VZCZCXRO3171
PP RUEHDBU RUEHIK RUEHYG
DE RUEHBUL #5239 3020322
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 290322Z OCT 06
FM AMEMBASSY KABUL
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 3786
RUEATRS/DEPT OF TREASURY WASHINGTON DC PRIORITY 0194
INFO RHEHAAA/NSC WASHINGTON DC
RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHINGTON DC
RUEKJCS/OSD WASHINGTON DC
RUEKJCS/JOINT STAFF WASHINGTON DC
RUCPDC/USDOC WASHDC
RUCNAFG/AFGHANISTAN COLLECTIVE
RUCNIRA/IRAN COLLECTIVE
RUEHZG/NATO EU COLLECTIVE
RHMFIUU/HQ USCENTCOM MACDILL AFB FL
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHINGTON DC
RHEFDIA/DIA WASHINGTON DC

UNCLAS KABUL 005239 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE, SIPDIS 
 
DEPT FOR EB/IDF/OMA DCLUNE AND IDETWILER 
DEPT FOR SCA FRONT OFFICE (DAS GASTRIGHT) AND SCA/A 
DEPT PASS AID/ANE AND OMB:PCALBOS 
TREASURY FOR LMCDONALD, JCIORCIARI, AND ABAUKOL 
NSC FOR AHARRIMAN 
OSD FOR BRZEZINSKI 
 
E.O. 12958:N/A 
TAGS: EFIN AF RU
SUBJECT:  HIPC DATA REQUEST TO RUSSIA AND OTHER CREDITORS 
 
 
(U) This message contains SENSITIVE BUT UNCLASSIFIED information. 
Please protect accordingly.  Not for INTERNET Distribution. 
 
¶1. This is an Action Message.  Please refer to Para 6. 
 
¶2. The debt management unit within the Ministry of Finance is 
currently gathering detailed debt data from all of Afghanistan's 
bilateral creditors in order to assemble the necessary information 
to qualify Afghanistan under the Heavily Indebted Poor Country 
(HIPC) initiative for debt relief.  The debt data primarily relates 
to balances outstanding at December 31, 2004, and March 20, 2006, 
important HIPC measurement dates, but also includes other data such 
as amortization schedules. The spreadsheet we are requesting that 
creditors complete was provided by the IMF.  If all the date is 
received by November 3, it will be examined during the IMF's 
upcoming mission to Afghanistan beginning on November 11. 
 
¶3. The MOF is receiving most of the information it needs, but there 
is concern that Russia will not provide its data in time to present 
a complete package to the IMF Mission. Russia is Afghanistan's 
single largest creditor at approximately $11.2 billion in debt in 
about 77 transactions.  Without this data, Afghanistan will not 
qualify under the HIPC initiative. 
 
¶4. The MOF's approach to the Russians requesting this data has gone 
through: 
 
Alexey Storchak 
Deputy Chief of Division 
Department of International Foreign Relations 
State Debt and State Financial Assets 
Ministry of Finance 
 
5.(SBU) Mr. Storchak was the MOF's main Russian contact during the 
Paris Club meetings completed in July, 2006. 
Storchak communicated to the MOF by e-mail on October 11, 2006, that 
he would instruct Vnesheconombank to provide the required 
information in the form requested (spreadsheet provided to them with 
the itemized transactions included thereon).  The MOF needs the 
Russian data by November 3 for the IMF to include a HIPC review in 
the November 11 mission program. 
 
6.(SBU) ACTION REQUEST:  Given concerns about GOA budget 
sustainability and the importance of a positive HIPC decision to 
improving the GOA's long-term budget situation, Washington agencies 
may wish to consider asking Embassy Moscow to approach Russian 
officials to request expedited delivery of debt data to 
Afghanistan's Ministry of Finance. 
 
NEUMANN