VZCZCXRO5107
PP RUEHDBU RUEHPW RUEHSL
DE RUEHBUL #1590 1721345
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 211345Z JUN 09
FM AMEMBASSY KABUL
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 9599
INFO RUCNAFG/AFGHANISTAN COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
RUEHBU/AMEMBASSY BUENOS AIRES PRIORITY 0118

UNCLAS KABUL 001590 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV PREL AF
SUBJECT: GHANI CHALLENGES KARZAI TO OPEN DEBATE 
 
¶1. The Ambassador launched on June 20 his public engagement 
with opposition presidential candidates, to counter the 
widely held perception of U.S. backing for President Karzai's 
reelection.  His first meeting was a press conference with 
presidential candidate Ashraf Ghani.  The Ambassador declared 
to the press that he was appearing with Ghani to demonstrate 
our impartiality and our commitment to credible, secure, and 
inclusive elections.  The US neither supported nor opposed 
any one presidential candidate.  Moreover, this year's 
election was an opportunity for Afghan voters to give the 
government a "report card" on its past five years, and for 
candidates to vigorously debate the issues and offer 
solutions to problems that most concern Afghans. 
 
¶2.  Ghani then spoke, accusing Karzai of improperly using 
government resources to aid his reelection campaign.  Ghani 
told reporters he had a multi-point plan to address the 
country's problems and challenged Karzai to an open debate on 
how both candidates would lead the country if elected.  Ghani 
would focus his campaign on providing assistance to the 
country's youth, women, and other under-served populations, 
and would highlight charges of corruption and incompetence 
against the Karzai government.  Afghan media widely covered 
the press conference, with more than a dozen TV, radio, and 
print outlets attending. 
 
¶3. The Ambassador will meet with other leading candidates - 
including Abdullah Abdullah, Mirwais Yaseni, and Sayed Jalal 
Karim - later this week for similar media events.  The 
Embassy has encouraged those campaigns to take advantage of 
the media opportunities in order to raise their profiles, and 
especially their platforms, in the eyes of Afghans.  The 
joint appearances are part of an overall effort by the 
Embassy to promote a campaign of ideas that is competitive, 
peaceful, and energizing for Afghan voters.  We will report 
septel on the outcomes of press events with other candidates. 
EIKENBERRY