VZCZCXRO9544
PP RUEHDBU RUEHSL RUEHSR
DE RUEHC #4362/01 1972203
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 162147Z JUL 09
FM SECSTATE WASHDC
TO ALL NATO POST COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
RUEHBS/USEU BRUSSELS PRIORITY
RUEHAD/AMEMBASSY ABU DHABI PRIORITY 4555
RUEHAM/AMEMBASSY AMMAN PRIORITY 2486
RUEHAH/AMEMBASSY ASHGABAT PRIORITY 1277
RUEHTA/AMEMBASSY ASTANA PRIORITY 2856
RUEHKB/AMEMBASSY BAKU PRIORITY 8808
RUEHBJ/AMEMBASSY BEIJING PRIORITY 9246
RUEHBW/AMEMBASSY BELGRADE PRIORITY 0125
RUEHSW/AMEMBASSY BERN PRIORITY 6145
RUEHEK/AMEMBASSY BISHKEK PRIORITY 5487
RUEHBO/AMEMBASSY BOGOTA PRIORITY 3505
RUEHEG/AMEMBASSY CAIRO PRIORITY 2218
RUEHBY/AMEMBASSY CANBERRA PRIORITY 4674
RUEHDO/AMEMBASSY DOHA PRIORITY 1060
RUEHDL/AMEMBASSY DUBLIN PRIORITY 0746
RUEHDBU/AMEMBASSY DUSHANBE PRIORITY 0870
RUEHHE/AMEMBASSY HELSINKI PRIORITY 2019
RUEHJA/AMEMBASSY JAKARTA PRIORITY 4392
RUEHKU/AMEMBASSY KUWAIT PRIORITY 6496
RUEHKV/AMEMBASSY KYIV PRIORITY 0716
RUEHMK/AMEMBASSY MANAMA PRIORITY 6428
RUEHMO/AMEMBASSY MOSCOW PRIORITY 1992
RUEHMS/AMEMBASSY MUSCAT PRIORITY 0882
RUEHRH/AMEMBASSY RIYADH PRIORITY 2519
RUEHVJ/AMEMBASSY SARAJEVO PRIORITY 1767
RUEHUL/AMEMBASSY SEOUL PRIORITY 1417
RUEHGP/AMEMBASSY SINGAPORE PRIORITY 1196
RUEHSQ/AMEMBASSY SKOPJE PRIORITY 7133
RUEHSM/AMEMBASSY STOCKHOLM PRIORITY 7674
RUEHNT/AMEMBASSY TASHKENT PRIORITY 1075
RUEHSI/AMEMBASSY TBILISI PRIORITY 0905
RUEHTI/AMEMBASSY TIRANA PRIORITY 3540
RUEHKO/AMEMBASSY TOKYO PRIORITY 9766
RUEHUM/AMEMBASSY ULAANBAATAR PRIORITY 7158
RUEHVI/AMEMBASSY VIENNA PRIORITY 8777
RUEHWL/AMEMBASSY WELLINGTON PRIORITY 0114
RUEHVB/AMEMBASSY ZAGREB PRIORITY 2934
RUEHNO/USMISSION USNATO PRIORITY 0263
INFO RUEHIL/AMEMBASSY ISLAMABAD PRIORITY 2123
RUEHBUL/AMEMBASSY KABUL PRIORITY 2069
RUEHYE/AMEMBASSY YEREVAN PRIORITY 7466

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 05 STATE 074362 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: NATO PREL MOPS MARR AF
SUBJECT: ASSISTING AFGHANISTAN BEYOND THE AUGUST 
PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION 
 
REF: A. STATE 14097 
     ¶B. STATE 29482 
     ¶C. STATE 28929 
     ¶D. STATE 31102 
 
SUMMARY 
------- 
 
¶1. (SBU)  The purpose of this demarche request is to 
encourage host governments to start thinking about how they 
might enhance their contributions to the effort in 
Afghanistan following the August 20 Afghan presidential 
election.  General McChrystal, Commander of the International 
Security Assistance Force (ISAF) and U.S. Forces-Afghanistan 
(USFORA), is overseeing initial assessments of both ISAF and 
USFORA operations in Afghanistan.  Based on the outcomes of 
these assessments, the United States will renew its 
suggestions for specific contributions to both civilian and 
military sectors.  At this moment, the Department requests 
action addressees to impress upon host governments the 
importance President Obama places on broad international 
support for the agreed Afghanistan-Pakistan strategy through 
the commitment of additional civilian and military resources 
to meet the requirements in Afghanistan.  In order to achieve 
demonstrable results within the coming twelve months, it is 
vital that new resources reach th 
e ground in the critical post-election period. 
 
OBJECTIVES 
---------- 
 
¶2. (SBU)  As the United States is adopting a 
whole-of-government solution to stabilize Afghanistan, action 
addressees are instructed to pursue at the most senior 
appropriate level the following objectives with host 
government officials across the range of relevant ministries 
in your host country (such as finance, interior, development, 
and defense ministries): 
 
- emphasize the need for the international community to 
demonstrate continued and enhanced support for the Afghan 
people beyond Afghanistan's democratic presidential election 
on August 20, 
 
- (for Election Support Force contributors - Estonia, 
Finland, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Lithuania, 
 
STATE 00074362  002 OF 005 
 
 
Portugal, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Turkey, UK) specifically 
encourage nations to consider extending their temporarily 
elevated troop levels beyond the election to a longer-term. 
 
- inform host governments that ISAF Commander (COMISAF) 
General McChrystal is conducting an assessment of 
international military efforts in Afghanistan, 
 
- inform host governments of our commitment to support the 
Afghan Government's efforts to identify priorities and our 
intention to respond to these priorities, including by the 
provision of more assistance directly through the Afghan 
Government and with the support of the United Nations 
Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA), 
 
- advise host governments that, based upon the results of the 
ISAF Commander's assessment and the ongoing efforts by the 
Afghan Government and UNAMA to update civilian requirements, 
the international community will need to re-evaluate its 
contributions toward military as well as civilian 
contributions, and 
 
- encourage host governments to consider now what types of 
resources they are able to provide to help build the capacity 
of the Afghan government to effectively secure and govern the 
Afghan people. 
 
DEADLINE 
-------- 
 
¶3. (SBU)  Department requests action addressees to report the 
results of their efforts by front channel cable slugged for 
S/SRAP - Karen Hanrahan, SCA/A - Ariella Viehe, and EUR/RPM - 
Aaron Cope by July 24. 
 
TALKING POINTS 
-------------- 
 
¶4. (SBU)  Action addressees should draw from following 
talking points: 
 
- In support of the new strategy for Afghanistan and Pakistan 
endorsed at the March 31 Afghanistan conference at The Hague, 
the United States is pursuing a whole-of-government solution 
to stabilize Afghanistan, leveraging civilian and military 
resources. 
 
- We are committed to working through the Afghan government 
and UNAMA, with our Allies and partners in Afghanistan to 
build the capacity of the Afghan government to effectively 
secure and govern the Afghan people. 
 
STATE 00074362  003 OF 005 
 
 
 
- The international community is providing critical support 
to the August 20 Afghan presidential election, but a 
credible, inclusive, and secure election is not an end point. 
 
- The United States wants to ensure that the international 
community is ready to join us in enhancing civilian and 
military contributions in Afghanistan following the election. 
 
 
-- Civilian Contributions -- 
 
- The United States has expanded its efforts to cooperate 
with and strengthen Afghan government capacity, with UNAMA 
support, and is assessing civilian requirements and 
priorities. 
 
- We note that the Government of Afghanistan issued through 
UNAMA a proposal detailing its request for civilian 
capacity-building assistance on June 22. We welcome this 
initiative and encourage efforts to work with UNAMA and the 
Afghan Ministry of Finance in Kabul to meet those needs. 
 
- This proposal represents an important Afghan effort to lead 
the development and stabilization of Afghanistan and to build 
their own capacity to govern and deliver services.  In 
addition, the Minister of Agriculture has produced a 
comprehensive strategy for the agriculture sector which the 
United States' new agriculture strategy will support.  There 
will be other sector-based strategies soon. 
 
- The United States is reviewing how to support the Afghan 
government's request for civilian assistance and aims to 
align our assistance with Afghan priorities. 
 
-- The Afghan government, with UNAMA and international 
support, will be identifying its priority needs for civilian 
assistance in the coming months.  Currently, priority areas 
in which additional civilian resources are needed include 
governance capacity-building, lawful and sustainable 
livelihoods, infrastructure, energy, higher education, and 
security (police training, counter-narcotics, and de-mining). 
 
 
-- Military Contributions -- 
 
- General McChrystal has begun an initial assessment of ISAF 
and U.S. efforts in Afghanistan, to determine current 
resources and needs in Afghanistan. 
 
- COMISAF, with Afghan and international input, will issue 
 
STATE 00074362  004 OF 005 
 
 
his priority needs for military assistance in the coming 
months. The broad areas in which additional military 
resources may be needed are maneuver capabilities and related 
enablers, training and equipping the Afghan National Security 
Forces, aviation assets (including intelligence, 
surveillance, and reconnaissance), and civil-military 
partnerships. 
 
- In addition to critical civilian assistance required to 
enhance Afghan government capacity, we encourage our ISAF 
partners to replace temporary Election Support Forces with 
longer-term troop deployments as a key measure to prevent 
violent extremists from undermining the new Afghan 
government's efforts to improve security and provision of 
governance for the Afghan people. 
 
- Training and equipping the Afghan National Security Forces 
requires Operational Mentoring and Liaison Teams (OMLTs), 
Police Mentoring Teams, branch schools, and financial 
contributions to NATO's Afghan National Army Trust Fund and 
the UN's Law and Order Trust Fund for Afghanistan. 
 
- Civil-military integration requires both mobilizing 
additional civilian expertise and improving coordination to 
ensure that civilian and military personnel work together to 
"clear" territory of insurgents, enable Afghan forces to 
"hold" areas, and "build" them by enhancing governance and 
economic growth. 
 
 
-- Renewing Commitments -- 
 
- Based on the assessments of civilian and military 
requirements in Afghanistan from COMISAF and the Afghan 
Government, the United States will review how to support 
these priorities with our own contributions and we will 
encourage the international community to join us in 
re-examining how each of us can contribute. 
 
- As these assessments are being completed, we ask that you 
identify now those areas, both civilian and military, in 
which your country is able to contribute. 
 
- While the current economic situation makes it particularly 
difficult for many countries to increase their international 
assistance, there are opportunities to provide personnel and 
other technical assistance without increasing troop pledges. 
 
- A strong demonstration of continued and broad international 
support for Afghanistan will be essential to extend the 
positive momentum generated by a credible, inclusive, and 
 
STATE 00074362  005 OF 005 
 
 
legitimate election to facilitate further progress in 
economic development, governance, and security. 
 
BACKGROUND 
---------- 
 
¶5. (SBU)  Through a series of demarche instructions sent this 
spring, the United States outlined for our Allies and 
partners in Afghanistan the strategic review initiated by the 
President and sought their input to it (Ref A State 14097); 
conveyed the results of that review (Ref B State 29482); and 
encouraged additional contributions in Afghanistan.  These 
requests included specific contributions sought at the April 
3-4 NATO Summit (Ref C State 28929) as well as other, 
long-term priorities (Ref D State 31102).  As the 
circumstances in Afghanistan evolve and we adapt our strategy 
to those changes, the list of resources needed to succeed in 
Afghanistan must also evolve.  Based on Afghan requests, our 
renewed emphasis on civilian contributions and the results of 
General McChrystal's assessment, we will renew our engagement 
with Allies, partners, and the broader international 
community on the additional resources they can provide in 
Afghanistan this fall. 
 
¶6. (SBU)  The ISAF/U.S. Forces-Afghanistan assessment will 
address the overall situation in Afghanistan, the military 
campaign plan and force requirements, civil-military 
integration, command and control structures, and rules of 
engagement with a focus on preventing civilian casualties. 
The U.S. Embassy, UNAMA, Afghan officials, and others are 
being consulted in the process of the assessment.  The 
assessment process began in mid-June and likely will be 
completed by mid-July and presented to the North Atlantic 
Council in early August. 
 
¶7. (SBU)  See the "Afghanistan Asks" intellipedia site 
(http://www.intelink.sgov.gov/wiki/Portal:Afgh anistan Asks) 
for a copy of the Government of Afghanistan's request for 
technical assistance and other background materials. 
CLINTON