VZCZCXRO3136
OO RUEHDBU RUEHIK RUEHYG
DE RUEHBUL #5825/01 3461637
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
O 121637Z DEC 06
FM AMEMBASSY KABUL
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 4839
INFO RUCNAFG/AFGHANISTAN COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
RUEHZG/NATO EU COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
RHEHAAA/NATIONAL SECURITY COUNCIL WASHINGTON DC PRIORITY
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHINGTON DC PRIORITY
RHEFDIA/DIA WASHINGTON DC PRIORITY
RUEKJCS/OSD WASHINGTON DC PRIORITY
RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHINGTON DC PRIORITY
RUEKJCS/JOINT STAFF WASHINGTON DC PRIORITY
RHMFIUU/HQ USCENTCOM MACDILL AFB FL PRIORITY
RHMFIUU/COMSOCCENT MACDILL AFB FL PRIORITY
RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK PRIORITY 3387

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 KABUL 005825 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR SCA/FO DAS GASTRIGHT, SCA/A, S/CRS, SA/PB, S/CT, 
EUR/RPM 
STATE PASS TO USAID FOR AID/ANE, AID/DCHA/DG 
NSC PASS TO NSA FOR AHARRIMAN 
OSD FOR KIMMITT 
CENTCOM FOR CFC-A, CG CJTF-76, POLAD, JICCENT 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: MCAP PHUM PREL PGOV PTER MOPS AF
SUBJECT: AN EMOTIONAL KARZAI LAUNCHES ACTION PLAN FOR 
PEACE, JUSTICE, AND RECONCILIATION 
 
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SUMMARY 
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¶1.  (SBU) President Karzai broke into tears during his 
December 10 speech launching Afghanistan,s Action Plan for 
Peace, Justice and Reconciliation.  While recounting the 
atrocities suffered by the Afghan people over the past 30 
years, he noted that Afghans had suffered at the hands of 
both terrorists and NATO air strikes.  He proclaimed December 
10 a National Day of Remembrance for war victims in 
Afghanistan.  The Action Plan announced by Karzai was 
originally adopted by the Government of Afghanistan (GOA) in 
December 2005 but had since fallen on the backburner.  One 
year later, President Karzai,s speech - symbolically given 
on International Human Rights Day - was an attempt to refocus 
GOA, civil society and international community efforts on the 
issue of transitional justice and war crimes.  However, full 
implementation of this Action Plan, which would presumably 
implicate some members of the GOA, faces a long, 
politically-charged road ahead.  END SUMMARY 
 
--------------------------------------------- --- 
ACTION PLAN ON TRUTH, JUSTICE AND RECONCILIATION 
--------------------------------------------- --- 
 
¶2.  (U) The Action Plan is a government-approved strategy to 
address the past atrocities committed in Afghanistan by 
responding to the needs of victims, ensuring accountability 
and promoting reconciliation.  It was drafted by the Afghan 
Independent Human Rights Commission (AIHRC), in consultation 
with the GOA and United Nations Assistance Mission to 
Afghanistan (UNAMA), and was originally adopted by 
Presidential Decree in December 2005.  Unfortunately, no 
progress on implementation had been made since then, so the 
AIHRC orchestrated President Karzai,s &launching8 of the 
plan on December 10 in order to reinvigorate efforts to 
implement it.  The Action Plan has five key components: (1) 
acknowledgement of the suffering of Afghans, including the 
designation of a National Day of Remembrance, creation of 
national memorial sites and a national museum; (2) creation 
of credible and accountable state institutions by vetting 
civil service employees for involvement in past atrocities, 
and reform of the judiciary; (3) truth-seeking commissions 
and documentation of past atrocities; (4) promotion of 
national reconciliation and unity through public debate and 
awareness; and (5) establishment of accountability mechanisms 
to bring to justice those responsible for grave human rights 
abuses. 
 
¶3.  (SBU) Contacts at UNAMA note that a lack of political 
will has stalled implementation of the Action Plan thus far. 
According to Javier Leon Diaz who leads UNAMA,s work on 
transitional justice, there is not enough civil society 
involvement in the plan,s implementation, probably because 
there was very little civil society involvement in the plans 
creation.  Furthermore, the plan identifies seven ministries 
as having roles in its implementation, but Mr. Leon Diaz is 
doubtful that these ministries are even aware of their roles. 
 UNAMA staff have noted that most of the ministers who were 
around when the plan was drafted in 2005 were subsequently 
not confirmed by the Parliament; as a result, there is very 
little ministerial awareness and support for the plan. 
 
-------------------------------------- 
POLITICS BEHIND THE SCENES EVOKE TEARS 
-------------------------------------- 
 
¶4.  (SBU) Not surprisingly, some controversy surrounded 
Karzai,s plans to launch the Action Plan on December 10. 
The program began significantly late because, as its 
scheduled start time approached, AIHRC Chairperson Dr. Sima 
Samar was reportedly still negotiating with the Palace on 
 
KABUL 00005825  002 OF 003 
 
 
whether President Karzai would in fact use his speech to 
launch the Action Plan and go into detail about its purpose 
or whether he would simply cite Afghanistan,s achievements 
to date in Human Rights.  (Note: Members of Parliament such 
as Ustad Abdrab Rasoul Sayaf and Burhanuddin Rabbani are 
rumored to have instigated some resistance to the 
President,s planned announcement because they or their 
allies may be implicated if violators of human rights abuses 
are prosecuted.) 
 
¶5.  (U) Ultimately, of course, Karzai did announce the plan. 
Interestingly, however, he did not use any of the remarks 
prepared for him by the AIHRC.  Instead, he spoke from the 
heart in Pashto and Dari, recounting the suffering Afghans 
had endured over the past 30 years.  He noted that Afghans 
had suffered atrocities from the Russians and the terrorists, 
as well as from NATO bombings. "Unfortunately, innocent 
Afghans are being sacrificed through terrorism and NATO 
bombardment...We cannot prevent the terrorists from coming 
from Pakistan, and we cannot prevent the coalition from 
bombing the terrorists; our children are dying because of 
this," he said.  (Note: One Embassy FSN translator observed 
that the thrust of Karzai's speech, including the reference 
to NATO bombings, was to highlight Afghanistan's perpetual 
helplessness, the theme that appeared to evoke the most 
emotion as he spoke. End Note)  Karzai,s voice cracked and 
tears streamed down his face as he described his meeting with 
the civilian victims of NATO air strikes and other tragedies. 
 
 
¶6.  (U) It was a scene that clearly resonated with the 
audience.  In a very emotional moment, several audience 
members -- including members of the AIHRC, Foreign Minister 
Spanta, and even Karzai,s own security detail -- were seen 
wiping away tears.  Later, Karzai added, &It is the 
Afghans, responsibility to save their country from this 
cruelty.  It is up to us to be united and not to be in need 
of foreign assistance.  The only way to get rid of the 
current cruelty is to know the reality and to be united.  We 
thank the world for supporting us, but the international 
community cannot save us unless we save ourselves... NATO and 
Coalition forces are with us but not permanently.8 
 
¶7.  (SBU) COMMENT:  Afghan National TV broadcast the speech 
live; however, subsequent rumors alleged that media outlets 
were pressured not to show Karzai,s tears when re-televising 
the speech that evening.  Indeed, Ariana Television and Tolo 
TV cut the segments showing Karzai at his most emotional 
during their evening broadcasts.  Nader Nadery of the AIHRC, 
says he asked Ariana TV officials whether they had been asked 
not to show Karzai,s weeping, but was unable to confirm 
this, as Ariana TV officials simply replied they did not 
think it was appropriate to show the President of the nation 
crying.  Even so, Nadery noted that many Afghans caught the 
live broadcast earlier that day and were significantly moved 
by Karzai,s emotion, and others have told us they saw the 
tears in re-broadcasts of the speech.  &I am a very 
outspoken critic of President Karzai, but yesterday even I 
was touched by his remarks.  And during a Voice of America 
program that I did later that evening, many people called in 
and spoke of the President,s emotion.  I think for the first 
time many of them saw him not as the President, but as a 
human,8 Nadery stated. 
 
¶8.  (SBU) COMMENT continued:  Nadery noted that while 
Karzai,s &off-the-cuff8 remarks were touching, parts of 
the speech drafted for him by the AIHRC were noticeably 
absent.  He omitted any mention of the Action Plan,s 
non-amnesty clause for rights violators.  He also omitted 
language that reconciliation does not equal impunity and that 
Afghanistan will address past wrongs committed.  He did 
announce the Action Plan and designate December 10 a National 
Day of Remembrance for victims but failed to explain any 
 
KABUL 00005825  003 OF 003 
 
 
details of the Action Plan.  While the public may have 
momentarily viewed their tearful President as more human than 
politician, Karzai,s ability to portray himself as just 
another Afghan deeply disturbed by the suffering of his 
people - all while purposely omitting the controversial 
details of the Action Plan - reveals his political shrewdness 
and reflects the delicate balancing act that will be required 
as we and others in the international community work with the 
GOA to advance the transitional justice agenda.  END COMMENT 
 
 
NEUMANN