VZCZCXRO6792
PP RUEHDBU RUEHPW RUEHSL
DE RUEHBUL #1640 1741255
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 231255Z JUN 09
FM AMEMBASSY KABUL
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 9677
INFO RUCNAFG/AFGHANISTAN COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
RUEHBU/AMEMBASSY BUENOS AIRES PRIORITY 0119

UNCLAS KABUL 001640 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV PREL AF
SUBJECT: AMBASSADOR APPEARS WITH YASENI AT PRESS EVENT 
 
REF: KABUL 1590 
 
¶1. (U)  The Ambassador on June 22 continued his public 
engagement with leading opposition presidential candidates, 
appearing with Lower House Deputy Speaker Mirwais Yaseni in 
front of Afghan and international media.  The Ambassador 
reiterated US impartiality and commitment to credible, 
secure, and inclusive elections as he did in earlier 
appearances with Ashraf Ghani and Abdullah Abdullah (reftel). 
 The appearance received similar coverage as the two prior 
events.  We have forwarded copies of the Ambassador's remarks 
from all three events to SRAP. 
 
¶2. (SBU)  At the June 22 weekly Cabinet meeting, President 
Karzai and his advisors reportedly discussed their objections 
to the Ambassador appearing with presidential candidates. 
Karzai instructed Foreign Minister Spanta to send a letter to 
the Embassy outlining the government's concerns.   Spanta's 
senior advisor Marodian told us today that Spanta is 
resisting sending a letter.  If/when Embassy receives the 
letter, we will forward a copy to Washington.  Word of the 
Cabinet discussion has leaked to the media, which contacted 
public affairs officers for a reaction.  Embassy officials 
have told journalists, as well as FM Spanta directly, that 
the Ambassador appeared at the media events on the 
candidates' invitations and only used the opportunities to 
restate the US commitment to a credible, secure, and 
inclusive election, and to encourage all candidates to engage 
in a rigorous debate on the most important issues facing the 
country. 
 
¶3. (SBU)  During a private meeting before the press 
conference, Yaseni told the Ambassador he had built a 
campaign team of "clean personalities" devoid of military 
leaders like those who had endorsed Karzai's reelection.  "We 
want to marginalize the warlords," he said.  Yaseni 
appreciated the US statements on its neutrality in the 
elections, but requested that such public statements be 
repeated at least every two weeks to reinforce the perception 
among the Afghan population.  Yaseni accused several 
government officials and MPs of improperly using government 
resources to aid Karzai's campaign.  He also accused Abdullah 
of receiving funds from Iran, claiming that during a recent 
visit to Iran, Iranian officials had pressured Yaseni's 2nd 
VP running mate to withdraw from the race and support 
Abdullah.  The Ambassador urged Yaseni to report suspected 
violations of election law to the Electoral Complaints 
Commission. 
 
¶4. (U)  During the press conference, Yaseni echoed themes 
similar to those raised by Ghani and Abdullah at their 
events.  He challenged Karzai to an open debate and 
criticized the government's performance on anti-corruption 
and governance over the past several years.  His campaign 
will focus on winning over young voters, women, and civil 
society activists.  In addition to his two fellow 
parliamentarian running mates, two other MPs attended the 
press conference. 
EIKENBERRY