SRAP HOLBROOKE'S JANUARY 13 MEETING WITH FOREIGN

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 ISLAMABAD 000152 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/06/2019 TAGS: PGOV PREL PTER PREF EAID PK SUBJECT: SRAP HOLBROOKE'S JANUARY 13 MEETING WITH FOREIGN MINISTER QURESHI Classified By: Anne W. Patterson for reasons 1.4 (b) (d) ¶1. (C) Foreign Minister Qureshi opened the January 13 meeting with SRAP Holbrooke by stressing the need to pay more attention to the bilateral relationship. He stated that the situation in Afghanistan needed to improve and that Pakistan could assist in these efforts by actively participating in the London Conference and contributing to the civilian surge outlined in President Obama's December 1 speech. He explained that Pakistan's proximity to, shared history with, and cultural ties to Afghanistan made it uniquely qualified to provide training, reintegration, reconciliation, and reconstruction expertise. Qureshi highlighted the importance of moving forward on Reconstruction Opportunity Zones (ROZs), but stated that he understood the delay is due to the difficult legislative climate and calendar in the U.S. He noted the significant progress made previously on the Bilateral Investment Treaty (BIT) and encouraged immediate resumption of negotiations, characterizing the BIT as an important precursor to a Free Trade Agreement. He added that the U.S. could build goodwill and improve public opinion by mobilizing investment, especially in the energy sector. ¶2. (C) Qureshi said that he wanted to move beyond the bilateral irritants -- visas, land acquisition, demarches, etc. -- and explained that he had delivered his views, in writing, to the Prime Minister. He lauded the good work done by the Obama administration in several areas, but maintained that the U.S. was insensitive to the sensibilities of the Pakistani public. As an example, he cited the enhanced security screening of Pakistanis by the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) and urged the U.S. to reconsider the policy. At that point, Ambassador Holbrooke informed Qureshi that the Homeland Security Secretary Napolitano asked him to relay the following points: (1) the changes resulted from a study ordered by President Obama to thoroughly review the previous TSA guidelines; (2) Pakistan was not singled out for extra scrutiny and other U.S. allies, such as Saudi Arabia, were also on the list; (3) there were existing random security checks at other airports, like Heathrow; and (4) we would conduct an ongoing review of countries on the list and make adjustments as warranted. ¶3. (C) Qureshi then asked for timely reimbursements from Coalition Support Funds (CSF). Ambassador Holbrooke responded that the Embassy staff needed to process the estimated $1.5 billion in reimbursements are in the U.S. awaiting the issuance of their Pakistani visas. He added that Pakistan already had all of the information required to process the visas and that the issue could be solved in one day if Pakistan were so inclined. Qureshi ended the meeting saying that there were three issues which could undermine the bilateral relationship: (1) drones; (2) U.S. ground operations on Pakistani soil; and (3) the perception that the U.S. is not paying attention to Pakistan's security concerns regarding India. ¶4. (U) This cable has been cleared by SRAP. ¶5. (U) Participants Government of Pakistan Shah Mahmood Qureshi, Foreign Minister Salman Bashir, Foreign Secretary Zaheer Pervez Khan, MFA Director General Sohail Khan, MFA Director General (Americas) Tehmina Janjua, MFA Secretary of Strategic Planning Attiya Mahmood, MFA Additional Secretary (Americas) Abdul Basit, MFA Spokesman USG Ambassador Richard Holbrooke, Special Representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan Ambassador Anne W. Patterson Vali Nasr, SRAP Senior Advisor Ashley Bommer, SRAP Special Advisor Barney Rubin, SRAP Senior Advisor Rami Shy, SRAP Treasury Advisor Mary Beth Goodman, SRAP Economic Advisor Burton Field, SRAP Military Advisor ISLAMABAD 00000152 002 OF 002 Rosemarie Pauli, SRAP Chief of Staff Bryan Hunt, Embassy Political Counselor Andrei Cotton, Embassy Political Officer (notetaker) PATTERSON