VZCZCXRO3759
OO RUEHDBU RUEHIK RUEHYG
DE RUEHBUL #0314/01 0311322
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
O 311322Z JAN 07
FM AMEMBASSY KABUL
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 5790
INFO RUCNAFG/AFGHANISTAN COLLECTIVE
RUEHZG/NATO EU COLLECTIVE
RHEHAAA/NATIONAL SECURITY COUNCIL WASHINGTON DC
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHINGTON DC
RHEFDIA/DIA WASHINGTON DC
RUEKJCS/OSD WASHINGTON DC
RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHINGTON DC
RUEKJCS/JOINT STAFF WASHINGTON DC
RHMFIUU/HQ USCENTCOM MACDILL AFB FL
RUMICEA/JICCENT MACDILL AFB FL
RHMFIUU/COMSOCCENT MACDILL AFB FL
RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK 3587
RUEHNO/USMISSION USNATO 3430

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 KABUL 000314 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR SCA/FO DAS GASTRIGHT, SCA/A, S/CRS, S/CT, EUR/RPM 
STATE PASS TO USAID FOR AID/ANE, AID/DCHA/DG 
NSC FOR AHARRIMAN 
OSD FOR KIMMITT 
CENTCOM FOR CFC-A, CG CJTF-76, POLAD 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: MARR SNAR PGOV PTER AF
SUBJECT: POLICE RANK REFORM: MOI DECIDES TO MOVE AHEAD WITH 
PHASE FOUR ASSIGNMENTS, UNAMA VETTING WILL FOLLOW 
 
REF: KABUL 115 
 
¶1. (SBU) Summary:  The Ministry of Interior has 
decided to move forward immediately with assignments 
of police company grade officers (captains and 
lieutenants) to rank reform positions.  At a January 
30 meeting of the International Police Board 
Coordinating Action Group (IPCAG, a monthly meeting 
hosted by the German Police Program Office), German 
Ambassador for Police Affairs Helmut Frick reported 
that in a meeting earlier that day, attended by 
UNAMA and CSTC-A, the Minister of Interior decided 
to move forward immediately with Phase IV police 
rank reform assignments without waiting for 
international vetting to be completed.  This 
position was supported by UNAMA,s representative at 
the MOI meeting, Eckert Schiewek, who said that 
UNAMA vetting of the nearly 6,000 officers would 
take too long and significantly hold back the rank 
reform process.  Schiewek, who also attended the 
IPCAG meeting, said that UNAMA recognizes to move 
forward quickly with rank reform because of the 
critical security situation throughout the country. 
UNAMA has therefore decided to that it will vet 
these junior officers but after they have been 
assigned to their new positions.   It appears from 
the meeting report that the Ministry is ready, for 
now, to wait for vetting to be completed on Phase 
III candidates, as long as it is done expeditiously. 
End summary. 
 
¶2. (SBU)  Schiewek made the following points to 
explain UNAMA,s decision: 
 
1) UNAMA is already devoting significant resources 
to vetting and is unable to move any quicker than it 
is now.  It estimates that it can vet approximately 
20 candidates a day.  At that rate it would take 
nearly a year - 285 working days - to complete 
vetting the Phase IV candidates.  (Note:  1,140 
Captains, 1,710 First Lieutenants, and 2,836 Second 
Lieutenants.  End note.) 
 
2)  The international community has received strong 
assurances from the Government of Afghanistan that 
if in subsequent vetting any candidate is found to 
be unsuitable, his employment will immediately be 
terminated.  (Note: Evidence leading to UNAMA 
disqualification would include, in addition to human 
rights violations, any credible indication of 
corruption or other administrative malfeasance.) 
 
3) UNAMA expects that it will uncover very few cases 
of disqualifying evidence for individuals at the 
rank of Captain or below.  These individuals are 
mostly young and - given the tendency among Afghan 
senior officers not to delegate authority - have 
generally not been in positions that could lead to 
abuse of power. 
 
4) The large majority of the officers in Phase IV 
reform will not be selected for new positions. 
Instead, the reform process will allow them to stay 
in their present jobs with a somewhat higher salary. 
(Note:  Pre-reform salaries for these officers range 
from USD 66/mo to USD 78/mo; after reform they will 
receive between USD 180/mo and USD 250/mo.  End 
note.)  Allowing them to receive this higher salary, 
which they were promised would take effect several 
months ago, would significantly assist in ANP 
retention efforts. 
 
 
KABUL 00000314  002 OF 002 
 
 
¶3. (SBU) Ambassador Frick, who has been a strong 
advocate of thorough police vetting, said that the 
MOI decision made sense and he supported it.   The 
rank reform effort needs to move forward quickly, he 
said, and he found compelling the Minister,s 
argument that international vetting has made it 
difficult to put the right people in key positions 
in a timely manner.  Noting in particular that the 
very large number of individuals to be vetted, 
together with the small number of cases that would 
likely be uncovered through the vetting process, he 
agreed that the international community should be 
prepared to go back to the GOA and demand dismissal 
when required, rather than holding up the vast 
majority of individuals from receiving the higher 
level of pay to which they are entitled. 
 
¶4. (SBU) Comment:  The MOI meeting was called at the 
last minute, and the lack of invitation to the U.S. 
Embassy was certainly an unintended oversight. 
However CSTC-A Deputy Commanding General Young, who 
attended the meeting, was able to represent U.S. 
interests and has confirmed the contents of the 
discussion.   The good news is that UNAMA, which 
recently said it would not vet Phase IV police 
candidates because it was unlikely to find many 
cases of abuse, has now said that it will do 
vetting, although at a pace that can be handled by 
its already overworked staff.   Post has 
consistently advocated the need to place vetted, 
competent candidates in police leadership positions. 
The Ministor of Interior is acting both on President 
Karzai,s directive to move ahead quickly with police 
assignments (reftel) as well as his own cognizance 
of the security situation.  His willingness thus far 
to wait until vetting is complete before placing 
candidates has been due to his desire to work 
cooperatively with the international community, 
rather than to any legal constraint, since the GOA 
has unilateral decision-making power over selections 
and assignments.  He appears to still be willing to 
do this for more senior officers, who are in 
positions of greater authority.  However he has now 
considered the security imperative, including the 
need to pay a decent wage to officers who are 
risking their lives for their country, and has 
decided to move ahead with Phase IV postings. 
NORLAND