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DE RUEHBUL #2512/01 1521311
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P 011311Z JUN 06
FM AMEMBASSY KABUL
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 0606
INFO RUCNAFG/AFGHANISTAN COLLECTIVE
RUEHSJ/AMEMBASSY SAN JOSE 0021
RHEHAAA/NSC WASHDC
RHEFDIA/DIA WASHDC
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHDC
RUEKJCS/JOINT STAFF WASHDC
RUEKJCS/CJCS WASHDC
RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHDC
RUEHGV/USMISSION GENEVA 6023
RUMICEA/USCENTCOM INTEL CEN MACDILL AFB FL
RHMFISS/CDR USCENTCOM MACDILL AFB FL
RHMFISS/COMSOCCENT MACDILL AFB FL
RUEATRS/US TREASURY WASHDC

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 KABUL 002512 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPT FOR SCA/FO, S/CT, SCA/A, G KATE FRIEDRICH, G/IWI 
DIANNE GRAHAM 
NSC FOR AHARRIMAN, KAMEND 
CENTCOM FOR POLAD, CG CFC-A, CG CJTF-76 
TREASURY FOR LMCDONALD, WBALDRIDGE, APARAMESWARAN, ABAUKOL 
STATE PLEASE PASS USAID FOR AID/ANE, AID/DCHA/DG 
SAN JOSE FOR JANAE COOLEY 
REL NATO/ISAF, AUS, NZ 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 09/04/2015 
TAGS: PGOV PREL PINR PINS AF
SUBJECT: PARLIAMENT'S STATEMENT ON US CONVOY ACCIDENT 
 
REF: KABUL 2473 
 
Classified By: A/DCM ANGUS SIMMONS FOR REASONS 1.4 (B) AND (D) 
 
¶1. (C) SUMMARY.  On May 31, the Wolesi Jirga (lower house of 
the Afghan National Assembly) issued a press release 
summarizing its debate on the US convoy crash on May 29.  The 
release called for legal action against those responsible for 
the crash.  While the release is non-binding, it accurately 
reflects opinion in Parliament.  CFC-A is currently working 
on its response.  END SUMMARY. 
 
¶2. (U) Following is an unofficial translation of the text of 
the Wolesi Jirga's press release: 
 
BEGIN PRESS RELEASE.  The Wolesi Jirga expresses regret over 
the traffic accident that occurred on May 29, 2006. 
 
In a meeting chaired by Parliament speaker Mohammed Yunus 
Qanooni, the representatives of the people indicated that 
poverty, unemployment, government corruption, bribery and 
outside interference were the main causes of bad security in 
Afghanistan.  In this meeting, the following decisions were 
made regarding the previous day's traffic accident. 
 
- 1) Those responsible for the traffic accident that happened 
in Kabul on May 29 should be identified and brought before 
the law. 
- 2) In order to express sympathy for the families of the 
victims, necessary assistance should be provided to them. 
- 3) Those individuals who were harmed in the accident must 
be compensated. 
- 4) Those who took the opportunity to commit illegal acts 
should be identified and handed over to the law. 
 
In addition, decisions were made regarding a improving the 
security situation and understanding the causes of poor 
security conditions in the country.  The Wolesi Jirga also 
discussed creating a national security strategy to identify 
the reasons why security is deteriorating in the countryside. 
 END PRESS RELEASE. 
 
¶3. (C) COMMENT.  Speaker Qanooni passed a message to 
Ambassador that he had worked to keep the most extreme 
anti-American statements out of the statement, which is 
non-binding.  The press release took the place of the normal 
summary of debate that Qanooni does at the end of each day of 
open session (the debate summarized in the release was in 
closed session), and can be viewed in the same vein as 
Parliament's statements after the Abdul Rahman case: they 
called for an investigation into the case, but little action 
was taken.  Nonetheless, it accurately reflects current 
sentiment in the Wolesi Jirga, and similar statements were 
repeated in debate in open session on May 31.  Rumors 
continue to fly around Parliament, and MPs in the two house 
of Parliament formed a joint committee to investigate the 
crash themselves.  Equal anger, though, has been expressed 
against those who, in the words of MPs, took advantage of the 
accident to cause disarray. 
 
¶4. (C) COMMENT CONTINUED.  CFC-A is continuing to conduct its 
investigation in cooperation with the Afghan authorities and, 
in coordination with the Embassy, its public diplomacy 
response to Parliament's statement.  The existing status of 
forces agreement between the US and GOA, memorialized in an 
exchange of diplomatic notes concluded on 28 May 2003, 
provides DOD military and civilian personnel with status 
equivalent to that for the administrative and technical staff 
of the embassy.  Importantly, this includes complete immunity 
from GOA criminal jurisdiction.  During public debate we will 
attempt to avoid, to the extent possible, legal bases for 
 
KABUL 00002512  002 OF 002 
 
 
Coalition soldiers not appearing in Afghan courts even though 
we have an exchange of notes that provides that protection. 
We will emphasize in public that we are working cooperatively 
with Afghan authorities to investigate the situation, and 
that mechanical failure is not a reason to bring a driver 
before any criminal judicial proceedings.  END COMMENT. 
 
NEUMANN