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Viewing cable 06KABUL146, KARZAI MEETS WITH CODEL BAYH

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Reference ID Created Released Classification Origin
06KABUL146 2006-01-11 09:25 2011-08-24 01:00 UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY Embassy Kabul
This record is a partial extract of the original cable. The full text of the original cable is not available.
UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 KABUL 000146 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
 
DEPT FOR SA/FO AMBASSADOR QUINN, SA/CT AND SA/A 
NSC FOR AHARRIMAN, KAMEND 
CENTCOM FOR POLAD, CG CFA-A, CG CJTF-76 
USAID FOR AID/ANE, AID/DCHA/DG 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PREL PGOV EAID PTER SNAR PK AF
SUBJECT: KARZAI MEETS WITH CODEL BAYH 
 
 
1.  (SBU)  SUMMARY:  IN A JANUARY 10 MEETING WITH SENATORS 
BAYH (D-IND) AND BOND (R-MO) AND REPRESENTATIVE FORD (D-TN), 
KARZAI OUTLINED THE PROGRESS AFGHANISTAN HAD MADE OVER THE 
PAST FOUR YEARS, FOCUSING ON COUNTERNARCOTICS RATHER THAN 
TERRORISM AS THE REAL CHALLENGE FOR THE FUTURE.  HE 
REITERATED SEVERAL TIMES THAT THE AFGHAN PEOPLE DID NOT WANT 
THE U.S. TO LEAVE.  THE DELEGATION ASSURED HIM OF OUR 
LONG-TERM COMMITMENT TO AFGHANISTAN. END SUMMARY. 
 
2.  (SBU)  KARZAI OPENED THE MEETING BY NOTING THAT HE HAD 
NOT FORESEEN THE SPEED AND SMOOTHNESS WITH WHICH THE 
DEMOCRATIC PROCESS WOULD TAKE HOLD IN AFGHANISTAN; HE GAVE 
CREDIT TO THE AFGHAN PEOPLE, BUT SAID IT COULD NOT HAVE BEEN 
ACHIEVED WITHOUT THE HELP OF THE INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY, AND 
THE UNITED STATES IN PARTICULAR.  HE WENT ON TO SAY THAT THE 
AFGHAN PEOPLE WERE WORRIED THAT THE U.S. WOULD WITHDRAW, 
WHICH "MAKES US NERVOUS AND ANGRY".  SENATOR BAYH ASSURED THE 
PRESIDENT THAT, WHILE THERE MIGHT BE A DOMESTIC DEBATE ABOUT 
U.S. PRESENCE IN IRAQ, THERE WAS TOTAL UNANIMITY ABOUT 
STAYING THE COURSE IN AFGHANISTAN - "THIS IS A JOURNEY STILL 
IN PROGRESS AND WE ARE WITH YOU UNTIL THE END." 
 
3.  (SBU)  KARZAI COMMENTED ON THE LARGE NUMBER OF WOMEN WHO 
HAD BEEN ELECTED TO PARLIAMENT (71 IN THE LOWER HOUSE), MANY 
OF WHOM HAD WON THEIR SEATS OUTRIGHT RATHER THAN THROUGH THE 
25 PERCENT RESERVATION FOR WOMEN.  HE GAVE THE EXAMPLE OF A 
FEMALE CANDIDATE IN HERAT PROVINCE, WHICH SENT 17 MPS TO THE 
NATIONAL ASSEMBLY, WHO RECEIVED THE MOST VOTES OF THE 17, AS 
WELL CASES IN FARAH AND JALALABAD. 
 
4.  (SBU)  AFTER REFERRING TO THE "LAZY AND CORRUPT" 
BUREAUCRACY, THE PRESIDENT CHARACTERIZED TERRORISM AS 
"DEFEATED" BUT NOT "COMPLETELY GONE".  ATTACKS ON SOFT 
TARGETS, SUCH AS SCHOOLS AND CLERGY, WERE A SIGN OF THE 
TERRORISTS' INCREASING DESPERATION, HE SAID, AND WOULD ONLY 
MAKE THEM MORE HATED BY THE AFGHAN PEOPLE.  POPPY CULTIVATION 
WAS THE BIGGEST CHALLENGE FACING AFGHANISTAN, IN KARZAI'S 
VIEW, ALTHOUGH HE SAID HIS PRELIMINARY INFORMATION INDICATED 
THAT POPPY CULTIVATION HAD DECLINED IN 11 PROVINCES THIS 
YEAR.  (NOTE:  HIS STAFF DEMURRED, SAYING THIS INFORMATION 
WAS ONLY ANECDOTAL, AND WHEN HE ASKED AMBASSADOR NEUMANN FOR 
HIS VIEWS, THE AMBASSADOR REPLIED THAT, ALTHOUGH IT WAS TOO 
EARLY TO TELL, HE WOULD HAVE A BETTER FEEL AFTER THE 
COMPLETION OF THE GOVERNOR-LED ERADICATION CAMPAIGNS.  END 
NOTE) 
 
5. (SBU)  KARZAI DESCRIBED THE OVERALL RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN 
AFGHANISTAN AND PAKISTAN AS "EXCELLENT," COMMENTING ON THE 
FIVE-FOLD INCREASE IN PAKISTANI EXPORTS IN THE PAST FIVE 
YEARS.  THE ONLY AREA OF FRICTION -  "AND IT IS QUITE BITTER" 
- IS IN THE FIGHT AGAINST TERRORISM.  IF THE REGIONAL ELEMENT 
OF AL-QAEDA WERE HANDLED FORCEFULLY BY PAKISTAN, "THERE WOULD 
BE NO TWO COUNTRIES MORE FRIENDLY." 
 
6.  (SBU)  IN RESPONSE TO A QUESTION FROM SENATOR BAYH, THE 
PRESIDENT DESCRIBED VOTING IN THE 2004 PRESIDENTIAL ELECTIONS 
AS NOT "ENTIRELY" ETHNIC, PARTICULARLY IN LARGE URBAN 
CENTERS.  HE ALSO GAVE EXAMPLES OF TAJIK-DOMINATED PROVINCES 
WHERE HE, A PASHTUN, HAD CARRIED THE VOTE.  HE CHARACTERIZED 
THE VOTING PATTERNS IN THE PARLIAMENTARY AND PROVINCIAL 
COUNCIL ELECTIONS AS "SUB-ETHNIC" - TRIBE AND CLAN BASED. 
KARZAI SAID THE DECISIONS ON THE LEADERSHIP IN BOTH HOUSES OF 
PARLIAMENT WERE NOT DETERMINED BY ETHNICITY; FOR EXAMPLE, 
QANOONI, A TAJIK, RECEIVED THE VOTES OF ALL THE MPS FROM THE 
PASHTUN STRONGHOLD OF KANDAHAR.  AMBASSADOR NEUMANN PRAISED 
PROFESSOR SAYYAF FOR BEING A GOOD LOSER AND ADVANCING THE 
CONCEPT (SOMEWHAT FOREIGN IN AFGHAN CULTURE) THAT LOSING IS 
NOT DISHONORABLE.  KARZAI SAID THAT, ALTHOUGH ETHNICITY WAS 
PRESENT, IT WAS DISCUSSED MORE BY FOREIGNERS AND THE PRESS 
THAN IT WAS BY AFGHANS, WHO HAVE ALWAYS HAD A CONCEPT OF 
NATIONAL IDENTITY. 
 
7.  (SBU)  SENATOR BOND, NOTING THAT ALL THREE MEMBERS OF THE 
DELEGATION CAME FROM AGRICULTURAL STATES, OFFERED TO HELP 
AFGHANISTAN WITH AGRICULTURAL EQUIPMENT AND INPUTS TO ASSIST 
IN THE COUNTERNARCOTICS EFFORT, AN OFFER WHICH THE PRESIDENT 
ENTHUSIASTICALLY ACCEPTED. WHEN ASKED BY REPRESENTATIVE FORD 
ABOUT OTHER AREAS WHERE HELP WOULD BE WELCOMED, KARZAI 
MENTIONED TERRORISM AND THE DAY TO DAY LAW AND ORDER 
SITUATION, WHICH COULD BE IMPROVED BY BETTER POLICE TRAINING. 
 WHILE 40,000 HAVE BEEN TRAINED, THE GOAL IS 80,000, KARZAI 
SAID.  KARZAI EMPHASIZED THE NEED FOR QUALITY, LONGER-TERM 
TRAINING FOR THE OFTEN ILLITERATE POLICE, NOTING THAT "QUICK 
IMPACT" ACTUALLY MEANS A PROJECT IS "NOT THERE TOMORROW".  HE 
ACKNOWLEDGED THE NEED FOR THE GOA TO INCREASE ITS TAX 
COLLECTION EFFORTS (ONLY 20 PERCENT OF CUSTOMS DUTIES ARE 
ACTUALLY COLLECTED) SO THAT AFGHANISTAN COULD BECOME LESS 
DEPENDENT ON THE INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY'S LARGESSE. 
 
8.  (U)  THIS CABLE WAS NOT CLEARED BY CODEL BAYH BEFORE THEY 
DEPARTED POST. 
NORLAND