FRENCH FUNDING STILL UNDETERMINED BUT NOT LIKELY FOR AFGHANISTAN'S PARLIAMENTARY ELECTIONS

UNCLASSIFIED UNCLAS PARIS 002586 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: AF, PREL, EAID, FR, UNSC SUBJECT: FRENCH FUNDING STILL UNDETERMINED BUT NOT LIKELY FOR AFGHANISTAN'S PARLIAMENTARY ELECTIONS REF: SECSTATE 61560 1. On April 7 reftel points were delivered to French MFA Afghanistan Desk Officer Cyril Gerardon. In conversations on April 12 and 13, Gerardon told poloff he hoped his government would be able to contribute to the upcoming Parliamentary elections, but that he did not think that the chances were good. The decision, he said, would be made at the ministerial level in the near future though he could not say when. 2. While Gerardon maintained that he thought the chances for a French contribution were slim, he did not rule it out altogether saying that if a contribution is made, it will probably not exceed the 1.5 million dollars France gave for the Presidential elections held in October, 2004. He added that France had recently promised to contribute an additional 1 million euros to support the Afghan Legislature once it is established. Gerardon said that this, coupled with what he characterized as the present French focus on Africa, would likely keep decision-makers from feeling compelled to commit sizable funds to the upcoming Afghan Parliamentary elections. LEACH