US embassy cable - 02ROME1797

CONFIDENTIAL ROME 001797 
 
SIPDIS 
 
ALMATY FOR EMBASSY DUSHANBE 
NSC FOR KHALILZHAD 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 04/10/2012 
TAGS: PREL, PINS, AF, PINS, AF, IT, ITPREL, AFGHANISTAN 
SUBJECT: AFGHANISTAN:  ALL SYSTEMS (STILL) GO FOR FORMER 
KING'S RETURN 
 
REF: ROME 1774 
 
CLASSIFIED BY: POL MINCOUNS TOM COUNTRYMAN, REASONS 1.5 (B) AND (D). 
 
1.  (C)  SUMMARY:  THE SON-IN-LAW TO THE FORMER AFGHAN KING 
SAID THREATS AND DISTURBANCES WILL NOT DETER THE KING AND HIS 
PARTY FROM THEIR RETURN TO AFGHANISTAN.  THEY ARE PLEASED 
WITH ARRANGEMENTS BEING MADE BY ITALY IN CONSULTATION WITH 
THE AIA, THEY REMAIN IN CLOSE TOUCH WITH CHAIRMAN KARZAI, AND 
ALL SYSTEMS ARE GO FOR THE RETURN.  END SUMMARY. 
 
2.  (C)  IN A MARCH 9 CONVERSATION WITH POLOFF, GENERAL ABDUL 
WALI, SON-IN-LAW AND ADVISER TO FORMER AFGHAN KING ZAHIR 
SHAH, SAID SECURITY ARRANGEMENTS AND ALL OTHER LOGISTICAL 
PREPARATIONS FOR THE KING'S APRIL 17 RETURN ARE WELL UNDERWAY 
AND ARE SATISFACTORY TO THE KING AND HIS ENTOURAGE. 
EVERYTHING IS MOVING FORWARD APPROPRIATELY, WALI SAID, AND 
THE GROUP IS ANTICIPATING THEIR ARRIVAL IN KABUL.  WALI'S 
BROTHER, WALI SHAH, WHO WILL ALSO JOIN THE KING'S HOMECOMING, 
AND EXECUTIVE SECRETARY HAMED SIDIQ MADE THE SAME POINT TO 
POLOFF IN SEPARATE CONVERSATIONS. 
 
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PAGE 03        ROME  01797  01 OF 02  102345Z 
3.  (C)  WALI HAD CONCLUDED A CONVERSATION WITH MFA SPECIAL 
COORDINATOR FOR AFGHANISTAN ENRICO DI MAIO SHORTLY BEFORE 
POLOFF'S CALL, AND SAID DI MAIO HAD REFERRED TO ITALY'S APRIL 
16 GENERAL STRIKE BUT HAD NOT CHANGED THE DATE FOR THE KING'S 
DEPARTURE.  (COMMENT:  WALI WAS REFRESHINGLY CAREFUL ABOUT 
NOT STATING THE EXPECTED DATE OF THE KING'S DEPARTURE ON THE 
TELEPHONE -- A FIRST SINCE THIS PROCESS BEGAN.)  DI MAIO HAD 
DISCUSSED DIFFERENT "STAGING AREAS" WITH WALI, TIMING FOR 
DEPARTURE, AND THE ARRIVAL OF AIA CHAIRMAN KARZAI, FINALIZING 
DETAILS FOR THE RETURN. 
 
4.  (C)  AS NOTED REFTEL, DI MAIO TOLD WALI THE GOI WOULD 
COORDINATE THE KING'S SECURITY UNTIL ZAHIR SHAH LANDS IN 
KABUL, BUT THAT GOI SECURITY EXPERTS WOULD REMAIN IN KABUL 
FOR SOME TIME THEREAFTER TO ADVISE AFGHAN PROTECTIVE FORCES. 
POLOFF ASKED IF THIS ARRANGEMENT WAS SATISFACTORY, AND WALI 
SAID YES.  WAS THE KING ALSO SATISFIED?  "YES, FULLY," WALI 
REPLIED.  WALI ELABORATED THAT THE PROTECTION WOULD BE 
PROVIDED BY AFGHANS TRAINED BY "DIFFERENT EUROPEAN 
COUNTRIES," INCLUDING ITALY.  "THEY ARE AFGHANS WE SELECTED," 
HE SAID, "BUT THE REAL SELECTION WILL NOT TAKE PLACE UNTIL I 
AM IN AFGHANISTAN AND CHOOSE THEM MYSELF."  WALI WOULD SELECT 
"PEOPLE OF PROVEN LOYALTY," BUT NOT ONLY PASHTUNS.  "THEY 
WILL BE LARGELY PASHTUNS BECAUSE PASHTUNS ARE THE LARGEST 
ETHNIC GROUP," HE OBSERVED. 
 
5.  (C)  WALI REPORTED THE KING TO BE STILL LOOKING FORWARD 
TO HIS RETURN AND LARGELY UNFAZED BY THE DELAYS.  ALTHOUGH 
ZAHIR SHAH HAD A "SLIGHT INFLUENZA" AND WAS TAKING 
ANTIBIOTICS, THERE WOULD BE NO FURTHER DELAY OF HIS RETURN, 
"BARRING SOMETHING UNFORESEEN."  WALI EXPRESSED THE HOPE THAT 
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PAGE 04        ROME  01797  01 OF 02  102345Z 
THE SITUATION IN THE MIDDLE EAST WOULD EASE, AS THAT 
INCREASES OVERALL DANGER, BUT AGAIN ASSERTED THAT "DELAYING 
IS OVER."  POLOFF NOTED THE RECENT ATTEMPT AGAINST DEFENSE 
MINISTER FAHIM.  WALI EXPRESSED DISAPPOINTMENT THAT THE 
ATTACK HAD OCCURRED, BUT SAID THE BOMBINGS AND DISTURBANCES 
WERE "NOT IMPORTANT" IN THE CONTEXT OF THE KING'S RETURN.  IF 
THEY WERE MEANT TO DETER ZAHIR SHAH, "THEN SOMEONE MADE A 
MISTAKE ANALYZING THE KING'S CHARACTER," WALI ASSERTED 
STRONGLY.  "HIS MAJESTY HAS A WILL OF IRON."  ZAHIR SHAH WILL 
RETURN, WALI CONCLUDED FORCEFULLY. 
 
6.  (C)  DESPITE HIS CARE IN DISCUSSING THE DATE FOR THE 
KING'S RETURN, WALI TOLD POLOFF CHAIRMAN KARZAI WOULD ARRIVE 
IN ROME ON APRIL 16 IN THE AFTERNOON, WALI BELIEVED STILL 
USING THE LOANED AIRCRAFT OF THE AGHA KHAN.  FOREIGN MINISTER 
ABDULLAH, CIVIL AVIATION MINISTER "AND OUR FRIEND" ZALMAI 
RASSOUL, AND RECONSTRUCTION MINISTER FARHANG WOULD JOIN 
KARZAI, AS WALI UNDERSTOOD.  THE KING AND WALI REMAINED IN 
CLOSE COMMUNICATION WITH CHAIRMAN KARZAI AND LOOKED FORWARD 
TO PROVIDING HIM THEIR SUPPORT.  UNPROMPTED, WALI OBSERVED 
THAT KARZAI WAS DOING A GOOD JOB AS CHAIRMAN. 
 
                       CONFIDENTIAL 
 
                           CONFIDENTIAL     PTQ6988 
 
PAGE 01        ROME  01797  02 OF 02  102346Z 
ACTION EUR-00 
 
INFO  LOG-00   CIAE-00  DODE-00  SRPP-00  DS-00    EAP-00   EB-00 
      VC-00    H-01     TEDE-00  INR-00   IO-00    L-00     AC-01 
      NEA-00   NSAE-00  NSCE-00  OIC-02   OMB-01   PA-00    PM-00 
      PRS-00   ACE-00   P-00     SCT-00   SP-00    SS-00    TRSE-00 
      T-00     USIE-00  SA-00    ASDS-01  PMB-00   DSCC-00  DRL-02 
      G-00     SAS-00     /008W 
                  ------------------823931  102346Z /30 
P 101403Z APR 02 
FM AMEMBASSY ROME 
TO SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 3202 
INFO AMEMBASSY ISLAMABAD PRIORITY 
AMEMBASSY KABUL PRIORITY 
AMCONSUL PESHAWAR PRIORITY 
NSC WASHDC PRIORITY 
USMISSION USUN NEW YORK PRIORITY 
AMEMBASSY ALMATY 
AMEMBASSY ANKARA 
AMEMBASSY ASHGABAT 
AMEMBASSY BEIJING 
AMEMBASSY BERLIN 
AMEMBASSY LONDON 
AMEMBASSY MOSCOW 
AMEMBASSY NEW DELHI 
AMEMBASSY PARIS 
AMEMBASSY TASHKENT 
 

 
ALMATY FOR EMBASSY DUSHANBE 
NSC FOR KHALILZHAD 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 04/10/2012 
TAGS: PREL, PINS, AF, IT 
SUBJECT: AFGHANISTAN:  ALL SYSTEMS (STILL) GO FOR FORMER 
KING'S RETURN 
 
7.  (C)  ASKED IF THE AFGHANS HAD ANY PARTICULAR CONCERNS OR 
ANYTHING THAT THEY WANTED OF THE U.S. TO FACILITATE THE 
KING'S RETURN, WALI SAID "ONLY THE CONTINUED AND UNDIMINISHED 
ATTENTION OF THE GOVERNMENT OF THE UNITED STATES FOR THE 
COUNTRY OF AFGHANISTAN."  HE AGAIN SAID LOGISTICS, SECURITY 
AND OTHER ARRANGEMENTS FOR THE KING'S RETURN WERE ON TRACK 
AND THEY LOOKED FORWARD TO THEIR APPROACHING RETURN TO KABUL. 
SEMBLER 
 
                       CONFIDENTIAL 
 
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2002ROME01797 - Classification: CONFIDENTIAL