VZCZCXRO2560
PP RUEHPW
DE RUEHBUL #2932 3091052
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 041052Z NOV 08
FM AMEMBASSY KABUL
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 6060
INFO RUCNAFG/AFGHANISTAN COLLECTIVE PRIORITY

UNCLAS KABUL 002932 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR SCA/FO, SCA/A, S/CRS 
NSC FOR JWOOD 
OSD FOR MCGRAW 
CG CJTF-82, POLAD, JICCENT 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV AF
SUBJECT: AFGHAN REPUBLICAN PARTY EMBRACES KARZAI'S AGENDA 
 
¶1. The Afghan Republican Party celebrated its 10-year 
anniversary this week with a national conference in Kabul, 
where party leaders made it clear they intend to serve among 
President Karzai's most reliable supporters in next year's 
election even though Karzai has said he does not intend to 
form, sponsor or join a political party of his own.  Although 
few elected officials, if any, fully identify as Republican 
Party members, the party leadership does include Karzai's 
chief of policy, Sebghatullah Sanjar, as well as a handful of 
former high-ranking government officials.  The party has 
fought for Karzai's attention against the similarly named 
Republic Party and a host of independents loyal to the 
president.  With less than a year left before the 
presidential election, the Republicans are crafting a 
political message closely in tune with Karzai's policies. 
 
¶2. At this week's party conference, speakers represented a 
diverse cross-section of Afghan society: men, women, 
traditional, Westernized, Tajik, Hazara, Pashtun, young, and 
old spoke to several hundred members in a Kabul hotel banquet 
room.  In addition to Sanjar, speakers and others prominently 
featured during the ceremonies included a Sikh, a mullah, a 
former Cabinet official, and the head of the Afghan 
Para-Olympic Team.  Many of the speakers referenced the 
ongoing Saudi Arabia-hosted reconciliation talks with the 
Taliban.  While other political groups have expressed 
skepticism, Sanjar and others praised Karzai's efforts and 
said they were confident such negotiations would only bring 
in those insurgents willing to respect the Constitution. 
Pictures of Karzai adorned the walls of the conference room 
alongside party banners. 
 
¶3. Sanjar has used his position inside the Palace and 
connections with the business communities in Kabul and Herat 
to build the organization of what has been a very minor 
player in Afghan politics.  This week's conference, attended 
by more than 300 members and their families, was one of the 
largest gatherings in the party's history.  Party members 
tell us they hope to win several seats in Parliament in the 
2010 elections and convince incumbent MPs to join their 
party.  With the resources on display at the conference, they 
should be able to make some progress toward these goals.  As 
a pan-ethnic, geographically diverse party, they may be ahead 
of their time.  Regional and ethnic blocs leftover from 
mujahideen times, however, are still best positioned to 
attract the most votes, even though many of those parties 
have not made similar efforts to organize and prepare for the 
next legislative elections. 
WOOD