VZCZCXRO0412
RR RUEHDBU RUEHIK RUEHPW RUEHYG
DE RUEHBUL #1448/01 1191151
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 291151Z APR 07
FM AMEMBASSY KABUL
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 7751
INFO RUCNAFG/AFGHANISTAN COLLECTIVE
RUEKJCS/OSD WASHINGTON DC
RUEKJCS/JOINT STAFF WASHINGTON DC
RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHINGTON DC
RHMFIUU/HQ USCENTCOM MACDILL AFB FL
RHEHAAA/NATIONAL SECURITY COUNCIL WASHINGTON DC
RUCPDOC/DEPT OF COMMERCE WASHINGTON DC
RUEATRS/DEPT OF TREASURY WASHINGTON DC 0438
RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK 4005

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 KABUL 001448 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPT FOR F, SCA/FO, SCA/RA, AND SCA/A 
PASS AID/A JKUNDER, ANE MWARD 
PASS OPIC AND TDA 
CENTCOM FOR CG CSTC-A 
NSC FOR AHARRIMAN, BCAMP 
TREASURY PASS TO LMCDONALD, ABAUKOL, AND JCIORCIARI 
OSD FOR BREZINZSKI 
COMMERCE FOR DEES 
 
SENSITIVE BUT UNCLASSIFIED 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O.12958: N/A 
TAGS: EINV EFIN ENRG ETRD ECON AF
SUBJECT: DOLE CEO'S VISIT TO KABUL 
 
 
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SUMMARY 
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¶1.  (SBU) Mr. David Murdock, CEO, Chairman and Owner of Dole Foods 
Company, visited Afghanistan from April 21-24, 2007 at the request 
of President Bush.  He toured productive agricultural areas of 
Afghanistan in Parwan and Balkh provinces and was joined by 
Ambassador Wood at two meetings with President Karzai to discuss 
potential Dole investments in Afghanistan.  Murdock expressed 
interest in investing Dole resources to develop productive 
enterprises in five areas: fruit and vegetable canning, marble 
mining, carpet cutting and washing, cashmere processing, and caracul 
processing.  End summary. 
 
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DOLE TOUR OF AFGHANISTAN 
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¶2. (SBU) David Murdock visited Afghanistan with Danko Stambuk, Dole 
Senior Vice President of Manufacturing, and Jaime Villacorta, Dole 
Director of Agricultural Operations.  For part of the trip he was 
joined by OPIC President Rob Mosbacher.  The visit was timed to 
coincide with the Ministry of Agriculture's U.S.-assisted AgFair, a 
three-day event for agricultural buyers, sellers and organizations 
at a newly constructed fairground containing 200 display booths and 
permanent fairground structures.  The AgFair received local and 
international media coverage and was attended by approximately 
30,000 Afghan visitors.  Murdock visited the AgFair site and later 
told President Karzai that he wanted to develop a 300 acre, high 
tech teaching farm on the GoA land adjacent to the AgFair site and 
dedicate the farm on his next visit to Afghanistan. 
 
¶3.  (SBU) Murdock, the Dole vice presidents, USAID/ANE Senior Deputy 
Assistant Administrator Mark Ward, and USAID/Afghanistan Mission 
Director Leon "Skip" Waskin met with Major General Rodriguez, 
Commander of CJTF-82 before touring vineyards and a vegetable 
dehydration plant in the Charikar/Bagram area.  The following day, 
the same group toured north Afghanistan by air and also met with the 
Mazar-i-Sharif PRT commander and the Governor.  Murdock was 
impressed with the economic potential of the Mazar-i-Sharif area and 
northern Afghanistan. 
 
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MEETING WITH KARZAI 
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¶4.  (SBU) Murdock and Ambassador Wood met with President Karzai on 
two occasions during his four-day trip.  At the second meeting, 
Murdock explained his thoughts and opinions on developing major 
investment activities in Afghanistan. In terms of land, Murdock 
expressed interest in large areas of good land (10,000+ acres) with 
plenty of available water such as that found around Kunduz and Balkh 
(in the north).  President Karzai expressed his full support for 
Murdock's proposals and committed that the GOA would provide any 
land that was needed, although specific terms were not discussed. 
 
¶5.  (SBU) Murdock also expressed interest in five areas of business 
development: 1) large scale canning operations for vegetables and 
fruit including refrigeration containers and all related logistics 
services needed for large scale contract farming; 2) modern marble 
mining operations including diamond-bladed cutting tools and modern 
marble finishing to take place in Afghanistan; 3) one or more modern 
carpet cutting and washing plants to produce finished carpets from 
those already produced by hand in Afghanistan; 4) a cashmere 
processing plant to produce finished cashmere products so that 
Afghan producers can make more money; 5) a karakul (soft wool) 
processing plant.  Karzai promised full support for all the 
activities mentioned by Murdock including the legal establishment of 
Dole Foods Inc. in Afghanistan and the commitment of government 
land. 
 
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DOLE JOB CREATION 
 
KABUL 00001448  002 OF 002 
 
 
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¶6. (SBU) Murdock offered to invest in Afghanistan immediately to 
create 10,000 or more jobs given the conditions that the Government 
of Afghanistan would support his efforts by providing the available 
land both to Dole and to contract farmers with clear titles.  Dole 
would need the land to build the five processing plants described 
above.  Murdock also expressed his desire to start very quickly and 
announce something in the next few months.  Murdock spoke of 
bringing in computer controlled, state of the art equipment for each 
separate industry.  Murdock spoke of creating 10,000 jobs in the 
first three years and 20,000 soon after that. 
 
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FUTURE VISITS 
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¶7. (SBU) Murdock expressed his intention to return soon to 
Afghanistan on condition that he be allowed to land his private 
plane in any airport in the country.  Karzai promised that Murdock 
could land his plane at any of the international airports in the 
country.  Murdock and Karzai discussed markets in Central Asia, 
Pakistan and India as well as other possible production areas 
including Jalalabad, Herat, Parwan, and Kandahar.  Murdock and 
Karzai agreed that all these areas would be explored during 
Murdock's next visit.  Murdock concluded by confirming his intention 
to review these plans with President Bush in person upon his return 
to the United States.  Murdock and Karzai agreed that the planting 
of the teaching farm at the AgFair site should begin immediately and 
that an advance team should precede Murdock's next visit.  Murdock 
expressed high interest in returning in the next two months and 
personally visiting all the marble mines, carpet processing centers, 
cashmere processing centers and karakul processing centers to better 
understand the needs and to begin planning for investments 
immediately. 
 
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COMMENT 
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¶8.  (SBU) Murdock's plans fit very well with the USG's commercial 
agriculture development strategy for Afghanistan and especially with 
the planned expansion of the Alternative Livelihoods Program to the 
northwest.  As both projects progress, USAID will coordinate closely 
with Dole to promote the greatest public-private synergies possible 
in a formal, or perhaps informal, alliance.  End comment. 
 
WOOD