Cablegate: U.S. - Italian Cooperation in Afghanistan's Herat Province

VZCZCXYZ0001
RR RUEHWEB

DE RUEHBUL #0213/01 0211339
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 211339Z JAN 10
FM AMEMBASSY KABUL
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 4881
INFO RUCNAFG/AFGHANISTAN COLLECTIVE

UNCLAS KABUL 000213

DEPARTMENT FOR SRAP, SCA/FO, SCA/A, EUR/RPM
STATE PASS TO AID FOR ASIA/SCAA
USFOR-A FOR POLAD

SENSITIVE
SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PGOV PREL ECON ECIN EMIN ETRD EAID IT AF
SUBJECT: U.S. - ITALIAN COOPERATION IN AFGHANISTAN'S HERAT PROVINCE

1. SUMMARY Italian Ambassador to Afghanistan Claudio Glaentzer
told Coordinating Director for Development and Economic Affairs
(CDDEA) Ambassador Wayne January 19 that Italy was prepared to
support funding of the 330 km "east-west" road, specifically the
Chesti Sharif to Chagcharan portion. Glaentzer said Italy could
contribute $41 million paid in installments (with no guarantee of an
annual appropriation but with a good faith effort) and with the
stipulation that the money be given to GiROA in support of a
national Afghan program. Glaentzer also told Wayne that the draft
MOU on Life Support to U.S. civilians located at Italian-run
installations in Afghanistan was still under consideration by the
Italian MOD. Glaentzer, Wayne and USAID Afghanistan Mission
Director William Frej reviewed development priorities in western
Afghanistan and discussed possibilities for U.S. - Italian
coordination and collaboration. (End Summary)

Participants:

U.S.
Ambassador Wayne
USAID Mission Director William Frej
CDDEA Katherine Hadda
IPA Jane Messenger, Notetaker

Italy
Ambassador Glaentzer

Italians Support Road Construction in Herat
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
2. Ambassador Glaentzer said the Italians are committed to
supporting the construction of roads in Herat and western
Afghanistan, particularly the 330 km road from Herat through Chesti
Sharif to Chagcharan. Specifically, the Italians are committed to
participating in the construction of the Chesti Sharif to Chagcharan
portion. Glaentzer said Italy could contribute $41 million with
the following conditions:

-- They will pay in installments. Cannot guarantee an annual
appropriation but they will do their best.

-- The money must be given to GiROA for support of a national
Afghan program.

3. Glaentzer underscored that the road was important for both
military and business reasons, including to provide a route to
market for Herat marble. Ambassador Wayne noted that the Afghan
Minister of Public Works was planning to hold a donor conference on
roads soon. In addition to Italian and U.S. involvement, it made
sense to include the Indians and the Japanese who have expressed
interest. Glaentzer suggested including the Saudis since they have
the presidency of the Islamic Development Bank (IDB), which has
contributed significant funds to the construction of a portion of
the Herat ring road. Ambassador Wayne said that the Asian
Development Bank (ADB) should also be included since they are
involved in a joint ADB-U.S. Army Corps of Engineers project in
Badghis and Faryab. USACE will supervise the construction of the
Ring Road in these two provinces and it will be funded by the ADB's
$340 million.

4. Glaentzer also noted that Italy had agreed to fund 40 km of the
Bamyan-Kabul road, although they had recently done a solicitation
for bids and received no credible response. They had also
discovered that the 11 cm of asphalt they were using was not enough
to accommodate heavy trucks carrying marble. They had told the
Afghans that their budget did not allow them to fund the entire leg
at greater than 11 cm so they offered a choice of doing a shorter
piece of road with thicker asphalt or the entire leg with the 11 cm.
The Afghans chose the entire leg with the 11 cm. Note: later in
the day, Minister of Mines Shahrani said the Indians had indicated
they might pay for the unpaved road from the dam they are
constructing near Chesti Sharif to the Herat area.

Draft MOU on Life Support
- - - - - - - - - - - - -
5. Ambassador Wayne reiterated our hope that the Italian MOD will
move quickly to approve the draft Memorandum of Understanding on
life support for U.S. civilians located at Italian-operated
facilities in Afghanistan. Glaentzer said the document was still in
Rome but that he would check on where it stood.

Politics/Development in Herat
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
6. Ambassador Wayne asked Glaentzer if he thought there would be a
change of governor in Herat. Glaentzer said he had heard from IDLG
Director Popal that Governor Nuristani was not on the list of 14
that had to be changed. Ambassador Wayne then briefed Glaentzer on
U.S. collaboration with the IDLG on district support mechanisms and
the development of a basic package of services for the 80 key
districts identified by IJC. Wayne told Glaentzer that in Helmand,
the U.S. will collaborate with the UK to finance this package
(through the Afghan MOF) in several districts. Wayne offered to
share our thinking on district development with the Italians so they
could consider doing something similar in the key districts near
Herat.

Development Priorities
- - - - - - - - - - - -
7. Mission Director Frej informed Glaentzer that USAID was sending
senior official Mike Greene to RC-W, and suggested that Greene call
on the Ambassador soon. Glaentzer welcomed enhanced U.S. - Italian
collaboration on development projects. In addition to roads, Italy
has been focused on health, especially hospitals. They have
bought equipment for a regional hospital in Herat and have sponsored
a burn hospital in Kabul for women who attempt suicide. They had a
similar hospital in Baghlan, but are seeking other sponsors for it
in order to better focus on Kabul and Herat. Italy has donated 300
million euros worth of medicine. There are also private hospitals
run by "Emergency", an Italian NGO, including in Kabul, Lashkar Gah
and Panjshir and 33 clinics around the country, but these are often
cash-strapped and have no affiliation with the Italian government.
The Italian Embassy is thinking of channeling funds to them through
the Afghanistan Ministry of Health. Frej noted that the USG
provides $236 million to the Ministry of Health to support health
care delivery throughout the country. Glaentzer invited us to visit
the Emergency Hospital in Kabul in early February.

EIKENBERRY

© Scoop Media