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DE RUEHBUL #0402/01 0550812
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
P 240812Z FEB 09
FM AMEMBASSY KABUL
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 7482
INFO RUCNAFG/AFGHANISTAN COLLECTIVE PRIORITY

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 KABUL 000402 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958:QL: 2/20/2019 
TAGS: PREL KHUM KDEM AF
SUBJECT: KARZAI URGES CODEL PELOSI TO SUPPORT AFGHAN ARMY, 
POLICE, IRRIGATION AND POWER PROJECTS 
 
Classified By: Charge d'Affaires Christopher Dell for reasons 1.4 (B) a 
nd (D) 
 
¶1. (SBU) SUMMARY.  Accompanied by the Ambassador, Speaker of 
the House Nancy Pelosi and seven other House Democrats 
breakfasted with President Karzai at the Presidential Palace 
on 2/21.  Karzai claimed Afghanistan was progressing much 
better than portrayed in the Western media and expressed 
optimism for additional progress stemming from the strategic 
review process.  Karzai argued troops alone do not bring 
security and urged US support for irrigation and power 
projects.  Karzai expressed support for the August 20 
election date announced by the Afghan election commission. 
Finally, Karzai conveyed the deep gratitude of the Afghan 
people for continued US assistance to their country. 
 
Introduction 
---------- 
 
¶2. (U) Codel Pelosi, comprised of Speaker of the House Nancy 
Pelosi, and Representatives Larson, DeLauro, Miller, Markey, 
Eshoo, Pascrell, and Capuano et with President Karzai over 
breakfast at th Palace.  The Afghan attendees included UpperHouse Speaker Sebghatulah Mojaddedi, Lower House Speaker 
Yunus Qanooni, Foreign Minister Rain Spanta, National 
Security Advisor Zalmai Rsoul, and Minister of Parliamentary 
Affairs Mhammad Anwar Jekdalek.  Speaker Pelosi started ff 
the conversation by emphasizing the importance of the 
upcoming strategic review and asking President Karzai to give 
the Codel his view of the current "lay of the land" and 
detail his plan going forward. 
 
Karzai's Positive Vision of Afghanistan 
---------- 
 
¶3. (U) Responding to several of the representatives' 
questions, President Karzai emphasized positive developments 
in security and governance.  Karzai claimed the Afghan police 
were working efficiently in large cities such as Kabul and 
Mazar-e-Sharif.  Karzai admitted there were still problems in 
other areas, but said these stemmed from the international 
community starting its police training programs in earnest 
too late.  The number of police is still small compared to 
the population and there are still many administrative 
hurdles such as slow pay and lack of training.  Karzai urged 
the international community to continue and expand police 
training efforts. 
 
¶4. (SBU) Speaker Pelosi asked President Karzai specifically 
about the security situation in Kabul.  Karzai said that 
except for isolated incidents, security is good in Kabul. 
Outside of Kabul too, security is not as bad s portrayed in 
western media.  Karzai describd formerly desolate highways 
as jammed withtraffic.  Border provinces with Pakistan suchas Kunar and Nangarhar are much more secure tha Pakistan 
border areas, even Peshawar, Karzaiclaimed.  Karzai agreed 
with Representative Markey's quotation from a National 
Directorate of Intelligence report, stating "no progress" is 
possible in Afghanistan without controlling the border with 
Pakistan. 
 
¶5. (U) Karzai contrasted Afghanistan's government and civil 
society now with the situation five years ago, emphasizing 
such positive developments as the collegiality in Parliament 
among  former enemies, new universities, new media outlets, 
and economic growth, as particularly important achievements. 
 He also said the government bureaucracy works much better. 
For example, he now receives regular, thorough security 
briefings, rather than ad hoc incident reports. 
 
Additional US Troops and the Strategic Review Process 
---------- 
 
¶6. (C) Speaker Pelosi characterized Obama's decision to 
announce the deployment of additional troops to Afghanistan 
before the completion of the strategic review as "courageous" 
and "a risk." The deployment of these troops is not popular 
in parts of the US particularly because of the difficult 
economic environment, she said.  Representative Larson told 
Karzai many members of Congress were also skeptical of 
President Obama's decision.  He asked Karzai to present 
benchmarks by which progress could be more easily evaluated. 
Karzai did not immediately provide these benchmarks, but said 
he was very pleased President Obama accepted the Afghan 
government's offer to participate in the strategic review 
process. 
 
¶7. (U) Karzai asked for more international support for the 
Afghan Army and the Afghan Police. Afghans must feel that 
their government is providing security, Karzai emphasized, 
rather than international forces.  Also, Karzai asked for 
more support for irrigation and power projects, claiming that 
 
KABUL 00000402  002 OF 002 
 
 
if the international community delivered this support, 
Afghanistan could "feed itself" in two years. 
 
Making the US Safer 
---------- 
 
¶8. (C) Responding to the Speaker's question on how to protect 
the US from terrorists, Karzai urged the US to address 
terrorist sanctuaries in Pakistan.  Karzai said Al Qaeda are 
not present in Afghanistan, although from Pakistan they may 
direct terrorist operations here.  Karzai described the 
Pakistani government's recent decision to allow 
implementation of Sharia law in Swat an "alarming" and 
"shocking" mistake which would make the security situation in 
Pakistan worse.  He plans to meet with Pakistan President 
Zardari as soon as possible to discuss the situation in Swat; 
a scheduled meeting last week was delayed due to a 
weather-related flight cancellation. 
 
Taliban: 7800 Reconciled to the New Afghanistan 
---------- 
 
¶9. (C) Karzai claimed 7800 Taliban had reconciled with the 
Afghan government as a direct result of government-led talks 
emphasizing the compatibility between the Afghan constitution 
and Islam.  Many Taliban were "country bumpkins" who could 
easily be convinced to accept the Afghan government.  In 
describing the program, Karzai said the government would only 
deal with Afghan Taliban who were not Al Qaeda and who would 
accept the Afghan constitution without ideological hang-ups, 
for example, they would accept women's equality. 
 
Support for the August 20 Election Date 
---------- 
 
¶10. (C) President Karzai expressed support for the 8/20 
election date and underlined security conditions would not 
allow elections to take place by the 5/22 date contemplated 
in the Afghan constitution.  Responding to Pelosi's request 
to expand on what he meant by "security conditQs," Karzai 
explained security (fighting and violence in thQouth),Qechnical, and weather conditions preclude holding a fair and 
free election in May.  Karzai claimed that if the elections 
were held on or before May 22, he would be the winner as 
other candidates, "have not yet booked their tickets to the 
game," meaning that the August date would allow for more 
robust competition between presidential candidates. 
Parliament objects to holding the election on August 20 as a 
violation of the constitution, Karzai noted. 
 
Concerned about Civilian Casualties; Appreciative of US 
Assistance 
---------- 
 
¶11. (SBU) Karzai "felt he had to raise his voice" in 
responding to civilian casualties incidents.  However, Afghan 
people are still immensely grateful to the United States. 
Without US intervention and continued support, we would not 
be sitting here talking, Karzai said.   Karzai said the 
Afghan government was looking forward to sitting together 
with US officials during the strategic review and discussing 
differences and devising a mutually agreeable plan to make 
both Afghanistan and the US safer. 
 
¶12. (U) The Codel did not have an opportunity to clear on 
this message. 
DELL