US embassy cable - 99STATE2487

C O N F I D E N T I A L STATE 002487 
 
ALMATY ALSO PASS DUSHANBE 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 1/6/09 
TAGS: PGOV, PREL, AF,  PK 
SUBJECT: AFGHANISTAN:   HAMID KARZAI ON NEXT STEPS 
 
(U)  CLASSIFIED BY MICHAEL E. MALINOWSKI, DIRECTOR, SA/PAB. 
REASON:   1.5 (B AND D). 
 
1.   (U)  SA/PAB DIRECTOR MALINOWSKI AND DESKOFFS RAPOPORT 
AND HUSHEK HAD EXTENSIVE JANUARY 6 TOUR D'HORIZON WITH 
INTRA AFGHAN DIALOGUE FIGURE AND FORMER RESISTANCE DEPUTY 
FOREIGN MINISTER HAMID KARZAI, WHO IS SON OF AN IMPORTANT 
AFGHAN TRIBAL LEADER. 
 
CRITICAL OF MOJADDEDI/GAILANI INITIATIVE 
---------------------------------------- 
 
2.   (C)  KARZAI WAS EXTREMELY CRITICAL OF THE NEW 
INITIATIVE ANNOUNCED BY TWO FORMER AFGHAN RESISTANCE 
LEADERS, EX-PRESIDENT MOJADDEDI AND PIR GAILANI, TO 
ESTABLISH A THIRD FORCE,  PARTICULARLY THE FACT THAT THEY 
WERE SPECIFICALLY EXCLUDING BOTH THE TALIBAN AND MASOOD 
FROM PARTICIPATING IN THEIR PROPOSED MEETING.   THIS, HE 
BELIEVED, WOULD MAKE THE FACTIONS LOOK UPON THEM AS 
ANTAGONISTS AND NEGATE THEIR PEACE EFFORT.   HE WAS ALSO 
SKEPTICAL OF THEIR CLAIMS THAT THE FORMER KING WOULD ATTEND 
THE SESSION AND PARTICIPATE IN THEIR PROGRAM.    THE FACT 
THAT AFGHAN NEUTRALS CONTINUE TO FOCUS ON THE FORMER KING, 
KARZAI NOTED,   IMPEDED THE DEVELOPMENT OF AN ALTERNATIVE 
PASHTUN LEADERSHIP THAT COULD CHALLENGE THE TALIBAN. 
FOCUSING ON ALLEGED CLOSE LINKS BETWEEN MOJADDEDI AND 
GAILANI AND THE GOP, HE OPINED THAT THEY WERE BEING USED AS 
A TOOL BY PAKISTAN IN THAT THEIR RESTRICTIVE POLICY 
REGARDING THEIR NEW GROUPING WOULD ALIENATE OTHERS, NEGATE 
THE DIALOGUE EFFORT, AND LEAVE THE TALIBAN AS THE SOLE 
PASHTUN ALTERNATIVE. 
 
DISILLUSIONED WITH DIALOGUE 
--------------------------- 
 
3.   KARZAI NOTED SOME DISILLUSION ON THE PART OF INTRA- 
AFGHAN DIALOGUE ORGANIZERS AS WELL, CITING ABDUL HAQ IN 
PARTICULAR.    KARZAI CRITICIZED THE LEADERSHIP OF DIALOGUE 
CHAIRMAN SIRAT, NOTING THAT HE HAD NOT TAKEN AN AGGRESSIVE 
ROLE AND WAS DEVOTING HIMSELF TO THE EFFORT ONLY PART TIME, 
STILL TEACHING HIS CLASSES AT THE UNIVERSITY IN MECCA. 
 
A DIFFERENT KIND OF JIRGA 
------------------------- 
 
4.   (C)  KARZAI RAISED THE POSSIBILITY OF A TRIBAL JIRGA, 
AS DISTINCT FROM A LOYA JIRGA (GRAND ASSEMBLY) AS AN 
INTERMEDIATE STEP.    AFTER NOTING THAT A PASHTUN TRIBAL 
JIRGA COULD PRESENT PROBLEMS FOR PAKISTAN, AS PASHTUN 
TRIBES FROM WITHIN PAKISTAN WOULD HAVE TO BE INCLUDED, HE 
DISCUSSED THE POSSIBILITY OF SEVERAL REGIONAL/PROVINCIAL 
JIRGAS.    HE ASKED FOR USG SUPPORT FOR THIS ALONG THE SAME 
LINES AS WAS PROVIDED FOR THE BONN DIALOGUE, A PUBLIC 
STATEMENT ENDORSING IT AS AN EFFORT TO BRING PEACE TO 
AFGHANISTAN.    MALINOWSKI REPLIED THAT THIS SHOULD NOT BE A 
PROBLEM.    KARZAI ADDED THAT SUCH A BODY COULD ALSO ISSUE A 
STATEMENT OPPOSING THE PRESENCE OF USAMA BIN LADEN IN 
AFGHANISTAN AND CALL FOR HIS EXPULSION.    IN THIS CONTEXT, 
KARZAI SUGGESTED THAT THE PASHTU AND DARI SERVICES, WHICH 
HAVE WIDE AUDIENCES WITHIN AFGHANISTAN,   INTERVIEW TRIBAL 
LEADERS, QUESTIONING THEM PARTICULARLY REGARDING THEIR 
VIEWS CONCERNING BIN LADEN'S PRESENCE IN AFGHANISTAN, AND 
AIR THE DENUNCIATIONS THAT WOULD LIKELY RESULT.    WE AGREED 
TO PASS THIS ON BUT ALSO ADVISED HIM TO BE IN CONTACT WITH 
USIS ISLAMABAD. 
 
VISIT OF TRIBAL FIGURES TO U.S. 
------------------------------- 
 
5.  (U)   KARZAI ALSO RAISED A PROPOSED VISIT BY TRIBAL 
LEADERS,  INCLUDING PROMINENT CLERGY, TO THE U.S.  WE SAID 
WE AWAITED HIS LIST OE NAMES AND ALSO ADVISED HIM TO 
CONTACT USIS ISLAMABAD AND CONSULATE PESHAWAR REGARDING 
THIS PROJECT. 
 
 
ALBRIGHT