VZCZCXRO8298
PP RUEHLH RUEHPW
DE RUEHIL #4889/01 3201249
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 161249Z NOV 07
FM AMEMBASSY ISLAMABAD
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 3265
INFO RUEHBUL/AMEMBASSY KABUL 7778
RUEHNE/AMEMBASSY NEW DELHI 2251
RUEHPW/AMCONSUL PESHAWAR 2608
RUEHKP/AMCONSUL KARACHI 8085
RUEHLH/AMCONSUL LAHORE 4078
RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHINGTON DC
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHDC
RUMICEA/USCENTCOM INTEL CEN MACDILL AFB FL
RHMFISS/CDR USCENTCOM MACDILL AFB FL
RUEHNO/USMISSION USNATO 3261

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 ISLAMABAD 004889 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPT ALSO FOR PRM/ANE 
KABUL FOR REFCOORD 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV PREL EAID MASS PK
SUBJECT: FATA PLAN IMPLEMENTATION UPDATE 
 
REF:  ISLAMABAD 4601 
 
¶1.  (SBU) SUMMARY:  Post still awaits publication of the Central 
Command Planning Order that will formalize the security development 
plan (SDP).  Post appreciates funding for Pashto radio programming 
and the temporary FATA Coordinator, and will continue to urge 
Pakistani leadership to appoint a FATA czar for overall 
coordination.  Post briefed CENTCOM's Admiral Fallon, developed a 
public information strategy, and is moving ahead with USAID 
education assistance and DEA training.  END SUMMARY. 
 
FATA Coordination 
----------------- 
¶2.  (SBU) Hank Hendrickson arrived November 15 in Islamabad to 
assume responsibility as the Mission's FATA coordinator.  We 
continue to urge the GOP to appoint a FATA czar as their 
government's point of contact for effective overarching 
coordination. 
 
ODRP:  Training Center and Border Coordination 
--------------------------------------------- - 
¶3.  (SBU) Equipment issues should not delay the initial training 
course at the Frontier Corps Training Center.  The contractor is 
confident it can meet the January 15 delivery date for the required 
"train the trainer" equipment.  The initial shipment will go to 
Warsak or Peshawar to simplify distribution and subsequent 
deliveries will be coordinated with Frontier Corps Headquarters. 
With a 90-day lead time, all equipment could conceivably be in 
Pakistan by March 2008.  A contractor site survey from November 
15-19 will give us a better timeline for infrastructure. 
 
¶4.  (SBU) "Border coordination center" (BCC) is the new name for the 
former "border surveillance center", a change made by the Combined 
Joint Task Force-82 (CJTF-82) in Afghanistan, with concurrence from 
the Afghan National Army and Pakistani military leadership.  The new 
name emphasizes coordination and dispels misperceptions about the 
BCCs as intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance facilities. 
The Torkham BCC should be operational by March 2008; construction of 
the Lwara Dashte BCC is delayed, pending resolution of contractor 
and materials security.  The original BCC budget assumed Afghan 
military security, but the Afghans said they were unable to provide 
it, so CJTF-82 looked at a contracted option.  Contracted security 
would be expensive and ODRP is unwilling to pay for it by diverting 
funds from Frontier Corps projects.  ODRP wants the Afghan military 
to honor their commitment. 
 
¶5.  (SBU) Post briefed Admiral Fallon on its FATA efforts during his 
November 2 visit.  We eagerly await publication of the Central 
Command Planning Order, the tasking authority to implement SDP. 
 
Public Diplomacy 
---------------- 
¶6. (SBU) The Public Affairs Section (PAS) has developed multiple 
strategies to build public support of Pakistan's FATA development 
plan and public acceptance and support for its social, political, 
and economic objectives.  The strategies will be coordinated with 
the FATA Secretariat in close cooperation with USAID/OTI; details 
will be provided septel.  PAS is collecting input from other Mission 
offices to establish a page on the Mission web site that outlines 
USG assistance in the FATA. 
 
¶7. (SBU) A military information support team (MIST) assessment group 
briefed Post on November 15 on their evaluation of the environment 
for information operations in Islamabad and Peshawar.  Their plan is 
to coordinate with all Mission agencies, develop a positive message, 
and develop capabilities to aid both USG and Pakistan information 
campaigns.  PAS will coordinate their efforts with resources that 
the MIST can offer. 
 
USAID 
----- 
¶8. (SBU) USAID signed a USD 90 million cooperative agreement for 
education, with USD 40 million planned for the FATA.  USAID will 
begin a mapping exercise to assess basic enrollment and school data, 
and work with the FATA Secretariat's Directorate of Education to 
increase educational capacity and management. 
 
¶9. (SBU) Mark Ward, USAID Senior Deputy Assistant Administrator for 
Asia and the Near East, visited Peshawar October 28-30 for 
 
ISLAMABAD 00004889  002 OF 002 
 
 
discussions with key FATA officials regarding the FATA program and 
to discuss possible areas of cooperation.  He also awarded 
scholarships to FATA students for study in Peshawar; visited a 
USAID-funded Campus Radio Station at University of Peshawar; and 
spoke with students at the Lincoln Corner about the FATA program. 
 
DEA 
--- 
¶10. (SBU) The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) is working with 
DOD to secure funding to deploy TDY teams of counter narcotics 
contract trainers to Pakistan.  Funded under a related program for 
Afghanistan, the teams would provide sustained counter narcotics 
training to the Frontier Corps at the Warsak Center, coordinated by 
DEA and ODRP. 
PATTERSON