VZCZCXRO6200
PP RUEHDBU RUEHIK RUEHPOD RUEHPW RUEHYG
DE RUEHBUL #1029 1121500
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 221500Z APR 09
FM AMEMBASSY KABUL
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 8591
INFO RUEATRS/DEPT OF TREASURY WASHINGTON DC 0791
RUCNAFG/AFGHANISTAN COLLECTIVE
RUEHZG/NATO EU COLLECTIVE
RUEABND/DEA HQS WASHINGTON DC
RUCPDOC/DEPT OF COMMERCE WASHINGTON DC

UNCLAS KABUL 001029 
 
DEPT FOR SRAP, SCA/FO, SCA/RA, AND SCA/A 
DEPT PASS FOR AID/ANE 
DEPT PASS USTR FOR DELANEY AND DEANGELIS 
DEPT PASS OPIC 
DEPT PASS FOR TDA FOR STEIN AND GREENIP 
USOECD FOR ENERGY ATTACHE 
CENTCOM FOR CSTC-A 
NSC FOR JWOOD 
TREASURY FOR MHIRSON, ABAUKOL, AWELLER, AND MNUGENT 
COMMERCE FOR HAMROCK-MANN, DEES, CHOPPIN, AND FONOVICH 
 
SENSITIVE 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O.  12958 N/A 
TAGS: EFIN ECON EAID AF PK
SUBJECT: Afghan Finance Minister Presents "Civilian Surge Plan" for 
Technical Assistance 
 
¶1. (SBU) In an April 19 meeting with the Charge, Afghan Finance 
Minister Omar Zakhilwal presented an advance copy of the 
government's "civilian surge plan" for technical assistance.  He 
said he means to discuss the plan - formally approved by President 
Karzai on April 20, we since learned - in his April 22 meeting with 
SRAP Holbrooke.  Zakhilwal said the GIRoA was trying to get ahead of 
USG plans to send more civilian advisers to Afghanistan.  The 
cabinet asked him to solicit input on TA requirements from all 
ministries, and the plan is the resulting compilation.  It calls for 
several hundred technical advisors to support 22 GIRoA ministries in 
Kabul and the provinces.  The Charge welcomed the proposals and said 
they were timely in view of upcoming planning meetings in 
Washington.  Post has emailed the approved civilian surge plan and 
cover letter to SRAP Holbrooke and others. 
 
¶2. (SBU) Zakhilwal also said he would use his Washington meetings to 
report on progress he has made since becoming Finance Minister and 
highlight continuing challenges.  He said his efforts to increase 
fiscal revenues and his policy of zero tolerance of corruption are 
already paying off.  His anti-corruption hotline is having a 
deterrent effect on corrupt officials, but he needs assistance to 
strengthen the Internal Audit department's ability to investigate 
allegations.  He is working stepwise to increase revenues collected 
by other ministries, focusing first on streamlining existing 
procedures, e.g. vehicle registration, and later on more radical 
reform of those procedures.  He is shaking up the staff in the 
Customs Department to reduce corruption but faces resistance from 
members of Parliament who seek to protect corrupt officials he wants 
to sack.  Zakhilwal expressed appreciation for the advisors at MOF 
that the U.S. funds and asked for additional help. 
 
¶3. (SBU) The Charge asked if Zakhilwal would attend the May 6-7 
Trilateral meetings in Washington, noting that the issue of extended 
opening hours for Customs houses on the Pakistani border could 
usefully be discussed in that forum.  Zakhilwal said the President 
asked him to join the Afghan delegation but the Trilateral overlaps 
with his plan to attend the Asian Development Bank meeting in Bali, 
Indonesia.  He said he would support longer Customs hours if the 
Pakistani side agrees.  The Charge asked him to work on this issue 
even if it is not discussed in Washington.  (Subsequently, Charge 
reported his conversation to President Karzai, who immediately 
ordered that Zakhilwal would go to Washington instead of the ADB 
meeting in Bali.) 
 
¶4. (SBU) The Charge also described U.S. efforts to have the Ministry 
of Agriculture transfer a plot of land at Weesh in Kandahar province 
to MOF so that the U.S. and Canada could build a new Border Crossing 
Post.  Land transfer, right of entry, and agreement by current land 
users to vacate the property must be in place by August 15 to enable 
use of U.S. funds before relevant authority expires.  Zakhilwal was 
familiar with the issue and said he would make sure the project 
moves forward.  We learned afterwards from Agriculture Ministry 
staff that they are in contact with MOF staff on the land transfer 
issue. 
 
RICCIARDONE