VZCZCXYZ0000
RR RUEHWEB

DE RUEHMO #3141 1790555
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 280555Z JUN 07 ZDK
FM AMEMBASSY MOSCOW
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 1668
INFO RUEHBUL/AMEMBASSY KABUL 0455
RUEHRO/AMEMBASSY ROME 2883
RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK 0339

UNCLAS MOSCOW 003141 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PREL KJUS AF RS
SUBJECT: AFGHANISTAN:  LOW-KEY RUSSIAN PARTICIPATION IN 
ROME RULE OF LAW CONFERENCE 
 
REF: STATE 87370 
 
¶1.  (SBU)  We met with MFA Afghanistan Section Chief Yuriy 
Khokhlov to urge Russian participation at the Rome Rule of 
Law Conference on Afghanistan and encourage Moscow to 
contribute to the Afghan Reconstruction Trust Fund for 
justice projects.  Khokhlov said that Russian participation 
in the conference was not yet decided but Moscow was likely 
to be represented by the Russian Ambassador in Rome.  Noting 
that the Italians had already asked for higher-level 
participation, Khokhlov said it was possible Deputy Foreign 
Minister Yakovenko might attend. 
 
¶2.  (SBU)  Khokhlov said that Russia was not planning on 
contributing to the Trust Fund for justice projects.  While 
stressing that Russian assistance for humanitarian projects 
was likely to rise in the coming year, he said Moscow was 
skeptical about the usefulness of funding multilateral 
justice projects.  Afghanistan needed to take on greater 
ownership of its own governmental structures and build a 
justice system that was sustainable with Afghan resources. 
He was dubious that raising judges' salaries would be 
sufficient to dispel Afghan perceptions that the justice 
system was corrupt and ineffective. 
BURNS