Cablegate: A/S Dewey Bilat with Afghan Delegation

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 BRUSSELS 000883

SIPDIS

DEPARTMENT PLEASE PASS TO USAID DAA LEN ROGERS; GENEVA FOR
RMA

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PREF PHUM EAID AF PK USEU BRUSSELS
SUBJECT: A/S DEWEY BILAT WITH AFGHAN DELEGATION

1. (U) Summary. On February 15, PRM Assistant Secretary Gene
Dewey held a bilateral meeting with the Afghan delegation to
the EU-UNHCR co-chaired Strategic Consultations on Refugees
and Population Movements to and from Afghanistan (septel).
A/S Dewey sought Refugee Minister Dadfar,s views on progress
and his ministry,s coordination with other ministries and
international actors in Afghanistan. Dadfar stated that
coordination within the GOA, with UNHCR, and with Provincial
Reconstruction Teams (PRTs) was effective. He stressed the
need for an emergency fund within his ministry in order to
quickly respond to crises. He also outlined his plan to
distribute plots of land for houses to 500,000 families over
five years. A/S Dewey noted that the Afghan Conservation
Corps (ACC) might be valuable in supporting this program.
Deputy Finance Minister Shahrani emphasized the need for
capacity building within the GOA. A/S Dewey expressed
optimism over the progress to date and encouraged Dadfar to
share his views with the donor community.

2. (U) Summary continued: The U.S. delegation consisted of
PRM A/S Arthur E. (Gene) Dewey; Leonard Rogers, Deputy
Assistant Administrator, USAID; Steven McGann, Director, PRM;
Susan Anton, PRM Afghan Program Officer; William Schofield,
Refugee Coordinator, Embassy Kabul; Norman Hastings, Refugee
Coordinator, Embassy Islamabad; Marc Meznar, Refugee and
Migration Affairs Officer, USEU; and Patricia Manso, Advisor
for Humanitarian Assistance, USAID, USEU. End Summary.

3. (U) On February 15, PRM Assistant Secretary Gene Dewey
held a bilateral meeting with the Afghan delegation to the
EU-UNHCR co-chaired Strategic Consultations on Refugees and
Population Movements to and from Afghanistan. PRM A/S Gene
Dewey met with GOA Minister for Refugees Azam Dadfar and
Deputy Finance Minister Wahidullah Shahrani on February 15 in
Brussels. Also in attendance were USAID DAA Leonard Rogers,
Embassy Islamabad Refugee Coordinator Norman Hastings,
Embassy Kabul Refugee Coordinator William Schofield, and
Patricia Manso of USAID Brussels. Dewey opened the meeting
by asking about the relationship of the Ministry of Refugees
within the GOA and with international actors in Afghanistan.
Dadfar explained that his ministry had good working relations
with the army, police, and relevant ministries within the
GOA, especially Finance, Rural Development, Urban Housing,
and Tribal and Frontier Affairs. Outside the GOA, Dadfar
noted good relationships with the Provincial Reconstruction
Teams (PRTs) and agreed with A/S Dewey on the need to improve
security, highlighting the southeast, and on the need to
assist with emergencies. Dadfar was not aware of the Refugee
Return Committee established two years ago to help with
returns of Pashtuns. He said, however, that his field
offices could go to most areas where refugees had returned,
including returnees from camps in Waziristan that were closed
by the Pakistani government in 2004.

4. (U) Dadfar said relations with UNHCR were excellent. He
cited frequent meetings and said that UNHCR had placed two
advisors in the ministry and that the ministry,s 34 field
offices cooperated effectively with UNHCR,s offices. Dadfar
said that this winter was a good example of strong
cooperation with UNHCR as they worked together to address the
needs of 1600 families living in tent cities in Kabul.

5. (U) Dadfar outlined two major initiatives. He said he
hoped to distribute over 500,000 plots of land over five
years to families to build homes. President Karzai supports
the plan. A/S Dewey suggested that the ACC might be useful
in providing cash-for-work programs while the houses were
being built.

6. (U) Dadfar stressed the need for his ministry to have an
emergency fund so that he could respond more quickly to
crises. He offered the current winter emergency as an
example. (Note: PRM and OFDA recently have contributed to
the IFRC for winterization needs in Afghanistan). He added
that donors should provide support directly to ministries.
Dadfar said that there were some tensions with NGOs, which
revolved around salary differences and the perception that
aid channeled through NGOs might hold back development of
local capacity.

7. (U) Both Dadfar and Deputy Finance Minister Shahrani
highlighted the need for capacity building and institutional
development. Shahrani said there were too many employees in
the ministry, but the GOA was starting to improve its hiring
procedures and would open training centers in ministries. He
added that the Finance Ministry would offer technical
assistance to certain ministries. A/S Dewey applauded this
initiative and encouraged its implementation. He also asked
about revenue collection. Shahrani replied that it had
gotten better. He explained that the Finance Ministry
provided support and could offer policy suggestions and ask
for specific operations. However, the Ministry of Interior
controlled the customs and police.

8. (U) USAID DAA Rogers explained that USAID would focus on
the social sector, especially education and health. He
described economic growth as the key to reintegration of the
approximately 170,000 internally displaced people. Dadfar
stressed that land would be an incentive to return. A/S
Dewey closed the meeting by noting progress and encouraging
Dadfar to make other donors aware of his plans and proposals.

(PRM/ANE has cleared this cable.)

McKinley
.

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