UN SRSG: ELECTIONS PREPARATIONS BEHIND

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 KABUL 000478

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 02/02/2020
TAGS: AF PREL UN
SUBJECT: UN SRSG: ELECTIONS PREPARATIONS BEHIND

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Classified By: PolCouns Annie Pforzheimer for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d).


1. (C) Summary: Recently returned from the London Conference,
SRSG Eide led an upbeat meeting of ambassadors of major JCMBou arned, however,
that both
the UN and GIRoA were "much further along" at this stage in
preparations in 2009 and that their relative progress this
time is lagging significantly. He blamed the delays in part
on the lack of clarity on the role of the ECC vis a vis the
IEC, and especially the outstanding question on whether the
proposed international candidates for the ECC would be
accepted by Karzai.


4. (C) The EUSR and EC representatives both expressed doubts
that the elections could take place on schedule and urged the
UN to take the lead on organizing the international community
to provide the support needed for a successful election.
Eide said that he is actively pushing GIRoA to make decisions
on the respective roles of the IEC and ECC and to push for an
accelerated preparation schedule. Saying that we "barely
made it last time" with a longer preparation schedule, Eide
blamed the slow decision making and hesitation at the
presidential palace for the delays. Deputy SRSG Watkins said
the operational side of preparations was being held "hostage"
to the political discussions swirling around the election and
that these operational limitations were becoming even more
dire as time ticks on.

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Reform: Mission Impossible?
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5. The international community remains skittish about
committing money to another Afghan election when needed
reforms to the electoral system remain addressed, as Eide
admitted. The French ambassador and British charge

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d'affaires both stated their concern that discussion on
reform needs to take place soon, as budgets are being drawn.
Ambassador Eikenberry expressed hope that reform can be
brought about through a consensus decision by GIRoA in
cooperation with the international community. He said that
Afghan domestic politics, not the international community,
ideally should drive reform. GIRoA already showed its
ability to reach consensus when they made the decision to
postpone the election, he said. Eide agreed, and said he
hoped that attention could turn to reform now that the issue
of the election date has been settled.

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Calls for International Unity
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6. (C) With former British Ambassador Mark Sedwill due to
arrive in a matter of days to assume his new position as
NATO's Senior Civilian Representative, the group discussed
how to better coordinate international efforts in the months
to come. Afghanistan is "positioned to have a good year,"
Ambassador Eikenberry said, and he called for transparency
among international actors on their initiatives, conferences,
and other efforts related to Afghanistan: the international
community needs to have a "common road map" to ensure
delivery on shared objectives.


7. (C) Ambassador Eikenberry suggested that international
actors all need to collaborate in delivering timely aid to
GIRoA in a fashion that allows for the best use of the money.
The NATO representative noted cash flow issues that stem
from GIRoA's fiscal year beginning on March 21, followed by a
two month moratorium on spending, and then a two-month lag
before funding becomes available for spending. This schedule
means that GIRoA is not ready to spend money until nearly the
end of the U.S. fiscal year. Billions of dollars are in
GIRoA's coffers but have not been spent. Several ambassadors
urged the international community to work with GIRoA on
budget prioritization and spending mechanisms. Ambassador
Eikenberry noted that the helath and education sectors ahve
significant shotfalls that must be addressed by either GIRoA
using unobligated funds or by international donors.
Eikenberry