VZCZCXYZ0001
RR RUEHWEB

DE RUEHBUL #0213/01 0211339
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 211339Z JAN 10
FM AMEMBASSY KABUL
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 4881
INFO RUCNAFG/AFGHANISTAN COLLECTIVE

UNCLAS KABUL 000213 
 
DEPARTMENT FOR SRAP, SCA/FO, SCA/A, EUR/RPM 
STATE PASS TO AID FOR ASIA/SCAA 
USFOR-A FOR POLAD 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV PREL ECON ECIN EMIN ETRD EAID IT AF
SUBJECT:  U.S. - ITALIAN COOPERATION IN AFGHANISTAN'S HERAT PROVINCE 
 
¶1.  SUMMARY  Italian Ambassador to Afghanistan Claudio Glaentzer 
told Coordinating Director for Development and Economic Affairs 
(CDDEA) Ambassador Wayne January 19 that Italy was prepared to 
support funding of the 330 km "east-west" road, specifically the 
Chesti Sharif to Chagcharan portion.  Glaentzer said Italy could 
contribute $41 million paid in installments (with no guarantee of an 
annual appropriation but with a good faith effort) and with the 
stipulation that the money be given to GiROA in support of a 
national Afghan program.  Glaentzer also told Wayne that the draft 
MOU on Life Support to U.S. civilians located at Italian-run 
installations in Afghanistan was still under consideration by the 
Italian MOD.  Glaentzer, Wayne and USAID Afghanistan Mission 
Director William Frej reviewed development priorities in western 
Afghanistan and discussed possibilities for U.S. - Italian 
coordination and collaboration. (End Summary) 
 
Participants: 
 
U.S. 
Ambassador Wayne 
USAID Mission Director William Frej 
CDDEA Katherine Hadda 
IPA Jane Messenger, Notetaker 
 
Italy 
Ambassador Glaentzer 
 
Italians Support Road Construction in Herat 
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 
¶2.  Ambassador Glaentzer said the Italians are committed to 
supporting the construction of roads in Herat and western 
Afghanistan, particularly the 330 km road from Herat through Chesti 
Sharif to Chagcharan.  Specifically, the Italians are committed to 
participating in the construction of the Chesti Sharif to Chagcharan 
portion.   Glaentzer said Italy could contribute $41 million with 
the following conditions: 
 
--  They will pay in installments.  Cannot guarantee an annual 
appropriation but they will do their best. 
 
      -- The money must be given to GiROA for support of a national 
Afghan program. 
 
¶3.  Glaentzer underscored that the road was important for both 
military and business reasons, including to provide a route to 
market for Herat marble.  Ambassador Wayne noted that the Afghan 
Minister of Public Works was planning to hold a donor conference on 
roads soon.  In addition to Italian and U.S. involvement, it made 
sense to include the Indians and the Japanese who have expressed 
interest.  Glaentzer suggested including the Saudis since they have 
the presidency of the Islamic Development Bank (IDB), which has 
contributed significant funds to the construction of a portion of 
the Herat ring road.   Ambassador Wayne said that the Asian 
Development Bank (ADB) should also be included since they are 
involved in a joint ADB-U.S. Army Corps of Engineers project in 
Badghis and Faryab.  USACE will supervise the construction of the 
Ring Road in these two provinces and it will be funded by the ADB's 
$340 million. 
 
¶4.  Glaentzer also noted that Italy had agreed to fund 40 km of the 
Bamyan-Kabul road, although they had recently done a solicitation 
for bids and received no credible response.  They had also 
discovered that the 11 cm of asphalt they were using was not enough 
to accommodate heavy trucks carrying marble.  They had told the 
Afghans that their budget did not allow them to fund the entire leg 
at greater than 11 cm so they offered a choice of doing a shorter 
piece of road with thicker asphalt or the entire leg with the 11 cm. 
 The Afghans chose the entire leg with the 11 cm.  Note: later in 
the day, Minister of Mines Shahrani said the Indians had indicated 
they might pay for the unpaved road from the dam they are 
constructing near Chesti Sharif to the Herat area. 
 
Draft MOU on Life Support 
- - - - - - - - - - - - - 
¶5.  Ambassador Wayne reiterated our hope that the Italian MOD will 
move quickly to approve the draft Memorandum of Understanding on 
life support for U.S. civilians located at Italian-operated 
facilities in Afghanistan.  Glaentzer said the document was still in 
Rome but that he would check on where it stood. 
 
Politics/Development in Herat 
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 
¶6.  Ambassador Wayne asked Glaentzer if he thought there would be a 
change of governor in Herat.  Glaentzer said he had heard from IDLG 
Director Popal that Governor Nuristani was not on the list of 14 
that had to be changed.   Ambassador Wayne then briefed Glaentzer on 
U.S. collaboration with the IDLG on district support mechanisms and 
the development of a basic package of services for the 80 key 
districts identified by IJC.  Wayne told Glaentzer that in Helmand, 
the U.S. will collaborate with the UK to finance this package 
(through the Afghan MOF) in several districts.  Wayne offered to 
share our thinking on district development with the Italians so they 
could consider doing something similar in the key districts near 
Herat. 
 
Development Priorities 
- - - - - - - - - - - - 
¶7.  Mission Director Frej informed Glaentzer that USAID was sending 
senior official Mike Greene to RC-W, and suggested that Greene call 
on the Ambassador soon.  Glaentzer welcomed enhanced U.S. - Italian 
collaboration on development projects.   In addition to roads, Italy 
has been focused on health, especially hospitals.    They have 
bought equipment for a regional hospital in Herat and have sponsored 
a burn hospital in Kabul for women who attempt suicide.  They had a 
similar hospital in Baghlan, but are seeking other sponsors for it 
in order to better focus on Kabul and Herat.  Italy has donated 300 
million euros worth of medicine.   There are also private hospitals 
run by "Emergency", an Italian NGO, including in Kabul, Lashkar Gah 
and Panjshir and 33 clinics around the country, but these are often 
cash-strapped and have no affiliation with the Italian government. 
The Italian Embassy is thinking of channeling funds to them through 
the Afghanistan Ministry of Health.  Frej noted that the USG 
provides $236 million to the Ministry of Health to support health 
care delivery throughout the country.  Glaentzer invited us to visit 
the Emergency Hospital in Kabul in early February. 
 
 
EIKENBERRY