VZCZCXRO5699
PP RUEHIK RUEHPOD RUEHPW RUEHYG
DE RUEHBUL #3207/01 3491204
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 141204Z DEC 08
FM AMEMBASSY KABUL
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 6419
INFO RUEATRS/DEPT OF TREASURY WASHINGTON DC 0699
RUCNAFG/AFGHANISTAN COLLECTIVE
RUEHZG/NATO EU COLLECTIVE
RUEKJCS/OSD WASHINGTON DC
RUEKJCS/JOINT STAFF WASHINGTON DC
RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHINGTON DC
RUEABND/DEA HQS WASHINGTON DC
RHMFIUU/HQ USCENTCOM MACDILL AFB FL
RHEHAAA/NATIONAL SECURITY COUNCIL WASHINGTON DC
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHINGTON DC
RHEFDIA/DIA WASHINGTON DC
RUCPDOC/DEPT OF COMMERCE WASHINGTON DC

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 KABUL 003207 
 
DEPT FOR SCA/FO, SCA/RA, AND SCA/A 
DEPT PASS AID/ANE 
DEPT PASS USTR FOR GERBER AND KLEIN 
DEPT PASS OPIC FOR ZAHNISER 
DEPT PASS TDA FOR STEIN AND GREENIP 
USOECD FOR ENERGY ATTACHE 
CENTCOM FOR CSTC-A 
NSC FOR JWOOD 
TREASURY FOR LMCDONALD, ABAUKOL, BDAHL, AND MNUGENT 
OSD FOR SHIVERS 
COMMERCE FOR DEES, CHOPPIN, AND FONOVICH 
 
SENSITIVE 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958 N/A 
TAGS: PGOV PREL EAGR AF
SUBJECT: JCMB-X ACCOMPLISHES LITTLE 
 
¶1. (SBU) Summary.  JCMB-X succeeded mainly in referring several 
agenda items to subsidiary bodies for further review.  Members 
agreed to pass to a working group a UK-designed proposal to replace 
the Counter-Narcotics Trust Fund with a body that looks to Post too 
much like the CNTF.  The International Police Coordination Board 
will take up the Interior Minister's proposed priorities for police 
reform and then pass the matter to the Security Standing Committee 
for decision.  A task force under the Governance Standing Committee 
will consider IDLG's proposal for a "basket funding" mechanism for 
sub-national governance programs.  JCMB members received GIRoA 
progress reports on the security situation, counter-narcotics, 
anti-corruption, senior appointments, and UNAMA's efforts to 
strengthen donor coordination and aid effectiveness.  Though not 
discussed at length, the GIRoA urged donors to provide more food aid 
to avoid starvation this winter.  End Summary 
 
¶2. (U) The tenth meeting of the Joint Coordination and Monitoring 
Board took place November 30 in Kabul, co-chaired by Afghan Senior 
Minister Arsala and UN SRSG Kai Eide.  The U.S. was represented by 
Charg d'Affaires Dell.  Arsala began the meeting by urging donors 
to provide more food aid to avoid starvation this winter.  He noted 
that only about one-third of the amount requested in the July 
emergency appeal has so far been pledged.  (Note: Most of this has 
been provided by the US.) 
 
SUCCESSOR TO THE COUNTER-NARCOTICS TRUST FUND 
 
¶3. (SBU) Minister of Agriculture Rahimi submitted a coQept paper on 
replacing the ailing Counter-Narcotics Trust Fund (CNTF) with a 
program entitled "Sustainable Reduction in Poppy" (SRP).  The 
program, designed by the British government, aims to facilitate the 
flow of donor funds to counternarcotics-related projects at the 
district level.  The SRP fund would be administered by the Ministry 
of Finance instead of the United Nations Development Program and 
would direct money through a special account for CN projects 
approved by the donor community. 
 
¶4. (SBU) CDA Dell and the European Commission (EC) representative 
voiced skepticism about the new program for being too similar to the 
CNTF and for reducing the ability of the Ministry of 
Counternarcotics (MCN) to take the lead in administering CN projects 
through the US- and UK-funded Good Performers Initiative (GPI).  The 
US wants all CN donor contributions to be channeled through the GPI 
and has lobbied the international community (IC) to support it. JCMB 
members agreed to review the SRP proposal in a working group 
comprising interested donors and three ministries (Agriculture, 
Counternarcotics, and Rural Development), which would make a 
recommendation to a JCMB Standing Committee.  Co-chair Eide appealed 
for an early decision. 
 
SECURITY 
 
¶5. (SBU) Defense Minister Wardak briefed on the security situation. 
He said the enemy was better resourced this year than in the past, 
NATO and ANSF forces were stretched to their limits, and the enemy 
may launch "spectacular attacks" this winter.  Wardak thanked the 
JCMB for agreeing to expand the ANA at its last meeting and urged 
funding of sustainment costs.  He called for transferring more 
leadership to ANA, as has been done in Kabul, urged NATO to do more 
on CN, and pledged that ANSF will support the task of providing 
security for elections next year. 
 
MOI AND POLICE REFORM 
 
¶6. (SBU) Interior Minister Atmar presented his six strategic 
priorities for immediate action on police reform: 1) accelerate and 
expand Focused District Development and other existing programs; 2) 
 
KABUL 00003207  002 OF 003 
 
 
implement a comprehensive MOI anti-corruption plan; 3) reinforce 
intelligence and investigative capacity to curb organized crime, 
reduce civilian and police casualties, and support counter-terrorism 
and counter-insurgency campaigns; 4) enlarge the tashkil (approved 
police payroll), especially for medium- and high-risk districts; 5) 
improve security in principal cities and along highways; and  6) 
ensure security for free, fair and transparent elections in 2009. 
Atmar also described internal reforms he is implementing to reduce 
corruption, including requiring senior officials to complete 
financial disclosure statements.  MOI officials suspected of 
anti-corruption activities will be terminated and prosecuted, he 
said. 
 
¶7. (SBU) Atmar emphasized his desire to work in consultation with 
the international community on the basis of mutual accountability. 
SRSG Eide urged members to discuss Atmar's paper in the 
International Police Coordination Board (IPCB) with a view to 
supporting his proposals.  Most donors endorsed Atmar's initiatives 
and expressed confidence that they would increase their financial 
support.  The EC rep expressed an institutional concern, namely that 
the paper could be discussed at the IPCB but important decisions -- 
including increasing the tashkil, establishing a public guard force, 
and CN plans impacting the balance and architecture of the ANP -- 
should only be taken in the JCMB. 
 
SUB-NATIONAL GOVERNANCE 
 
¶8. (SBU) Head of the Independent Directorate for Local Governance 
(IDLG) Popal presented a proposal for improving coordination of 
funding of IDLG's programs to strengthen sub-national governance 
(SNG).  He said IDLG manages several programs, but funding has been 
fragmentary as individual donors support individual programs through 
various channels, resulting in uneven support among regions and 
heavy demands on IDLG to manage multiple funding streams.  Popal 
proposed a "basket funding" approach whereby IDLG programs would be 
supported through the national budget, UNDP's Afghanistan 
Sub-National Governance Program, or the Afghanistan Reconstruction 
Trust Fund.  He asked that a task force under the JCMB Governance 
Standing Committee take up the issue. 
 
¶9. (SBU) Donors, including the US, endorsed the task force but 
expressed strong reservations about putting all streams of funding 
for SNG programs into one basket.  Arsala confirmed that the task 
force will discuss which programs might be funded through a basket 
approach and then the Standing Committee or full JCMB will take 
decisions. 
 
COUNTER-NARCOTICS 
 
¶10. (SBU) The Minister of Counternarcotics, Gen. Khodaidad, 
presented an overview of CN successes in 2008 and stated that much 
still needs to be done to lower the amount of poppy cultivation and 
opium production in Afghanistan.  Khodaidad said poppy cultivation 
in 2008 declined 19 percent compared with last year, the number of 
poppy-free provinces rose from 13 to 18, the number of households 
involved in poppy cultivation dropped by 28 percent, and that seven 
provinces now produce 98 percent of the poppy in the country.  He 
said the GIRoA still needed to aggressively pursue major narcotics 
traffickers and that all ministries and levels of government must 
work together to fight poppy cultivation.  The ISAF rep stated that 
ISAF is implementing the NATO Budapest decision on use of military 
forces in CN.  He said ISAF will only act in coordination with GIRoA 
and when there is a clear linkage between narcotics and the 
insurgency. 
 
ANTI-CORRUPTION 
 
 
KABUL 00003207  003 OF 003 
 
 
¶11. (SBU) Head of the High Office for Oversight for Anti-Corruption 
(HOO) Osmani reported on progress in the three months since his 
office was created.  He discussed the need to partner with other 
Afghan agencies and take advantage of the anti-corruption mood by 
developing a comprehensive public education campaign.  He said that 
raising standards of integrity requires a long-term effort and 
ownership by the Afghan people.  HOO would lead but not command, and 
would hold itself to the highest standards while connecting to the 
wider IC.  UN SRSG Eide commended HOO on its rapid progress in 
getting started.  The World Bank rep commented that other short-term 
action was needed to show the HOO commitment, including follow-up on 
important audits of government agencies conducted in recent years 
and implementation of the Extractive Industries Transparency 
Initiative. 
 
SENIOR APPOINTMENTS 
 
¶12. (U) Senior Appointments Panel member Ms. Sabri described the 
activities of the panel over the past two years.  The paper she read 
from has been emailed to SCA/A. 
 
AID EFFECTIVENESS AND DONOR COORDINATION 
 
¶13. (SBU) UNAMA Aid Effectiveness Unit chief (and USAID secondee) 
Mark Ward briefed on his efforts to strengthen UNAMA's role in 
aligning donors' support of the ANDS.  He said UNAMA would launch 
donor coordination initiatives in five areas initially: agriculture, 
private sector development, capacity building, education/vocational 
training, and electricity.  UNAMA and the GIRoA would be calling 
donor meetings in these sectors to develop plans.  On aid 
effectiveness Ward urged donors to increase procurement of Afghan 
goods and services in their assistance programs.  Greater local 
procurement, he said, would drive quality and safety improvements of 
Afghan products and help develop the Afghan private sector. 
 
WOOD