Cablegate: Transformation Diplomacy Project: Elected Afghan Women In

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Lucia A Keegan 07/18/2006 03:09:33 PM From DB/Inbox: Lucia A Keegan

Cable
Text:

UNCLAS PARIS 04843

SIPDIS
cxparis:
ACTION: PAO
INFO: DCM POL ARS AMB

DISSEMINATION: PAOX
CHARGE: PROG

APPROVED: A/DCM: JROSENBLATT
DRAFTED: PA:CGORSE; LMARGIOU;
CLEARED: POL:LORDEMANN

VZCZCFRI823
RR RUEHC RUEHBS RUEHBUL
DE RUEHFR #4843/01 1981422
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 171422Z JUL 06
FM AMEMBASSY PARIS
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 9543
RUEHBS/AMEMBASSY BRUSSELS 5782
RUEHBUL/AMEMBASSY KABUL 0372

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 PARIS 004843

SIPDIS

STATE FOR EUR; EUR/PPD; SA; SA/PD; DRL, G/IWI, SCA

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: KPAO KWMN PGOV PHUM FR

SUBJECT: Transformation Diplomacy Project: Elected Afghan Women in
France

1. SUMMARY: EUR/PPD funding helped Embassy Paris partner with French
NGOs and French local and national government sponsors to bring 30
Afghan women parliamentarians to Paris June 12-16, 2006, most of
them outside their country for the first time. The parliamentarians
addressed high-level and public audiences throughout their visit,
witnessed French municipal and parliamentary sessions, and received
training from U.S. NGO Vital Voices in coalition building and other
aspects of political leadership to help them pursue democratic and
economic development in Afghanistan. The program raised French
official and public awareness of continued assistance needs in
Afghanistan, highlighted the country's progress, underscored
U.S.-French cooperation in Afghanistan, and helped build the
foundation for future French public and private assistance to
Afghanistan. END SUMMARY

2. THE SELECTION: Program organizers originally intended to avoid
a difficult selection by inviting all 68 nationally elected women
parliamentarians and senators. It required a February vote in the
Afghan parliament to allow the members to leave the country
unaccompanied. In the end, all anticipated funding was not
available, and a selection was made, favoring those with little or
no previous overseas travel. To continue the project and to make
good on the initial promise, principal organizer MEWA (Mobilization
for Elected Women of Afghanistan, also meaning "fruit" in Dari) is
planning a second trip for those who did not participate, most
likely to a destination outside France.

3. THE PROGRAM: In addition to MEWA and the French-Afghan Chamber
of Commerce, the Ile-de-France Regional Council and NGO "Solidarite
laique" were major contributors. For five days, the Afghans met
with high-level interlocutors at the French Regional Council,
National Assembly, Senate, Foreign Ministry, where Foreign Minister
Douste-Blazy highlighted Franco-American cooperation in the
project, Paris city government, and the Elysee for a meeting with
Mrs. Chirac.

Ambassador Stapleton's reception in their honor was transformed into
an on-the-lawn impromptu loya jirga (see Embassy Paris webpage for
photos), and USOECD Ambassador Constance Morella organized a lunch
meeting. Ambassador Steven E. Steiner, the Department's Acting
Senior Coordinator for International Women's Issues, gave closing
remarks at the first day's conference, providing the visitors and
conference audience an overview of the many U.S. programs for Afghan
Women, including projects carried out under the auspices of the
U.S.-Afghan Women's Council.

At several venues, the Afghans attended official sessions, and had
the opportunity to follow with questions. They also met business
leaders and a number of French NGOs, such as those providing
micro-credit programs. NGO Vital Voices provided two days of
training in coalition building to help bridge gaps among
Afghanistan's factions (well-represented and well-exhibited by the
visitors).

4. THE PARTICIPANTS AND THEIR MESSAGE: Visiting the city of light,
lunching with the President of the National Assembly, and standing
in the gilded halls of the Foreign Ministry and Elysee Palace must
have seemed like a moon landing to the Parliamentarians, as some of
them watched carefully to see how one used a knife and fork.
Instead of champagne, they generally asked for coke. Yet, these
women were anything but intimidated by the silk drapes. On a mission
to tell their story, at each venue the parliamentarians,
representing diverse regions of Afghanistan, including some of the
most remote, vied for the opportunity to speak (often breaking into
competing regional and ethnic factions in the process). They spoke
of national and local circumstances in Afghanistan and of their
needs in security and reconstruction, giving examples of Afghans who
still have a 5-hour walk each day to supply their families with
water.

At Ambassador Stapleton's reception, seated in a circle under a big
chestnut tree, each woman told the ambassador the situation in her
district, with some asking him to pass a message to the President.
There was striking repetition in the key issues they raised: great
poverty, a lack of education and health facilities, lack of roads
and clean water, lack of jobs, and especially the security
situation. Some of the women expressed concern that most of
international aid stays in Kabul and never reaches the countryside
or disappears in the budgets of contractors. They complained that
since farmers receive inadequate support, there is no incentive to
abandon poppy cultivation for alternate crops.

5. MEDIA COVERAGE: The visit received wide television, radio, and
print coverage in France. All news LCI television repeatedly ran a
story highlighting their sessions at the Regional Council and their
visit to the National Assembly. France 2 television ran a brief
story showing the Afghan women parliamentarians at the French
National Assembly. Agence France Presse wire service covered the
conference, and Catholic national daily La Croix devoted its June 13
front page to "Afghan Women Who Are Not Resigned." Finally, CNN
International ran a story that aired several times on June 16,
highlighting the U.S. Embassy reception.

6. RESULTS: The Afghan parliamentarians left with the satisfaction
that they had been heard and with confirmation of the support of the
U.S. and French governments and of French NGOs. Excellent media
coverage provided a new image of Afghanistan's progress and a
counterweight to the more frequent French press stories that focus
on the return of the Taliban. The French National assembly has
implemented a pairing of French women deputy and Afghan
counterparts. Souvenir medals were printed for the Afghans, each
carrying the name of the individual French deputy-partner, and
French parliamentarians have announced a trip to Afghanistan. The
Deauville Women's Conference in October will invite Afghan
parliamentarians to address the 800-strong international meeting,
likely leading to more engagement in Afghanistan's development.
Other results, such as education assistance from NGO Solidarite
laique, investment and other commercial cooperation with the women
heads of French businesses, especially in the health sector, and
further training from U.S. and French NGOs are expected.

This was a pilot project. MEWA will continue its outreach and
training projects, and seek to grow international assistance and
cooperation to aid Afghanistan's development. FYI to Brussels:
Brussels may be the next destination, as proposed by Belgian Senate
Head, Anne-Marie Lizin, Lizin, with whom they met in Paris. For our
part at Mission Paris, we hope this pilot project will be a
prototype of continued triangulation projects with France in our
transformation diplomacy goals. While initially more difficult,
similar projects to encourage French state and non-state support for
Iraq, for example, will be on our agenda.
Post wishes to convey its thanks to EUR, SA, and Embassy Kabul for
their support in this project.
Stapleton

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