VZCZCXRO2431
OO RUEHBC RUEHDE RUEHDIR RUEHKUK
DE RUEHUNV #0170 1071023
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
O 171023Z APR 09
FM USMISSION UNVIE VIENNA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 9313
INFO AFGHA/AFGHANISTAN COLLECTIVE
RUCNIRA/IRAN COLLECTIVE
RUEHIL/AMEMBASSY ISLAMABAD 0242
RUEHBUL/AMEMBASSY KABUL 0281
RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK 1592 C O N F I D E N T I A L UNVIE VIENNA 000170 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 04/16/2029 
TAGS:                  
SUBJECT: AFGHANISTAN: PAKISTAN NOT A FRIEND, FOR NOW 
 
REF: A. UNVIE 0030 
      B. UNVIE 0152 
 
Classified By: Charge Geoffrey Pyatt for reasons 1.4 (B) and (D). 
 
  1.  (SBU) SUMMARY:  According to our Afghan embassy contact, 
Afghanistan does not want to invite Pakistan to the next 
Friends of Afghanistan meeting in Vienna,to be hosted by UK 
on April 28. The GOA is apparently concerned that inclusion 
of Pakistan could politicize the Group,and could be a 
precursor to inviting Iran.  Our contact cited other fora, 
such as the Dubai Process, the Ankara Initiative, and the 
U.S. Trilateral Intiative, as more appropriate venues to 
address Afghanistan-Pakistan issues.  However, he does not 
rule out the possibility of inviting Pakistan sometime in the 
future, when there can be some "results" on the ground. Given 
the French, U.K. and U.S. expressions of interest in 
including Pakistan, our contact promoised to seek Kabul 
guidance once more.  END SUMMARY. 
 
 2.  (C)  The Friends of Afghanistan group in Vienna (Ref A) 
will have its next meeting on April 28, chaired by the U.K. 
According to our UK Mission contact Claire Halperin, UK 
Ambassador had approached Afghan Ambassador Shoogufan with 
the suggestion to invite Pakistan to the meeting. She said 
Shoogufan was hesitant and cited the need to consult Kabul. 
In a conversation on April 15, Counselor told Halperin and 
Afghan Embassy second secretary Daud Wedah of U.S. support 
for inviting Pakistan.  Wedah stressed that his Ambassador, 
who was in Kabul for consultations, had received explicit 
instructions from the foreign minister that it was 
"premature" to invite Pakistan at this point. 
 
 3.  (C)  Wedah referred to the very difficult relationship 
between the two countries over the years.  He expressed 
concern that including Pakistan could politicize the Friends 
Group in Vienna, which he described as a venue to discuss 
drug and crime issues.  Noting that the Pakistan Ambassador, 
at the April 2 Italian lunch on Afghanistan, spoke about the 
need to include Iran in any regional approach (Ref B), he 
expressed his fear that inviting Pakistan could be a prelude 
to including Iran.  He noted Pakistan's longstanding refusal 
to acknowledge the link between drugs and terrorism, an 
important principle in Afghan's domestic and international 
policy.  In Wedah's view, Pakistan has always teamed up with 
Iran to block any UN drug and crime resolutions in Vienna 
that note such linkage. 
 
 4.  (C) In a subsequent conversation on April 16, Wedah told 
Counselor that Pakistan and Iran should show some goodwill 
towards Afghanistan in fighting drugs.  According to Wedah, 
one goodwill gesture would be for Pakistan to stop militants 
from crossing the border into Afghanistan to commit acts of 
terrorism.  Wedah cited other fora, such as the Dubai Process 
(initiated by Canada), the Ankara Initiative (initiated by 
Turkey) and the U.S.-Afghanistan-Pakistan Trilateral, as more 
appropriate fora for addressing Afghanistan-Pakistan drug 
issues. 
 
 5.  (C)  Wedah did not rule out the possibility of inviting 
Pakistan sometime in the future. According to him, his 
Ambassador had sought guidance on the U.K. request from a 
Deputy Foreign Minister, who referred it to the Foreign 
Minister, who rejected the idea.  Wedah claimed that he was 
unaware of U.S. interest in including Pakistan in the Friends 
Group. Counselor informed him of French support for the idea 
as well.  Wedah promised to convey this new information to 
Kabul, through his Ambassador, for further instructions. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
PYATT