. Although MOD had not consulted MFA "at our level" during its review, Wieclaw thought the Defense Ministry would not finalize its conclusions until after the Afghan elections as well as a U.S. decision on COMISAF'S call for more troops. TULLEY