Julian Assange

sábado, 4 de dezembro de 2010


Viewing cable 09LONDON860, CONSERVATIVE PARTY LEADER ON AFGHANISTAN/PAKISTAN

Reference ID Created Released Classification Origin
09LONDON860 2009-04-09 15:03 2010-11-30 23:11 CONFIDENTIAL//NOFORN Embassy London

INFO  LOG-00   EEB-00   AID-00   AMAD-00  ACQ-00   CIAE-00  INL-00   
      DODE-00  DOEE-00  DOTE-00  PERC-00  DS-00    EAP-00   DHSE-00  
      FAAE-00  FBIE-00  VCI-00   FO-00    H-00     TEDE-00  INR-00   
      IO-00    MOFM-00  MOF-00   VCIE-00  NSAE-00  ISN-00   NSCE-00  
      NIMA-00  PM-00    GIWI-00  SCT-00   ISNE-00  DOHS-00  FMPC-00  
      SSO-00   SS-00    TRSE-00  NCTC-00  ASDS-00  CBP-00   R-00     
      SCRS-00  PMB-00   DSCC-00  PRM-00   DRL-00   SCA-00   SAS-00   
      FA-00    SWCI-00    /000W
                  ------------------50B38D  091507Z /38 

   
P 091551Z APR 09
FM AMEMBASSY LONDON
TO SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 1955
INFO AMEMBASSY ISLAMABAD PRIORITY 
AMEMBASSY KABUL PRIORITY 
AMEMBASSY NEW DELHI PRIORITY

C O N F I D E N T I A L LONDON 000860 


NOFORN 

DEPARTMENT FOR EUR/WE AND SCA 

EO 12958 DECL: 04/06/2019 
TAGS MARR, PREL, PTER, PGOV, PK, AF, IN, UK 
SUBJECT: CONSERVATIVE PARTY LEADER ON AFGHANISTAN/PAKISTAN 

REF: LONDON 720
Classified By: Charge d’Affaires, a.i. Richard LeBaron, reasons 1.4  (b, d).

1. (C/NF) Summary. Special Representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan 
Ambassador Richard Holbrooke met April 3 with British Conservative Party 
leader David Cameron and Shadow Chancellor George Osborne to offer an overview
of USG policy in the region and to urge HMG (under possible future Conservative
leadership) to engage more on Pakistan and to use British influence more 
effectively to help tackle corruption, underpin democratic institutions and
civil society, as well as encourage greater Pakistani military attention to
its western border with Afghanistan. Cameron characterized the large
population of British Pakistanis with strong expatriate ties to their home
country as not pro-Taliban but certainly radicalized by the Iraq war and
militant about Kashmir; he also criticized HMG’s counter-radicalization
strategy with UK Muslims. Cameron agreed that HMG needed to get UK-Pakistan
relations “right” and broadly agreed that any request to a Conservative-led
UK government for British troop increases in Afghanistan would likely find
the Conservatives, in line with their current policy, receptive but seeking
conditions. End summary.

UK Should Play a Larger Role
---------------------------- 

2. (C/NF) Special Representative Ambassador Richard Holbrooke discussed U.S.
and UK policy in Afghanistan and Pakistan April 3 with Conservative Party
leader David Cameron and Shadow Chancellor George Osborne. Charge and 
Poloff McNicholas attended the meeting, as did Cameron’s Chief of Staff
Ed Llewellyn. Holbrooke gave an overview of the challenges that the UK
and U.S. faced in the region and stressed the need to pay more critical
attention to Pakistan in order for us collectively to combat terrorism 
and radicalization and to strengthen democratic institutions there.
Noting the striking connections between the UK’s large Pakistani community
and its home country (e.g., the large number of flights and remittances
between the two countries and abiding ties between families/communities 
in the UK and Pakistan) and the strong influence Britain continues to enjoy
in Islamabad, Ambassador Holbrooke urged Cameron to capitalize on this 
-- should the Conservatives come into power -- and exercise a stronger
role for the UK in Pakistan. Foreign Secretary David Miliband had played
a positive role in the recent Zardari-Sharif crisis and there were more
opportunities for the UK to examine its relationship with Pakistan and use
its influence more effectively. One means, Holbrooke said, was to focus on
increasing UK assistance to Pakistan. Holbrooke stressed that the fight
against corruption in Pakistan was critical as average Pakistanis considered
corrupt leaders more of a concern than the Taliban.

3. (C/NF) Additionally, Holbrooke underscored that it was crucial for 
Pakistan to focus troops on its western border region; after the Mumbai 
terrorist attack the GOP had shifted 7,000 troops east to the border with
India and had not yet redeployed them to tackle the more serious cross-border
activity on the border with Afghanistan. He added that one objective of his
and Admiral Mullen’s trip was to chip away at the mistrust between the two
countries.

UK Pakistani Community: Not Taliban, but Radicalized
--------------------------------------------- -------- 

4. (C/NF) Cameron, whose Conservative Party currently has a significant lead
in UK opinion polls (see reftel), indicated that his foreign affairs team
was thinking constructively about Afghanistan and Pakistan and preparing a
Conservative government policy for the region. He and his shadow cabinet 
were focused on asking “constructive” questions in Parliament, and his party
was keenly interested in President Obama’s strategy for the region. Cameron
noted that most of the approximately one million UK citizens of Pakistani 
origin (mostly Punjabis and Kashmiris) living in the UK were not pro-Taliban
but had been radicalized by the Iraq war and were militant over Kashmir. 
The Conservative Party leader agreed that HMG “must get UK-Pakistan relations
right” and stressed the Conservatives’ commitment to this goal should they
assume power in the next election.
5. (C/NF) On the radicalization of British Pakistanis, Cameron said the UK
had “gotten it wrong domestically,” and was critical of the UK government’s
“Prevent” counter-radicalization pillar (part of HMG’s broader CONTEST
counterterrorism strategy). He argued that PM Brown’s policy had been too
willing to engage with radicalized but non-violent Muslim groups. Cameron
argued that there should be no difference and that both groups should be 
treated the same and sanctioned if they advocated violence. “We let in some 
crazies,” Cameron said, “and didn’t wake up soon enough.” Cameron singled 
out XXXXXXXXXXXX as groups that the government should not be dealing with 
as conduits to the Muslim communities.

Conservatives Would Entertain More UK Troops
-------------------------------------------- 

6. (C/NF) Cameron said that if the Dutch and Australians were to reduce their
military presence in 2011, the Conservatives (when in government) could be 
expected to fashion a policy along the lines of the questions they had been
posing to PM Brown in Parliament; that is, to be responsive to requests for
increased troops if other conditions were addressed, such as the provision
for more helicopters and a clear strategy for continued UK engagement in
Afghanistan.

7. (U) Ambassador Holbrooke cleared this cable.
Visit London’s Classified Website: http://www.intelink.sgov.gov/wiki/Portal:
Unit ed_Kingdom
LEBARON

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