Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
10PRAGUE90
2010-02-18 13:04:00
UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY
Embassy Prague
Cable title:
DISCUSSIONS AMONGST OFFICIALS PRIOR TO PRAGUE'S
how-toVZCZCXRO6704 RR RUEHIK DE RUEHPG #0090/01 0491304 ZNR UUUUU ZZH R 181304Z FEB 10 FM AMEMBASSY PRAGUE TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 2167 INFO RUEHZL/EUROPEAN POLITICAL COLLECTIVE RUEHBUL/AMEMBASSY KABUL 0136
UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 PRAGUE 000090
SIPDIS
SENSITIVE
STATE FOR EUR/CE
E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PGOV PREL EZ
SUBJECT: DISCUSSIONS AMONGST OFFICIALS PRIOR TO PRAGUE'S
PRT CONFERENCE JANUARY 25-27
PRAGUE 00000090 001.2 OF 002
UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 PRAGUE 000090
SIPDIS
SENSITIVE
STATE FOR EUR/CE
E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PGOV PREL EZ
SUBJECT: DISCUSSIONS AMONGST OFFICIALS PRIOR TO PRAGUE'S
PRT CONFERENCE JANUARY 25-27
PRAGUE 00000090 001.2 OF 002
1. (SBU) More than 250 participants from 46 countries met in
Prague over three days in our pre-London conference. The
participants included journalists, civilian and military
government officials, and NGO leaders. They discussed ways in
which Provincial Reconstruction Teams (PRTs) could enhance
coordination to more effectively deliver results to the
Afghan public. Prior to the start of the conference,
approximately 50 government representatives (see para 8-9
below),roughly half of which were USG officials, met for
four hours on the afternoon of January 25 to discuss
Governance, Economic Development, Civilian-Military
Coordination, and Ensuring Effectiveness.
2. (SBU) All of the four sessions (Governance, Economic
Development, Civilian-Military Coordination, and Ensuring
Effectiveness),had a mix of U.S. and foreign government
participants that spoke openly about constraints working in
Afghanistan, focusing primarily on the work of PRTs.
--------------
Governance and Economic Development
--------------
3. (SBU) During the discussion on governance, the
participants concentrated on the following two issues that
Afghan officials often raise: the "unevenness" of support
across provinces, and the caveats (frequently national
constraints) that circumscribe how these funds may be used.
Recognizing that national mandates are unlikely to be
eliminated any time soon, participants focused on better
coordination with Afghan government authorities and the need
to avoid creating "parallel structures" whereby Afghans look
to the PRT instead of their provincial officials.
4. (SBU) The government representatives also discussed ways
in which local procurement (especially via PRT funding) could
be increased, bearing in mind security constraints and the
need to ensure project sustainability. While there was
support for expanding high value crop production and export
capacities, several experts raised notes of caution about
ensuring this was not at the expense of Afghans, growing
crops for their own sustenance.
--------------
Ensuring Effectiveness and Civilian-Military Coordination
--------------
5. (SBU) Much of the conversation on ensuring effectiveness
focused on the issue of "stability" and how to get there.
While many of the participants felt stability was the desired
goal, several member states flagged national mandates which
focus in other areas. Senior Civilian Representative for
Regional Command East, Dawn Liberi, pointed out that in
Afghanistan there are more than 75,000 projects currently.
She commented that these projects often have specific
parameters and most must meet certain demands from capitals.
Several officials also focused attention on the challenges
involved in evaluating Afghan feedback since Afghan views
vary according to provinces and what's involved in achieving
stability varies in each as well.
6. (SBU) While discussing civilian-military coordination, a
great deal of attention was given to coordinating training.
Officials acknowledged that national PRT methods, procedures,
and command structures sometimes vary greatly, although
participants agreed that efforts should be made to ensure the
most common elements are incorporated in pre-deployment and
post-arrival training opportunities. Though the discussion
focused primarily on civilian-military coordination within
the PRTs, the EU,s Senior Political Advisor to the EU
Special Representative, Barbara Stapleton, reminded the group
that the civil-military relationships with NGO actors in the
PRTs, operating space are likewise in need of attention.
--------------
Pre-Conference Take-Aways
--------------
7. (SBU) The following text was discussed and drafted during
the "wrap-up" of the pre-conference. It represents the
common thinking of those participants present at the
pre-conference, not necessarily the official views of their
home countries, since the document was not cleared in
capitals.
Begin Text:
In Prague, government representatives of PRT contributing
nations gathered from the field and from capitals on January
PRAGUE 00000090 002.2 OF 002
25th to share lessons learned and identify priority areas for
coordination of their efforts to support Afghanistan. The
delegates discussed Governance, Economic Development,
Civilian-Military Coordination, and Ensuring Effectiveness.
The delegates agreed that enhanced cooperation in accordance
with the following principles would improve PRT effectiveness:
Governance
- Encourage the passage and implementation of the Sub
National Governance Policy
- Strengthen the GIRoA-led PRT Executive Steering Committee
to enhance coordination at the district, provincial and
national level among the PRTs.
- Build local capacity of Afghan government officials and
institutions through PRT personnel and programs in
conjunction with the Afghan government's Civilian Technical
Assistance Plan.
- Promote transparency and accountability of PRT activities
for both Afghans and international donors.
Economic Development
- Increase local procurement to stimulate the economy, while
striving to avoid market distortions.
- Beyond our focus on staple crops, increase efforts to
regenerate agribusiness to provide jobs and economic
opportunities, help increase production of high value crops
and explore new ways to help farmers access credit.
Civilian Military Coordination
- Increase capacity and consistency of civilian-military
training opportunities for PRT personnel through such
institutions as the NATO Academy in Oberammergau, Germany and
the COIN Academy in Kabul.
- Strengthen civilian leadership and expertise in PRTs to
enhance governance and development to increase stability and
security.
Ensuring Effectiveness
- Solicit input of the population to identify root causes of
instability.
- Develop plans and program activities that mitigate sources
of instability and analyze the impact at the district level
as well as the connections to the provincial and national
levels.
- Support the efforts of Kabul headquarters and provincial
officials to visit districts and engage with local
populations.
This document only reflects the sense of the participants.
End of Text.
--------------
Pre-Conference Participants
--------------
8. (U) The following list covers the Foreign Government and
International Organizations present for the pre-conference:
Czech Republic - Ester Lauferova, Karla Stepankova, Daniel
Volk, Bohumila Ranglova, Vladislav Gunter, Katerina Joselova
South Korean - Seong-Doo Ahn, Si-jin Song
Norway - Helene Sand Andresen
Turkey - Turker Ari
Slovenia - Urska Cas Svetek, Aljosa Selan, Srecko Zajc
Germany - Burkhard Ducoffre
Sweden - Magnus Forsberg
Canada - Sean Jorgensen
UN - Stefan Liebig
Hungary - Laszlo Pallos
Latvia - Jevgenijs Pavlovics
Belgium - Susan Pond
EU - Barbara Stapleton
Lithuania - Bartas Trakymas
Poland - Jerzy Wieclaw
NATO - Nicholas Williams
Italy - Sergio Maffettone
9. (U) USG Officials (in alphabetical order): Darian Arky,
Carla Benini, Steve Campfield, Amy Carnie, Curtis Carson,
Rachel Cooke, Beth Dunford, Bay Fang, David Gainer, Angela
Gemza, Robert Goley, Bailey Hand, Dereck Hogan, John Law,
Dawn Liberi, Drew Mann, Brig. Gen. Mark Scraba, Jamie
McCampbell, LtCol. Karl Muehlheuser, John Plumley, Nick
Rolling, Neilesh Shelat, Matt Sherman, Jessica Simon, Vikram
Singh, and Leamond Stuart.
10. (U) S/RAP has not cleared this message.
Thompson-Jones
SIPDIS
SENSITIVE
STATE FOR EUR/CE
E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PGOV PREL EZ
SUBJECT: DISCUSSIONS AMONGST OFFICIALS PRIOR TO PRAGUE'S
PRT CONFERENCE JANUARY 25-27
PRAGUE 00000090 001.2 OF 002
1. (SBU) More than 250 participants from 46 countries met in
Prague over three days in our pre-London conference. The
participants included journalists, civilian and military
government officials, and NGO leaders. They discussed ways in
which Provincial Reconstruction Teams (PRTs) could enhance
coordination to more effectively deliver results to the
Afghan public. Prior to the start of the conference,
approximately 50 government representatives (see para 8-9
below),roughly half of which were USG officials, met for
four hours on the afternoon of January 25 to discuss
Governance, Economic Development, Civilian-Military
Coordination, and Ensuring Effectiveness.
2. (SBU) All of the four sessions (Governance, Economic
Development, Civilian-Military Coordination, and Ensuring
Effectiveness),had a mix of U.S. and foreign government
participants that spoke openly about constraints working in
Afghanistan, focusing primarily on the work of PRTs.
--------------
Governance and Economic Development
--------------
3. (SBU) During the discussion on governance, the
participants concentrated on the following two issues that
Afghan officials often raise: the "unevenness" of support
across provinces, and the caveats (frequently national
constraints) that circumscribe how these funds may be used.
Recognizing that national mandates are unlikely to be
eliminated any time soon, participants focused on better
coordination with Afghan government authorities and the need
to avoid creating "parallel structures" whereby Afghans look
to the PRT instead of their provincial officials.
4. (SBU) The government representatives also discussed ways
in which local procurement (especially via PRT funding) could
be increased, bearing in mind security constraints and the
need to ensure project sustainability. While there was
support for expanding high value crop production and export
capacities, several experts raised notes of caution about
ensuring this was not at the expense of Afghans, growing
crops for their own sustenance.
--------------
Ensuring Effectiveness and Civilian-Military Coordination
--------------
5. (SBU) Much of the conversation on ensuring effectiveness
focused on the issue of "stability" and how to get there.
While many of the participants felt stability was the desired
goal, several member states flagged national mandates which
focus in other areas. Senior Civilian Representative for
Regional Command East, Dawn Liberi, pointed out that in
Afghanistan there are more than 75,000 projects currently.
She commented that these projects often have specific
parameters and most must meet certain demands from capitals.
Several officials also focused attention on the challenges
involved in evaluating Afghan feedback since Afghan views
vary according to provinces and what's involved in achieving
stability varies in each as well.
6. (SBU) While discussing civilian-military coordination, a
great deal of attention was given to coordinating training.
Officials acknowledged that national PRT methods, procedures,
and command structures sometimes vary greatly, although
participants agreed that efforts should be made to ensure the
most common elements are incorporated in pre-deployment and
post-arrival training opportunities. Though the discussion
focused primarily on civilian-military coordination within
the PRTs, the EU,s Senior Political Advisor to the EU
Special Representative, Barbara Stapleton, reminded the group
that the civil-military relationships with NGO actors in the
PRTs, operating space are likewise in need of attention.
--------------
Pre-Conference Take-Aways
--------------
7. (SBU) The following text was discussed and drafted during
the "wrap-up" of the pre-conference. It represents the
common thinking of those participants present at the
pre-conference, not necessarily the official views of their
home countries, since the document was not cleared in
capitals.
Begin Text:
In Prague, government representatives of PRT contributing
nations gathered from the field and from capitals on January
PRAGUE 00000090 002.2 OF 002
25th to share lessons learned and identify priority areas for
coordination of their efforts to support Afghanistan. The
delegates discussed Governance, Economic Development,
Civilian-Military Coordination, and Ensuring Effectiveness.
The delegates agreed that enhanced cooperation in accordance
with the following principles would improve PRT effectiveness:
Governance
- Encourage the passage and implementation of the Sub
National Governance Policy
- Strengthen the GIRoA-led PRT Executive Steering Committee
to enhance coordination at the district, provincial and
national level among the PRTs.
- Build local capacity of Afghan government officials and
institutions through PRT personnel and programs in
conjunction with the Afghan government's Civilian Technical
Assistance Plan.
- Promote transparency and accountability of PRT activities
for both Afghans and international donors.
Economic Development
- Increase local procurement to stimulate the economy, while
striving to avoid market distortions.
- Beyond our focus on staple crops, increase efforts to
regenerate agribusiness to provide jobs and economic
opportunities, help increase production of high value crops
and explore new ways to help farmers access credit.
Civilian Military Coordination
- Increase capacity and consistency of civilian-military
training opportunities for PRT personnel through such
institutions as the NATO Academy in Oberammergau, Germany and
the COIN Academy in Kabul.
- Strengthen civilian leadership and expertise in PRTs to
enhance governance and development to increase stability and
security.
Ensuring Effectiveness
- Solicit input of the population to identify root causes of
instability.
- Develop plans and program activities that mitigate sources
of instability and analyze the impact at the district level
as well as the connections to the provincial and national
levels.
- Support the efforts of Kabul headquarters and provincial
officials to visit districts and engage with local
populations.
This document only reflects the sense of the participants.
End of Text.
--------------
Pre-Conference Participants
--------------
8. (U) The following list covers the Foreign Government and
International Organizations present for the pre-conference:
Czech Republic - Ester Lauferova, Karla Stepankova, Daniel
Volk, Bohumila Ranglova, Vladislav Gunter, Katerina Joselova
South Korean - Seong-Doo Ahn, Si-jin Song
Norway - Helene Sand Andresen
Turkey - Turker Ari
Slovenia - Urska Cas Svetek, Aljosa Selan, Srecko Zajc
Germany - Burkhard Ducoffre
Sweden - Magnus Forsberg
Canada - Sean Jorgensen
UN - Stefan Liebig
Hungary - Laszlo Pallos
Latvia - Jevgenijs Pavlovics
Belgium - Susan Pond
EU - Barbara Stapleton
Lithuania - Bartas Trakymas
Poland - Jerzy Wieclaw
NATO - Nicholas Williams
Italy - Sergio Maffettone
9. (U) USG Officials (in alphabetical order): Darian Arky,
Carla Benini, Steve Campfield, Amy Carnie, Curtis Carson,
Rachel Cooke, Beth Dunford, Bay Fang, David Gainer, Angela
Gemza, Robert Goley, Bailey Hand, Dereck Hogan, John Law,
Dawn Liberi, Drew Mann, Brig. Gen. Mark Scraba, Jamie
McCampbell, LtCol. Karl Muehlheuser, John Plumley, Nick
Rolling, Neilesh Shelat, Matt Sherman, Jessica Simon, Vikram
Singh, and Leamond Stuart.
10. (U) S/RAP has not cleared this message.
Thompson-Jones