NEW GOVERNMENT POSITIONS FOR MOJADIDI SENIOR AND JUNIOR

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 KABUL 000323

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958; DECL: 01/23/2020
TAGS: ESTH SOCI EAID AF
SUBJECT: NEW GOVERNMENT POSITIONS FOR MOJADIDI SENIOR AND JUNIOR

Classified by: Ambassador Karl W. Eikenberry for reasons 1.4 (b) and
(d).


1. (C) Summary: On Friday, January 15, Ambassador Eikenberry met with
Dr. Najibullah Mojadidi, the Special Advisor to the President of
Afghanistan on Health and Education. Dr. Mojadidi said he would
possibly be nominated to serve as Ambassador to the United States.
He also suggested possibility of Dr. Mojadidi's father, Sebghatullah
Mojadidi, stepping down from his position in the Senate and leading a
realistic peace and reconciliation process in Afghanistan. Dr.
Mojadidi revealed that he and Sebghatullah Mojadidi were not involved
in Karzai's nominations for new ministers. End Summary.

Afghanistan's US Ambassador: Diplomatic Skills Needed
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2. (C) Recently, while speaking with President Karzai, Dr. Mojadidi
mentioned his concern that Afghanistan has not established an
effective connection to the USG in the United States. President
Karzai then asked Dr. Mojadidi if he would like to be the Afghan
Ambassador to the United States. Although Dr. Mojadidi indicated to
Ambassador Eikenberry that he would like to accept the offer, he
expressed concern about giving up his U.S. citizenship to take the
position. He wanted reassurances from Ambassador Eikenberry that he
would remain eligible for U.S. citizenship (based on the U.S.
citizenship of his wife and children) when he finished his
Ambassadorial duties.


3. (C) Ambassador Eikenberry noted that Dr. Mojadidi was
well-qualified: excellent credibility, intimate understanding of
both American and Afghan culture, a strong vision of what needs to
happen in Afghanistan and, most importantly, the ability to
communicate that vision to the American public and the U.S. Congress.
Ambassador Eikenberry also advised Dr. Mojadidi that he would need
to expand the staff of the Afghan Embassy to the United States and to
recruit an experienced team of diplomats rather than people to whom
favors were owed. He further noted that it would be critical to have
subject matter experts who could have a dialogue with counterparts at
the Department of Defense, the Department of State, and the U.S.
Agency for International Development.

Brokering Peace and Reconciliation
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4. (C) Ambassador Eikenberry and Dr. Mojadidi discussed the draft
reconciliation policy put forth by the Afghan Government. Dr.
Mojadidi was disappointed that it did not address the need for a
trusted intermediary. He noted that President Karzai has attempted
to have a dialogue about peace with the Taliban several times but has
always been rebuffed. Dr. Mojadidi pointed out that unless there is
a neutral party respected by both President Karzai and the Taliban it
will be impossible for any realistic progress to occur in peace and
reconciliation.


5. (C) Dr. Mojadidi suggested that his father, Sebghatullah Mojadidi
might possess the qualifications needed for such a position. He
noted that this might be the appropriate time for the elder Mojadidi
to step down from his position as Senate Leader and focus full time
on the peace and reconciliation process. Moreover, Dr. Mojadidi
stated that even if Karzai could engage in dialogue with the Taliban
he risked losing favor with one political party or another. Far
better to have a respected leader who is trusted by everyone, such as
Sebghatullah Mojadidi, as the intermediary.

Mojadidis Not Involved in Ministerial Nominations
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6. (SBU) Dr. Mojadidi noted that both he and his father were unhappy
with many of Karzai's nominations and stated that his father would
definitely not support Karzai's current nominations. Dr. Mojadidi
was upset that he was not consulted on either health or education
since he is the President's Advisor on Health and Education. While
the Ambassador felt that there was an overall improvement in the
quality of Ministers, Dr. Mojadidi insisted that Karzai could have
done much better.


7. (SBU) Dr. Mojadidi disliked the nominee for Minister of Higher
Education (MoHE),M. Hashim Esmatullahee, and the nominee for
Minister of Public Health (MoPH),Dr. Soraiya Daleel. According to
Dr. Mojadidi, the nominee for MoHE was "totally Iranian" as all of
his education was from Iran and his mentality was no longer Afghan.
He knew the nominee for MoPH well and was strongly concerned about
her management capabilities. (Note: Following the meeting both these
nominees were rejected by Parliament. We agree with Dr. Mojadidi's
assessments, however, we believe that the nominee for MoPH could have
succeeded with strong deputies and advisors. End Note)


8. (C) COMMENT: We believe that placing Professor Sebghatullah
Mojadidi in a symbolic reconciliation role would benefit GIRoA's
reconciliation effort, enable both him and the palace to save face
while enabling more effective leaders to manage an anticipated new
GIRoA reintegration entity and program. END COMMENT.


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EIKENBERRY