Genesis, Part 34

We continue reviewing declassified State Department cables addressing the rise of the Taliban. This is a September 28, 1996, cable from the US Secretary of State's office to the American Embassy in Islamabad; its subject is DEALING WITH THE TALIBAN IN KABUL. The abbreviation USG in the cable stands for United States Government.



Notice in Paragraph 2, we again encounter the "TALL BAN" where we expect to see "Taliban".

1. (U) CLASSIFIED BY ROBIN L. RAPHEL, ASSISTANT SECRETARY, BUREAU OF SOUTH ASIAN AFFAIRS, DEPARTMENT OF STATE. REASON: 1.5(B) AND (D).

2. (C) SUMMARY. IN OUR INITIAL CONTACTS WITH THE NEW AUTHORITIES IN KABUL, WE WILL SEEK INFORMATION ABOUT THE NEW GOVERNMENT AND ITS INTENTIONS, AND REITERATE OUR KEY CONCERNS -- THE IMPORTANCE OF A BROAD-BASED GOVERNMENT AND THE NEED TO ADDRESS QUICKLY THE TWIN PROBLEMS OF NARCOTICS AND TERRORISM. WE WILL CONTINUE TO SUPPORT THE UN AS A MECHANISM TO PROMOTE NATIONAL RECONCILIATION. WE WILL INFORM THE TALL BAN AUTHORITIES THAT WE ARE MOVING TO ADDRESS THEIR PUBLICLY-STATED CONCERNS ABOUT THE SECURITY OF THEIR MISSIONS IN THE UNITED STATES. IF THE TALIBAN RAISE THE QUESTION OF REOPENING OUR MISSION IN KABUL, WE WILL SAY THAT ACTION IS UNDER REVIEW, SUBJECT TO SECURITY CONCERNS. END SUMMARY.

3. (C) WE WISH TO ENGAGE THE NEW TALIBAN "INTERIM GOVERNMENT" AT AN EARLY STAGE TO:

--DEMONSTRATE USG WILLINGNESS TO DEAL WITH THEM AS THE NEW AUTHORITIES IN KABUL;
--SEEK INFORMATION ABOUT THEIR PLANS, PROGRAMS, AND POLICIES; AND
--EXPRESS USG VIEWS ON AREAS OF KEY CONCERN TO US -- STABILITY, HUMAN RIGHTS, NARCOTICS AND TERRORISM.

Some of this sounds like it could be so contemporary!

4. (C) EMBASSY ISLAMABAD IS AUTHORIZED TO SEND REPRESENTATIVES TO KABUL, WHENEVER FEASIBLE AND SAFE, TO MAKE INITIAL CONTACT WITH THE TALIBAN INTERIM GOVERNMENT. THEY SHOULD MAKE THE POINTS BELOW:

5. (SBU)

-- THE UNITED STATES HAS HAD A LONG HISTORY OF FRIENDSHIP WITH THE AFGHAN PEOPLE, AND WE LOOK FORWARD TO A FUTURE OF THE SAME. WE RECOGNIZE THAT THE TALIBAN NOW CONTROL KABUL AND MUCH OF THE COUNTRY.

-- WE HAVE NOTED THE INITIAL ANNOUNCEMENT ABOUT THE NEW INTERIM GOVERNMENT. WE HOPE YOU WILL PROPOSE SOON AN ENVOY TO REPRESENT YOUR GOVERNMENT IN WASHINGTON. WE ARE NOT RENEWING VISAS OF AFGHAN DIPLOMATS CURRENTLY IN THE U.S. WE ARE TAKING STEPS TO ENSURE THE SECURITY OF THE AFGHAN MISSIONS IN WASHINGTON AND NEW YORK.

-- WE WISH TO HAVE A DIALOGUE WITH YOUR GOVERNMENT, AND WE WANT TO LEARN MORE ABOUT YOUR PLANS AND POLICIES.

-- WE CONSISTENTLY TOLD THE FORMER GOVERNMENT THAT WE WANT TO SEE A PEACEFUL AND STABLE AFGHANISTAN, WITH A GOVERNMENT REPRESENTATIVE OF AFGHANS OF ALL ETHNIC AND RELIGIOUS GROUPS.

-- WE WERE ENCOURAGED BY YOUR STATEMENT THAT AFGHANISTAN IS THE COMMON HOME OF ALL AFGHANS, AND THAT NO SINGLE GROUP CAN GOVERN THE COUNTRY. WE SHARE THIS SENTIMENT, AND WOULD BE INTERESTED IN LEARNING MORE ABOUT YOUR PLANS TO BRING IN REPRESENTATIVES OF ETHNIC AND RELIGIOUS MINORITIES.

HUMANITARIAN ISSUES

-- AS YOU KNOW, WE HAVE ASSISTED THE PEOPLE OF AFGHANISTAN WITH FUNDS FOR FOOD, DISASTER RELIEF, AND DE-MINING. WE WANT TO CONTINUE WITH THIS ASSISTANCE.

-- WE HAVE ALSO PROVIDED HEALTH AND EDUCATION ASSISTANCE TO THE REFUGEES IN PAKISTAN. WE HOPE THAT THE NEW SITUATION IN THE COUNTRY WILL ALLOW THE REFUGEES CURRENTLY THERE AND IN IRAN TO RETURN.

-- WE BELIEVE THE UN HAS AN IMPORTANT CONTINUING ROLE IN AFGHANISTAN. IT HAS MADE A MAJOR CONTRIBUTION IN HUMANITARIAN RELIEF, DE-MINING, AND OTHER AREAS. WE URGE YOU TO CONTINUE TO WORK CLOSELY WITH THEM.

-- WE WERE DISMAYED BY THE VIOLATION OF UN PREMISES WHEN YOUR FORCES ENTERED KABUL AND BY THE SUMMARY EXECUTION OF FORMER PRESIDENT NAJIBULLAH.

-- THE UN SPECIAL MISSION CAN ALSO PLAY A ROLE IN ASSISTING YOUR TASK OF NATIONAL RECONCILIATION. HOW DO YOU SEE THEIR ROLE AT THIS TIME?

Now we get to an interesting part.

NARCOTICS

-- WE HAVE DISCUSSED WITH YOUR REPRESENTATIVES OUR CONCERN ABOUT INCREASING NARCOTICS CULTIVATION AND TRAFFICKING IN AFGHANISTAN. WE HAVE WELCOMED YOUR REASSURANCES THAT THE TALIBAN CONDEMN NARCOTICS AS UN-ISLAMIC.

-- HOWEVER, WE NOTE THAT CULTIVATION IN HELMAND HAS INCREASED BY OVER 30 2.666863E-78ACH [typo in message -- YD] YEAR SINCE 1993. THERE ARE INDICATIONS THAT HEROIN PROCESSING IN KANDAHAR HAS ALSO INCREASED DRAMATICALLY.

Some things never change.

-- WE HOPE THAT THE TALIBAN WILL MAKE ONE OF ITS FIRST TASKS THE PUBLIC CONDEMNATION IN CLEAR TERMS OF NARCOTICS GROWING AND TRAFFICKING. WE HOPE YOU WILL TAKE FIRM STEPS TO ENSURE THAT THOSE NOW CULTIVATING OPIUM WILL TURN TO OTHER CROPS.

-- WE HAVE CONTRIBUTED TO COUNTER-NARCOTICS PROGRAMS IN HELMAND AND OTHER AREAS IN CROP SUBSTITUTION. WE HAVE PLEDGED USDOLS 1.6 MILLION THRU UNDCP OVER THE LAST 2 YEARS FOR THEIR WORK IN AFGHANISTAN. WE WISH TO CONTINUE TO CONTRIBUTE TO NGOS WORKING IN AFGHANISTAN AND TO UNDCP TO HELP PROVIDE AFGHANS PRACTICAL ALTERNATIVES TO GROWING OPIUM.

TERRORISM

-- WE WELCOMED YOUR ASSURANCES THAT YOU WERE CLOSING THE TERRORIST AND MILITANT TRAINING CAMPS FORMERLY RUN BY HEKMATYAR, SAYYAR OR ARAB GROUPS. CAN YOU TELL US THE CURRENT STATUS OF THOSE CAMPS?

-- DO YOU KNOW THE LOCATION OF EX-SAUDI FINANCIER AND RADICAL ISLAMIST OSAMA BIN LADEN? WE HAD HEARD PREVIOUSLY THAT HE WAS IN THE EASTERN PROVINCES. HIS CONTINUED PRESENCE HERE WOULD NOT, WE BELIEVE, SERVE AFGHANISTAN'S INTERESTS.

To say the least!

OUR MISSION IN AFGHANISTAN (ONLY IF ASKED)

-- WE HAVE EMBASSY PROPERTY IN KABUL, FOR WHICH WE SEEK YOUR PROTECTION. WE WOULD LIKE TO RE-OPEN OUR EMBASSY HERE, WHEN SECURITY PERMITS. WE ARE CONSIDERING WHEN WE COULD TAKE THIS STEP. IN THE MEANTIME, WE WOULD LIKE TO MAKE FREQUENT TRIPS TO KABUL TO STAY IN CONTACT WITH YOUR GOVERNMENT.
CHRISTOPHER

Complete with an interest in Osama bin Laden!

If the West grows tired of the war in Afghanistan and withdraws US and NATO troops, they could wait a couple of months, and then retransmit this very same cable, and it would be right on the money!

This concludes the Genesis series; next up in our review of Afghanistan through State Department cable traffic is the series Exodus.