VZCZCXRO3086
OO RUEHBC RUEHDE RUEHIK RUEHKUK RUEHYG
DE RUEHBUL #2919 1790851
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
O 280851Z JUN 06
FM AMEMBASSY KABUL
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 1078
INFO RUEHHE/AMEMBASSY HELSINKI IMMEDIATE 0144
RUEHZG/NATO EU COLLECTIVE
RUCNIRA/IRAN COLLECTIVE
RUEKJCS/OSD WASHDC
RUEKJCS/JOINT STAFF WASHDC
RHMFISS/CDR USCENTCOM MACDILL AFB FL
RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK 2638
RUEHGV/USMISSION GENEVA 6089
RUEHUNV/USMISSION UNVIE VIENNA 1463
RUEHNO/USMISSION USNATO 2788
RHEHAAA/NSC WASHDC
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHDC
RHEFDIA/DIA WASHDC

UNCLAS KABUL 002919 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPARTMENT FOR SCA/FO, SCA/A, S/CRS, EUR/RPM, EUR/NB 
NSC FOR HARRIMAN 
OSD FOR BRZEZINSKI 
CENTCOM FOR CG CFC-A, CG CJTF-76 
 
SIPDIS 
SENSITIVE 
 
E.O. 12958 N/A 
TAGS: PGOV PREL FI AF
SUBJECT: FINNS SEEK ASSURANCES WEAPONS DONATIONS WOULD 
GO TO ANP ONLY 
 
 
¶1. (SBU) Summary: Finnish Ambassador Antti Koistinen 
held separate meetings with Ambassador Neumann and 
CSTC-A Brigadier General OBrien the week of June 19 
to inquire whether a donation of one hundred thousand 
AK-47s requested by the Afghans could be given to the 
ANP with guarantees that they would not be distributed 
to the ANA or irregular forces.  The GOF would only 
consider the donation with such assurances.  BG 
OBrien assured Koistinen that CSTC-A could guarantee 
donated weapons would be distributed solely to the 
ANP.  Koistinen could not confirm a timeline, even if 
the donation were approved, and suggested a team of 
experts might need to be sent to analyze the 
distribution mechanisms.  OBrien asked whether 
Finland could contribute to police training, and 
Koistinen said he would take the request back to 
Helsinki.  End Summary. 
 
¶2. (SBU) Finnish Ambassador to Afghanistan Antti 
Koistinen met with Ambassador Neumann June 21 to raise 
GOF concerns that a possible donation of Finnish 
weapons to the ANP could end up with the ANA or 
provincial irregulars or militias.  Koistinen said the 
GOA recently requested a Finnish donation of one 
hundred thousand used/warehoused Kalashnikovs for the 
ANP, but Finlands strict bars on weapons donations 
required assurances any donated weapons would be used 
solely by the ANP.  Koistinen said the GOF required 
ed 
such a guarantee prior to the Foreign Affairs 
Committee meeting to be held the week of June 26. 
Ambassador Neumann explained that he strongly supports 
the donation, but suggested that Ambassador Koistinen 
speak with CSTC-A regarding ANP programs. 
 
¶3. (SBU) Ambassador Koistinen met with CSTC-A 
Brigadier General OBrien and PolMilOff June 24 to 
discuss the issue.  BG OBrien said CSTC-A has 
procedures in place to distribute weapons to the ANP 
and could guarantee a firewall between the ANP and ANA 
(i.e. that no weapons would end up with the ANA).  BG 
OBrien and PolMilOff also confirmed that the U.S. is 
not equipping irregulars or militias, and that any 
donation would be distributed only to the ANP. 
Ambassador Koistinen said this last point was 
particularly important to the Finnish government. 
 
¶4.  (SBU) Koistinen indicated that even if the Finnish 
government decides in favor of the donation, he could 
not offer a timeline for actual weapons transfer.  He 
He 
mentioned the possibility of sending a team of 
technical experts to discuss the distribution 
mechanism with CSTC-A officers.  OBrien warmly 
welcomed such a visit. 
 
¶5.  (SBU) BG OBrien asked if the Finns would be 
willing to contribute police trainers, noting a number 
of vacancies in the trainer program.  Koistinen 
responded positively, noting that the Finns are 
training Iraqi police in Jordan, and said he would 
take that proposal back to Helsinki. 
 
NEUMANN