US embassy cable - 05PARIS7683

C O N F I D E N T I A L PARIS 007683 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/08/2015 
TAGS: KDEM, PREL, EAID, ECON, EFIN, PGOV 
SUBJECT: THE FRENCH VIEW IN INITIATING THE KABUL AGENDA 
 
REF: SECSTATE 203820 
 
Classified By: Political Minister-Counselor Josiah Rosenblatt for reaso 
ns 1.4(b) and (d). 
 
1.  (C) On November 8 poloff discussed reftel points with MFA 
Afghanistan desk officer, Cyril Gerardon.  Gerardon explained 
that France agreed with U.S. views as outlined in the points, 
and said he was glad to see the prominence given to the 
United Nations' key leadership role in the country.  He 
stated, however, that France viewed the January Conference in 
London as a political event rather than a forum to make 
financial commitments.  He said that in recent meetings with 
the British Head of Afghanistan Unit, the French and British 
had discussed the possibility of "side agreements" during the 
conference. These, he explained, would allow participants to 
pledge to accomplish specific tasks without having to make 
immediate and specific contributions.  He added that France 
would also like to see a clear and reliable mechanism for 
measuring progress to come out of the conference. 
 
2.  (C) Gerardon offered the following additional comments on 
U.S. views on the "Kabul Agenda": 
 
- He noted that the document made no mention of regional 
dialogue, adding that the GoF would like the importance of 
regional dialogue stressed. Gerardon said that the 
constructive participation and cooperation of Afghanistan's 
neighbors has done much to ensure stability inside 
Afghanistan. 
 
- He said the GoF would like the focus to be on the Afghan 
people and not other actors.  Gerardon said that France 
agreed with the U.S. view that a post-Bonn Agreement would 
necessarily shift the focus from establishing a government to 
developing governmental capacity and accountability, and that 
the role of Afghans should therefore grow increasingly 
prominent during this phase. 
 
- Gerardon noted the GoF supported re-examining the lead 
nation concept for Afghanistan to allow for better 
coordination on reconstruction assistance.  Gerardon said 
that the lead nation model has sometimes been a barrier to 
accomplishing missions smoothly and that alternate models 
should be examined. 
 
3.  (C) With regard to a senior international civilian to be 
appointed by the UN and a steering group of key donors, 
Gerardon suggested that, instead of "nations leading PRT's", 
the body consist of "nations in charge of zones," as 
French/Turkish responsibility for the Kabul region is 
technically not a PRT.  Gerardon also said that private 
sector development is also extremely important during this 
phase, and that France viewed further development of a 
banking system and customs as integral pieces.  The U.S. and 
the EU, he added, should play important roles in private 
sector development. 
Please visit Paris' Classified Website at: 
http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/eur/paris/index.c fm 
Stapleton