VZCZCXRO2638
OO RUEHGA RUEHHA RUEHIK RUEHMT RUEHPOD RUEHQU RUEHVC RUEHYG
DE RUEHOT #0248 0862035
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
O 272035Z MAR 09
FM AMEMBASSY OTTAWA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 9269
INFO RUCNCAN/ALL CANADIAN POSTS COLLECTIVE IMMEDIATE
RUEHZG/NATO EU COLLECTIVE IMMEDIATE

UNCLAS OTTAWA 000248 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
 
STATE FOR SCA/A TOM REOTT AND WHA/CAN 
 
E.O. 12958:  N/A 
TAGS: PREL NATO MARR MOPS EAID AF PK CA
SUBJ:  CANADA SUPPORTIVE OF AFGHANISTAN-PAKISTAN STRATEGIC REVIEW 
 
REF:  STATE 29482 
 
¶1.  (SBU)  PolMinCouns on March 27 delivered reftel White Paper and 
talking points to Director General Renetta Siemens and Director 
Richard Arbeiter of the Department of Foreign Affairs and 
International Trade's Afghanistan Task Force.  Later that day, 
Foreign Minister Lawrence Cannon, who also confirmed to the media on 
March 27 that he would attend the March 31 meeting in The Hague, 
issued a public statement underscoring that the Obama 
Administration's objectives in Afghanistan and Pakistan were 
"complementary" to Canada's own priorities, and pledging continued 
cooperation.  Full text in para 2. 
 
 
¶2.  (U)  Begin text 
 
March 27, 2009 (3:15 p.m. EDT) 
No. 81 
 
Statement by Minister Cannon on U.S. Afghanistan-Pakistan Strategic 
Review 
 
The Honourable Lawrence Cannon, Minister of Foreign Affairs, today 
issued the following statement concerning the U.S. administration's 
Afghanistan-Pakistan Strategic Review: 
 
"We welcome the publication of the U.S. Strategic Review on 
Afghanistan and Pakistan and congratulate the Obama administration 
on what, on first examination, looks to be a very compelling, 
comprehensive and realistic assessment of the situation. 
 
"We look forward to thoroughly assessing the review and its 
implications for our own efforts ahead of The Hague Conference on 
Afghanistan and the NATO Summit. 
 
"There are many elements of the plan set out in the review that 
Canada and Canadians would recognize from our own transformation of 
the mission in the past year, including an integrated 
military-civilian strategy complemented by a considerable increase 
in civilian staffing, a focus on benchmarking and an emphasis on 
more effectively building capacity of the Afghan Army and Police. 
 
"The review also focuses on a more coherent and aligned approach to 
development, and the Government of Afghanistan's ability to deliver 
programs and services to its citizens. In addition, it aims for more 
combat troops and enablers on the ground to secure and hold areas, 
thereby facilitating development and reconstruction efforts, and the 
rule of law. 
 
"We have said consistently that success in Afghanistan will never be 
achieved through military means alone. That is why Canada is 
investing significant effort on our areas of priority, bringing 
capacity building to Afghan National Security Forces, promoting 
governance and the rule of law, increasing access to basic services 
and supporting economic growth. 
 
"The Prime Minister noted at the Bucharest Summit in April 2008 that 
it was unrealistic to think that foreign forces alone could defeat 
Afghan insurgents, so Canada's benchmark for success will instead be 
to train Afghanistan's own armed forces to take over the job of 
fighting the Taliban. 
 
"Canada also welcomes the acknowledgement that what happens in 
Pakistan directly affects what happens in Afghanistan, given that 
our own forces work in a border area. Canada will continue to 
provide opportunities to promote economic growth along the 
Kandahar-Baluchistan border in particular. 
 
"Canada will carry on supporting the Government of Pakistan in its 
efforts to address the important economic and security challenges it 
currently faces. Stability in Pakistan is vital for regional 
stability and security. 
 
"We are pleased to see that the objectives in the new U.S. policy 
are complementary to Canada's own priorities. We look forward to 
working with the U.S. in order to reach our ultimate common goal of 
leaving Afghanistan to Afghans, a country that is better governed, 
Qleaving Afghanistan to Afghans, a country that is better governed, 
more peaceful and more secure." 
End text 
BREESE