VZCZCXRO4140
OO RUEHIK RUEHPW RUEHYG
DE RUEHBUL #4139/01 3520703
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
O 180703Z DEC 07
FM AMEMBASSY KABUL
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 1932
INFO RUCNAFG/AFGHANISTAN COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
RHMFIUU/HQ USCENTCOM MACDILL AFB FL PRIORITY
RUEKJCS/JOINT STAFF WASHINGTON DC PRIORITY
RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHINGTON DC PRIORITY
RUEKJCS/OSD WASHINGTON DC PRIORITY
RHEFDIA/DIA WASHINGTON DC PRIORITY
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHINGTON DC PRIORITY
RHEHAAA/NATIONAL SECURITY COUNCIL WASHINGTON DC PRIORITY

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 KABUL 004139 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPT FOR SCA/FO DAS CAMP, SCA/A, PRM 
STATE PASS TO USAID FOR AID/ANE, AID/DCHA/DG 
NSC FOR JWOOD 
OSD FOR SHIVERS 
CG CJTF-82, POLAD, JICCENT 
 
E.O. 12958:  N/A 
TAGS: PGOV PREF PREL PHUM AF
SUBJECT:  CHARG'S MEETING WITH NEW MINISTER OF REFUGEES AND 
REPATRIATION SHEER MOHAMMAD ETEBARI 
 
REF: Kabul 03856 
 
¶1. (SBU) Summary.  Charg Dell met with the new Minister of Refugees 
and Repatriation (MORR), Sheer Mohammad Etebari, and heard the 
Minister's ambitious plans to resettle returning Afghan refugees and 
bring stability to Afghanistan.  The Charg stressed the USG 
commitment to Afghan refugees and urged Minister Etebari to enact 
needed reforms of the Ministry and the Land Allocation Scheme (LAS) 
program.  The Minister asked for assistance in funding and staffing 
a team of outside advisors to help him.  We will follow up on this 
idea and work with Etebari on developing a reform action plan. 
 
Charg Urges Reform and Better Cooperation/Coordination 
--------------------------------------------- ---------- 
¶2. (SBU) The Charg congratulated the Minister on his new position 
and noted the importance of refugee issues for Afghanistan at this 
time.  The Charg underscored that, together with the United Nations 
High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), we support essential reform 
of the Ministry, increased focus and planning for the LAS program, 
improved cooperation with Iran and Pakistan on refugee issues, and 
increased coordination between MORR, the Ministry of Urban 
Development and Housing, and other ministries.  He stressed that the 
USG, as one of the largest refugee assistance donors, is committed 
to helping MORR develop successful programs and policies to assist 
Afghan refugees rebuild their lives. 
 
The Minister's Non-Specific Plan to Achieve 
an Ambitious Agenda 
------------------------------------------- 
¶3. (SBU) Minister Etibari described his plans to remove the 
squatters, including, sometimes, opportunistic government officials 
from the lands legally owned by refugees and internally displaced 
persons and return the lands to their rightful owners.  He would 
also move skilled laborers into the LAS sites where the lack of 
productive agricultural land would not hinder their gainful 
employment.  He believes there are only two or three LAS sites where 
land title has actually been transferred (Kabul Bari Kab, Alice 
Ghan, and Momozai - all in Kabul Province), and he supports limiting 
any new sites to those with proper site plans, rechargable water 
sources, and accessibility to livelihood opportunities.  Etibari 
then shared his grand vision of irrigating Afghanistan's 
drought-stricken areas with "steam from the Mediterranean" and 
"12-month" rivers, such as the Kunari river, capturing hydropower 
energy along the way.  He hinted that the donor community could fund 
these projects, which he claimed would also provide jobs for 
returnees and weaken the Taliban's influence. 
 
¶4. (SBU) The Minister was non-specific as to how he would accomplish 
this ambitious agenda, but said he would present his ideas to the 
Cabinet in March.  He will then send his staff to work their way 
systematically across the country and begin resolving the land title 
issues.  He acknowledged, however, that his staff was largely 
unqualified and asked for assistance in developing a team of 
advisors.  He believes he cannot remove the entrenched MORR office 
directors, since each of them "has a tank and an RPG behind him." 
He also suggested sending shuras of elders from opposite ends of the 
country to help communities work through land disputes.  This idea 
is puzzling; it is hard to imagine sending presumably Pashtun elders 
to the Tajik north to settle conflicts successfully.  But he 
welcomed the Charg's suggestion to work with USAID's program to 
establish a land tenure registry and help sort out Afghanistan's 
complicated real property issues. 
 
No Engagement Yet on Pakistan and Iran 
-------------------------------------- 
¶5. (SBU) Minister Etibari dodged the Charg's question regarding his 
contacts with Pakistan and Iran, claiming he had not previously 
reached out to his respective counterparts in those countries 
because it was not yet his job to do so.  He seems anxious not to 
step on other Ministers' toes and not appear too ready to take over 
the reins.  This reluctance is admirable in Afghanistan's 
hierarchical and deferential culture, but MORR needs a strong leader 
willing to create and enforce policies.  He may need to feel better 
supported by the international community before he starts to exert 
his influence, if any. 
 
Moving In The Right Direction 
 
KABUL 00004139  002 OF 002 
 
 
----------------------------- 
¶6. (SBU) For all of Minister Etibari's seeming naivete and 
pie-in-the-sky ideas, his instincts are correct.  He knows that he 
cannot reform MORR without outside assistance, that the lack of land 
and jobs is the biggest obstacle to successful and peaceful refugee 
resettlement, and that the entire community must benefit, or 
residents will resent the newly returned refugees.  He even noted 
that donors should not provide money directly to the Ministry or it 
would be wasted.  He is slowly introducing his ideas to the Cabinet 
and discussing them with relevant ministers, such as the Minister of 
Agriculture and Water.  With internationally-funded advisors, 
Minister Etebari may yet be able to translate his vision, if not 
into the full-blown utopia he described, at least into a more 
rational and disciplined refugee resettlement policy than currently 
exists. 
 
WOOD