VZCZCXRO0521
OO RUEHBW RUEHIK RUEHPW RUEHYG
DE RUEHBUL #1147 1320431
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
O 110431Z MAY 08
FM AMEMBASSY KABUL
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 3832
INFO RUCNAFG/AFGHANISTAN COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
RUCNAFG/AFGHANISTAN 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

UNCLAS KABUL 001147 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR SCA/FO, SCA/A, 
STATE PASS TO USAID FOR AID/ANE, AID/DCHA/DG 
NSC FOR WOOD 
OSD FOR SHIVERS 
CENTCOM FOR CG CJTF-101 POLAD 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV PREL AF
SUBJECT: ASSEMBLY WALKOUT CONTINUES; STILL NO ELECTION LAW 
 
REF: KABUL 1008 
 
¶1. (SBU) The boycott by a group of predominantly non-Pashtun 
MPs of the National Assembly's lower house plenary sessions 
continues to prevent consideration of the election law bill. 
The lower house will adjourn for its summer recess June 4. 
The assembly's failure to make quorum prior to the recess 
would delay election law passage for at least a month and a 
half. 
 
¶2. (SBU) Lower house leaders and several influential MPs have 
repeatedly, but unsuccessfully, attempted to broker a 
resolution to the Kochi seat-reservation dispute that 
precipitated the boycott and loss of quorum (REFTEL).  Wahabi 
former warlord Ustad Abdul Rasul Sayyaf (Pashtun, Kabul) 
rebuffed Speaker Qanooni's (Tajik, Kabul) May 6 invitation to 
a meeting of the disputants.  From the other end of the 
ethnic spectrum, lower house First Deputy Speaker Mir Wais 
Yasini's (Pashtun, Nangarhar) strenuous behind-the-scenes 
efforts failed to muster enough MPs to make quorum May 10; 
however, he did erode the boycott.  Encouragingly, MP Qadria 
Yazdan Parast (Tajik, Kabul), along with nine others from the 
original group of boycotters, returned to the chamber. 
 
¶3. (SBU) Pashtun MPs remain determined to preserve the 
10-seat Kochi reservation, which contributes to their ethnic 
bloc's voting power.  MP Shakar Kargar (Uzbek, Faryab) said 
Pashtun MPs rejected several compromise offers from the 
boycotters.  MPs Fatima Nazari (Hazara, Kabul) and Daud 
Sultanzoy (Pashtun, Ghazni) separately said non-Pashtun 
boycotters are equally determined to shift the chamber's 
ethnic balance more in their favor. 
 
¶4. (SBU) We have increased the frequency of our meetings with 
all lower house faction leaders.  We are quietly registering 
with them our interest both in the elections law's passage 
and in the National Assembly's execution of its 
constitutional responsibilities on behalf of the Afghan 
people. 
 
WOOD