VZCZCXRO3165
PP RUEHDBU RUEHIK RUEHYG
DE RUEHBUL #5930/01 3570846
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 230846Z DEC 06
FM AMEMBASSY KABUL
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 5037
INFO RUCNAFG/AFGHANISTAN COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
RHEHAAA/NATIONAL SECURITY COUNCIL WASHINGTON DC PRIORITY
RUMICEA/USCENTCOM INTEL CEN MACDILL AFB FL PRIORITY
RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHINGTON DC PRIORITY

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 KABUL 005930 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR SCA/FO GASTRIGHT 
NSC FOR AHARRIMAN 
CENTCOM FOR POLAD 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV PHUM PINR PREL AF
SUBJECT: FIRST ANNIVERSARY OF THE AFGHAN PARLIAMENT 
 
¶1. (U) On December 20, the Afghan Parliament marked its first 
anniversary with a briefing to the international community 
and the press in the Wolesi Jirga on the year's progress. 
The ceremony was attended by almost 100 members of the 
diplomatic corps, Coalition Force, UNAMA representatives, 
members of international aid organizations and other VIPs. 
Inaugurated by President Karzai on December 19, 2005, the 
Parliament has taken a prominent place in Afghanistan's 
political life. It serves as a body for discussion of 
questions that touch the very core of Afghanistan's 
existence, brings together actors from every faction of the 
Afghan political spectrum, and has seriously taken up its 
responsibility to represent constituents from every region in 
the country. Considering that modern Afghanistan has not had 
such a deliberative body in decades, and that the seat of 
Parliament was only a ruined collection of uninhabitable 
buildings until 2005, the first anniversary marked a major 
step forward in Afghanistan's political progress towards 
democracy. 
 
¶2. (U) While they admitted that there are many challenges 
ahead, Wolesi Jirga Speaker Yunus Qanooni, Deputy Speakers 
Aref Noorzai and Fawzia Koofi, and Secretary General Ghulam 
Hassan Gran presented a generally positive and optimistic 
picture of the Parliament's first year. They pointed to the 
modern infrastructure, the presence of 91 women among the 249 
members of the Wolesi Jirga and the 102 in the Meshrano 
Jirga, the steps taken to select a Speaker and deputies, the 
establishment of eighteen oversight commissions in the Wolesi 
Jirga (three of which are chaired by women), the adoption of 
Rules of Procedure, establishment of an advisory board and 
the recognition of (thus far) three parliamentary political 
groups. They pointed out that the process of confirmation of 
the Cabinet Ministers, Supreme Court Justices and other high 
office holders was a decisive demonstration of the checks and 
balances necessary between the Legislative, Executive and 
Judicial branches of the government. The Afghan budget had 
been debated, modified and approved. Key subjects of national 
importance, ranging from security, anti-corruption measures, 
development programs and government salaries had been 
discussed in depth. The Parliament's oversight 
responsibilities had involved sessions that included 30 
meetings with Cabinet Ministers, 14 with Deputy Ministers, 
and 72 meetings at the level of government department heads. 
The speakers noted that in its first year, the Wolesi Jirga 
had received 852 petitions and complaints from the public and 
was following up action on these appeals with various 
government offices. 
 
¶3. (U) Oversight responsibilities had included prison visits 
by commission members, visits to military units, visits to 
witness the destruction of illegal narcotics and a delegation 
visit to investigate civilian casualties in the Panjwayee 
district of Kandahar Province following military activities 
there. In the legislative area, Parliament has the 
responsibility of reviewing all decrees and laws signed after 
the fall of the Taliban. To date, 100 decrees were in the 
pipeline, 31 are being studied by relevant commissions and 5 
laws have been approved and sent to the President for his 
signature. The speakers noted the large number of official 
visits paid on Parliament by foreign government 
representatives, stressed the ongoing training of the 227 
members of the professional staff as well as the MPs 
themselves, and touched on visits by MPs and staff to more 
than 20 foreign parliaments. They acknowledged the 
contributions of the international community to the 
establishment and ongoing life of the Parliament. 
 
¶4. (U) In conclusion, the Afghan speakers noted that the 
Parliament was part of the national process of stabilization 
and improvement, claiming that rule of law and governance 
were challenges faced by all of Afghanistan, and progress was 
slow but steady.  Representatives of the international 
community congratulated Qanooni and his colleagues on the 
occasion of the first anniversary of the Parliament.  DCM 
noted in his remarks that the U.S. looked to Wolesi Jirga 
members, informed by the views of their constituents, to 
guide us in making the process of reconstruction in 
Afghanistan more effective. 
 
¶5. (SBU) Comment: Post fully agrees that the Parliament has 
been a major and generally positive addition to governance in 
Afghanistan. There are certainly many challenges ahead for 
this body, including improvement of relations between the 
Wolesi Jirga and the Meshrano Jirga (the latter did not 
participate and was not represented at the anniversary 
 
KABUL 00005930  002 OF 002 
 
 
briefing, and secretariat relations between the two houses 
can be strained), improvement of capacity and professionalism 
in the support staff, and improved discipline in the MPs' 
relations with the Palace and Ministries. In general, 
however, the Parliament has changed the face of political 
life in Afghanistan in a decisive way, and the coming year is 
certain to bring even more changes on the political stage as 
the Parliament matures. End comment. 
 
¶6. (U) A detailed analysis of parliament's first year of 
activities will follow septel. 
 
 
 
NORLAND 
NORLAND