VZCZCXRO4256
OO RUEHDBU RUEHIK RUEHYG
DE RUEHBUL #0685/01 0620740
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
O 030740Z MAR 07 ZDK
FM AMEMBASSY KABUL
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 6487
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 3708

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 KABUL 000685 
 
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: PREL PGOV PTER ASEC MARR AF
SUBJECT: STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIP: GOVERNANCE WORKING GROUP 
OUTLINES COMMITMENTS FOR PLENARY 
 
REF: STATE 193719 
 
KABUL 00000685  001.3 OF 003 
 
 
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SUMMARY 
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¶1. (SBU) On February 22, senior USG officials responsible for 
Afghanistan and GoA counterparts participated in a Working 
Group on Governance in preparation for the Strategic 
Partnership plenary to be co-led on the U.S. side by U/S 
Burns and U/S Edelman on March 13-14.  Participants agreed on 
a list of 32 GoA and USG commitments for the plenary 
addressing transparency and accountability in sub-national 
planning, anti-corruption, capacity building, human rights, 
and the development of civil society and democratic 
institutions (NOTE: Commitments listed in paragraphs 5-10). 
Participants reaffirmed the importance of the Strategic 
Partnership dialogue.  The upcoming March 13-14 visit to 
Kabul by Under Secretaries Burns and Edelman is a key 
opportunity to advance the U.S. agenda in this most 
conceptually challenging of the three SP pillars. 
 
--------------------------------------------- ---- 
GOVERNANCE WG A LESSON IN MINISTERIAL COOPERATION 
--------------------------------------------- ---- 
 
¶2. (SBU) A visiting delegation of senior USG officials and 
their Afghan counterparts participating in a Governance 
Working Group on February 22 agreed to a list of 32 
commitments in preparation for the Strategic Partnership 
plenary to be led by U/S Burns in March.  SCA DAS John 
Gastright, speaking for the USG, emphasized our commitment to 
a continuing partnership with Afghanistan in the development 
of transparent, accountable, effective government.  He was 
joined by NSC Senior Director Tony Harriman and USAID Acting 
Assistant Administrator Mark Ward, and supported by Embassy 
staff. 
 
¶3. (SBU) The GoA side of the table was less structured. 
Deputy Minister of Justice Qasim Hashamzai chaired the first 
half of the meeting.  He then departed, leaving in his place 
Kawun Kakar, a MoJ advisor funded by USAID.  The chairs of 
both sides were thus on the USG payroll.  Officials from 
various GoA ministries also participated, reporting on their 
achievements, highlighting challenges, and requesting further 
assistance.  In addition to the specific commitments (listed 
in paragraphs 5-10 below), prominent themes included the need 
for increased support for capacity building, improved 
leadership from line ministries to promote central-provincial 
cooperation, better liaison between local government and 
PRTs, more resources for civil society and media, a more 
coherent anti-corruption strategy with high-level support, 
more effective donor coordination, and the urgent challenge 
of making the election system sustainable for 2009 and beyond. 
 
¶4. (SBU) The meeting itself was an illustration of governance 
challenges and an exercise in capacity building.  In the days 
leading up to the session, the MoJ organizers were slow to 
appreciate their ministry's responsibility on behalf of the 
GoA as a whole, including identifying and ensuring the 
participation of the appropriate subject matter experts and 
responsible officials for each agenda item from every 
ministry concerned, not just their own.  The MoJ organizers 
relied heavily on assistance from the Ministry of Finance and 
Embassy staff.  While the individual GoA participants present 
seemed knowledgeable and capable, the meeting lacked 
appropriate GoA officials authorized to make commitments for 
several agenda items (in contrast to the Security Working 
Group meeting held Feb. 15, in which Defense Minister Wardak 
participated the entire time).  The participants therefore 
agreed on a list of provisional commitments which were 
subsequently cleared by the appropriate GoA officials. 
 
 
KABUL 00000685  002 OF 003 
 
 
------------------------------------------ 
TEXT OF GOVERNANCE COMMITMENTS FOR PLENARY 
------------------------------------------ 
 
¶5. (SBU) Paragraphs 6-10 list under each agenda item the 
agreed GoA and USG commitments made during the Governance WG. 
 The text has been cleared by the participants on both sides, 
except where noted. 
 
¶6. (SBU)  Transparency and Accountability I:  Sub-national 
Planning 
GOA COMMITMENTS: 
-- Expand the adoption of internationally accepted standards 
for monitoring and disbursements of donor funds, as was done 
for the Afghanistan Reconstruction Trust Fund (ARTF). 
-- Eliminate the Governors' Discretionary Funds for the 
upcoming fiscal year (1386). 
-- Develop an aid results tracking system with the World Bank 
by the JCMB V meeting on May 1. 
-- Expand the pilot provincial budgeting process to seven 
additional provinces with the Ministry of Agriculture, 
Ministry of Education, and Ministry of Reconstruction and 
Rural Development. 
USG COMMITMENTS: 
-- Continue to feed timely information into the Donor 
Assistance Database (DAD) maintained by the Ministry of 
Finance. 
-- Facilitate a conversation between the GoA and ISAF 
regarding data input into the DAD database. 
-- Continue to support the Afghan National Development 
Strategy (ANDS) working groups and the processes to improve 
aid coordination. 
 
¶7. (SBU) Transparency and Accountability II:  Anti-Corruption 
GOA COMMITMENTS: 
-- Share a draft anti-corruption report from Chief Justice 
Azimi's commission before the plenary session.  (NOTE: The 
MoJ contact said he has not cleared this item with Chief 
Justice Azimi personally, but that the draft report is 
already available. END NOTE.) 
USG COMMITMENTS: 
-- Continue to assist judicial sector reform. 
-- Stand ready to assist the National Assembly committees 
that will review the UN Convention on Corruption. 
-- Provide technical assistance for the anti-corruption road 
map and plan, if requested by the GoA. 
-- Entertain specific proposals on anti-corruption assistance 
in preparation for the Rome justice conference, including 
finalization of the anti-corruption strategy and roadmap. 
 
¶8. (SBU) Democracy and Governance I:  Capacity Building 
GOA COMMITMENTS:  (NOTE: After initially clearing this 
document, the MoJ contact subsequently said he may have to 
follow up further with the MoI on these commitments.  END 
NOTE.) 
-- Give capacity-building a prominent role in the plenary. 
-- Review the Military Liaison Officers' PRT coordination 
role. 
-- Complete the professional grading and pay regulations in 
the next two years. 
-- Fund Ministry of Interior (MoI) PRT liaisons. 
-- Create a PRT Office in the MoI's new organizational 
framework. 
-- Designate a MoI point of contact for sub-national 
government with the authority to make decisions. 
USG COMMITMENTS: 
-- Give capacity-building a prominent role in the plenary. 
-- Work with the GoA and other stakeholders to develop the 
Afghan Merit Scholars program, through which 
scholarship-preparation programs and scholarships for 
in-country regional and U.S. study will be identified and 
implemented. 
-- Help address the need for English language skills to 
 
KABUL 00000685  003 OF 003 
 
 
increase the pool of qualified applicants for exchange 
programs. 
-- Ask NATO/ISAF to become more closely involved with the 
Afghan National Development Strategy (ANDS) and the Joint 
Coordination and Monitoring Board (JCMB). 
 
¶9. (SBU) Democracy and Governance II:  Public Outreach to 
build Civil Society 
GOA COMMITMENTS: 
-- Take into consideration strong US concerns about the media 
law and encourage the National Assembly to consider it 
closely. 
USG COMMITMENTS: 
-- Strongly support and encourage broad support among GoA 
ministries for the National Communications Coordination 
Center (NC3). 
-- USAID will share the NGO assessment report completed in 
2002 and will consider supporting another assessment of civil 
society in Afghanistan if the GoA thinks it would be useful. 
 
¶10. (SBU) Democracy and Governance III:  Development of 
Democratic Institutions, Civil Society, and Human Rights 
GOA COMMITMENTS: 
-- Staff the senior appointment board, with UN support. 
-- The elections working group agreed to at the JCMB Berlin 
meeting will meet and produce recommendations and actions 
that will lead to sustainable future elections. (Note: This 
group planned to meet on February 24, but it has been delayed 
pending the nomination of individual participants by the 
countries involved.) 
USG COMMITMENTS: 
-- Fully support the action plan for justice, peace and 
reconciliation. 
-- Support the senior appointments board if the GoA needs 
more than the UN assistance currently provided. 
-- Welcome a presentation by the GoA to the principals at the 
plenary session on the needs and concerns pertaining to 
preparation for future elections. 
-- Continue to support sustainable, affordable election 
processes and take part in the elections working group. 
 
¶11. (SBU) Comment:  Governance, in contrast to Security or 
Prosperity, is the most conceptually difficult area of the 
Strategic Partnership on which to engage the Afghans 
effectively.  This reflects the scale and scope of the 
challenges, which go to the heart of the Afghan body politic. 
 Engagement by senior USG officials is an indispensable tool 
for keeping up the pressure on the GOA to communicate better 
internally and generate real progress on corruption and 
delivery of services to the people.  The March 13-14 Plenary 
to be co-chaired by U/S Burns and U/S Edelman will help draw 
out senior Afghans on this vital yet sensitive topic. 
 
NEUMANN