Ambassador Karl Eikenberry Interview - Radio Azadi

October 27, 2009

Radio Azadi:  My first question is -- thanks first of all for giving the time for the interview -- what is the U.S. position on the round, the second round of election?

Ambassador Eikenberry:  We congratulate the Afghan people and the candidates for having a very exciting, challenging first round and look forward now to the second round which is set for the 7th of November.

I’d like to emphasize that the United States and the entire international community, the United Nations -- we’re in full support of ensuring a successful second round.  There will be a set of security challenges, logistics challenges, challenges of implementation, but we will be in full support.

I had an opportunity to talk to the commander of NATO ISAF, General McChrystal, just today.  He said the preparations are being made with the Ministry of Defense, with the Ministry of the Interior to secure the elections and I know from first-hand experience that the United Nations is working very hard right now to have the conditions set for a successful second round.

Radio Azadi:  Some people are concerned that there will be the same problems of fraud and insecurity in the second round of voting.  What do you expect?

Ambassador Eikenberry:  Well, I expect that lessons will have been learned from the first round of the election.  The election, whether it’s the first round or the second round, it’s under challenging conditions.  The international community, and the Afghan government, it’s fair to say that we really didn’t begin to prepare early enough for the first round that took place on the 20th of August.  Preparations really should have begun last year.  For a variety of reasons they weren’t, so [we were] a little bit late in preparing.

The security challenges that were faced were significant.  Again, logistics challenges, tough.  Afghanistan’s first election that it fully ran at the presidential and provincial council level.  So the first round, it’s not surprising that there were challenges, that there were irregularities.  As we prepare for the second round, hopefully we’ll learn some lessons from the first round, both in security and the implementation of the election.  And I’m confident that we can have a successful second round.

Radio Azadi:  Sir, you said in one of your speeches that the United States seeks a reliable Afghan partner, and accountable and transparent government on the rule of law and justice.  Do you believe you will find such partner after the runoff?

Ambassador Eikenberry:  I do.  If we look right now, Jawan, at the common interest between the Afghan people, the American people, your own security interests, our own security interests, your interest in helping to develop better government and a sustainable economy, us sharing those same interests.  Yeah, there is confidence that we’re going to be able to partner well with the next administration of Afghanistan and the Afghan people and achieve more progress over the next five years.

Radio Azadi:  President Karzai’s supporters accuse foreigners, particularly the U.S., for pushing [the] election today [to a] second round.  They also see you and the Special Envoy Ambassador Richard Holbrooke as pro-Abdullah.  What is your response to this?

Ambassador Eikenberry:  The United States of America and the international community, Jawan, I would say that of course we’re very invested in the Afghan elections.  We’re invested in the security of the Afghan people.  We’re invested in developing better governance.  We’re invested in helping develop your economy.  We’re invested in Afghanistan’s success.

The premise for that success is that all efforts to develop, to improve the security of your people, to build your army and police, to improve your government, to help support your government’s effort to improve, to help improve the economy, all of -- the premise is that all of this is based upon the foundation of good democratic representative government, of which of course the elections that we’re going through right now is central to legitimacy, central to the process.

So when we say that the United States is invested in this election, that’s absolutely true.  I’d emphasize that the United States of America lost some 50 soldiers and marines defending the first round of the election.  But what we were defending with our military forces, together with your brave army and police, what we were defending with all of the money and the training that we put in to trying to ensure a well-run election, is the commitment to the rule, to the rule of law, to defend the constitution.

I know there is suspicion of the Americans.  In some quarters people believe in conspiracies.  But, indeed, the American people are not conspiratorial people.  Indeed, when it comes to defending the constitution and the rule of law, I’m very proud to be an American in this respect.  We have our own flaws as people, of course, we have our own flaws in our society and our government, but what I’m most proud of as an American is our firm commitment to rule of law, to the defense of the constitution.

So in that regard we’re rather simple people, we’re a transparent people.  Sometimes people say we’re naïve.  But I would say to the Afghans as we’re right now here in 2009, in October, we have the great debate going on about the second round, uncertainty that goes with that -- but isn’t this a lot better for Afghanistan than, say, 1992?  Where rather than talking about how to interpret the rules and defend the constitution as the parameters for the election, for the parameters for the change of political power -- isn’t that better than 1992, when men were sitting behind closed doors?  Simply the power of the gun, not the power of the rule of law was being used to decide how to carve up power with no obligations to the people of Afghanistan? Worse, in 1992 it’s Katyusha rockets are raining down on your capitol killing tens of thousands of innocent Kabulese.

I’d ask the Afghan people, which system do they like better?

Radio Azadi:  Sir, how do you [see] recent conditions put forward by Dr. Abdullah?  Does the U.S. support these conditions?  And do you think these conditions are practical in this short time?

Ambassador Eikenberry:  Jawan, I’ll never comment on candidates, that’s not my position as Ambassador.  But let me make very clear that Afghanistan has had extraordinary success over the last several months with some very tough political decisions, and very courageous statesmanlike positions [were] being made to allow Afghanistan to arrive at this point in time where it can still say it’s hanging onto the rules, its actions taken consistent with the constitution.  Setting Afghanistan up in future years so that the grandsons and the granddaughters when they grow up, the leaders of [tomorrow], can read the political history of Afghanistan and say that tough, good decisions were made that strengthened the institution of democracy.

What I would say is that people shouldn’t run against rules right now.  Be realistic.  If you’re going to run, run against candidates, don’t run against rules.  Don’t run against process.

Radio Azadi:  Sir, in these days Mr. Khalilzad, U.S. former Ambassador to Afghanistan, he’s visiting Kabul and has supporters yesterday and a [inaudible] suggested that a loya jurga should be held to come in this situation of the current situation because of the current problem, the election process, they rejected this process because they said it could not work in Afghanistan.  What is your -- First of all, I want to ask you if Mr. Khalilzad is coming to Kabul as American or, and what do you think?  Is there another way for the solution of this problem?

Ambassador Eikenberry:  Right now I believe that all eyes in Afghanistan, all the Afghan people, the leaders, the international community intensely [are] on this second round election which will be held on the 7th of November.  So that’s the focus and I think we’re on track right now for a successful second round.  That’s what we’ll stay committed to.

Other ideas about loya jurga, those are Afghan decisions, those are Afghan leader decisions.  But I think right now it’s time to focus on this second round.

With regard to Mr. Khalilzad, he’s a friend of mine.  Mr. Khalilzad is a private American citizen with his own views, just like all 300 million American citizens have their own views.

Radio Azadi:  Sir, there is an apparent tension in the U.S. and Karzai relations.  What will happen if President Karzai wins the runoff or second term of election?

Ambassador Eikenberry:  I’m optimistic no matter who wins a second term, Jawan, that the United States and Afghanistan are postured right now in ways that are probably the best ever since 2002 to have combined success.  I’m optimistic.  The United States is committed.

We’re looking for this second round to be decided and to join hands with whoever leads the next administration and move quickly into the future.

Radio Azadi:  You said, I want to repeat my question, the same question.  What does the United States of America expect from the new government and new elected President of Afghanistan?

Ambassador Eikenberry:  Well, we expect close partnership and we believe we’ll achieve that.  We’re hopeful that over the next five years with whoever leads the next administration of Afghanistan that we’re going to be able to move faster and farther.

There’s three areas that I think are going to be important for combined success.  First of all in the area, finding ways to strengthen, really strengthen Afghanistan’s sovereignty.  What do I mean by that?  Five years from now I can certainly envision an Afghanistan which has an Army of 240,000; a police force of 160,000 which is able 100 percent to provide all the security for its own people, appropriate for a sovereign country -- what the Afghan people I know want.  And for us, for the Americans, for NATO, of course we’ll still be here if you want us here as your guests.  We’ll be helping to train, to equip your army and your police.  We’ll be here to provide special capabilities that might be needed.  But in the main, your Army and your Police providing for your people’s own security.

I could see in five years working collaboration as partners that -- within that period of time certainly, if not before -- that American military forces are not detaining anyone within Afghanistan.  That’s appropriate for Afghanistan, for the government of Afghanistan, for your own police and your security forces.  That is your sovereign right. 

So we’ll find ways to partner together, to help improve your justice systems, help improve your correctional institution systems.  We’ll find ways to achieve that.

I can see over the next five years that your government of Afghanistan, having led efforts for reconciliation and reintegration with the current enemies of the government, to find ways to talk to their brothers, to bring them in, with the full support of the international community.

I can see into the future in which we could have talks between our governments and find ways so that the concern that the Afghan people have living in what can sometimes be called a dangerous and an uncertain neighborhood, you would have understandings with the international community so that your security concerns were addressed.

I can see five years from now through partnership that your government had much more capability, had achieved much progress in terms of its accountability.  As partners with you, fighting corruption through developing stronger law enforcement programs.  Us doing our part in terms of developmental aid and assistance, working to ensure the way that we delivered our programs we’re helping you to strengthen the accountability of your government.  More money directly applied to your ministries.

Then last but not least, when we talk about the development of your economy, five years from now in partnership with your government, are there ways to help further develop your agricultural systems, your trading systems?  There we have good programs ready to go.  We’re beginning to implement some of them.  But we’re eager to get through the second round of the election.  Our hand is outstretched for whoever is chosen by the people of Afghanistan to lead the next administration.  We’re ready to go into the future with you.

Radio Azadi:  Thanks, Mr. Ambassador.  You have given us time for that interview.  Thanks very much.

Ambassador Eikenberry:  Thank you.  Thank you for coming to my residence.

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