VZCZCXRO0520
OO RUEHAG RUEHDBU RUEHDF RUEHIK RUEHLZ RUEHROV RUEHYG
DE RUEHRL #0408 0591556
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
O 281556Z FEB 07
FM AMEMBASSY BERLIN
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 7259
INFO RUCNAFG/AFGHANISTAN COLLECTIVE IMMEDIATE
RUCNMEM/EU MEMBER STATES COLLECTIVE IMMEDIATE
RUCNFRG/FRG COLLECTIVE IMMEDIATE

UNCLAS BERLIN 000408 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR SCA/FO - NEIL KROMASH, EUR/AGS 
USAID FOR MARK WARD 
KABUL FOR ECON COUNSELOR JOHN SPILSBURY 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: EAID ECON GM AF
SUBJECT: AFGHANISTAN: GERMANY INCREASES DEVELOPMENT AID 25% 
 
 
¶1.  (SBU)  Development Minister Heidemarie Wieczorek-Zeul 
announced on February 27 that Germany would immediately 
increase reconstruction support by EUR 20 million, bringing 
Germany's overall bilateral Afghanistan development aid to 
EUR 100 million annually.  The German money will target 
primary education in line with requests from the Afghan 
government and following ongoing discussions between Germany 
and Afghanistan's Ministry of Education.  The remainder of 
the funds will support other development initiatives in 
sectors to be finalized in May through bilateral 
negotiations.  The new programming will also include projects 
in the southern region, beyond the traditional German 
development focus in the north. 
 
¶2.  (SBU)  Development Ministry contacts informed Emboff that 
the timing of this announcement -- as the Bundestag debated a 
parliamentary mandate for the deployment of six to eight 
German Tornado surveillance aircraft to Afghanistan -- was 
not coincidental.  The announcement by Minister 
Wieczorek-Zeul, formerly the deputy head of the SPD, 
effectively counters claims in the Bundestag from the 
opposition Left Party and Greens that the 40 million euros to 
be spent on the Tornado deployment should be allocated to 
development aid.  DevMin officials acknowledged privately to 
Emboff that ongoing pressure from allies, particularly the 
United States and Canada, as well as from the Afghanistan 
government itself, to increase development aid had affected 
the decision. 
 
¶3.  (SBU) Comment. The latest announcement represents a 
significant departure from previous German positions on 
Afghanistan aid.  Germany already contributes more bilateral 
assistance to Afghanistan than to any other country and 
claimed that its existing efforts appropriately reflected 
Afghanistan's position as the country's top development 
priority.  End Comment. 
KOENIG