SLOVAKIA WILL FOLLOW EU ON IGAD DEPLOYMENT PLAN

C O N F I D E N T I A L BRATISLAVA 000228

SIPDIS


E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/18/2015
TAGS: PREL SO LO
SUBJECT: SLOVAKIA WILL FOLLOW EU ON IGAD DEPLOYMENT PLAN

REF: STATE 47850

Classified By: CDA Scott N. Thayer for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d)


1. (C) Poloff delivered reftel points to Roman Gal of the
MFA's Department for Asia, Africa, and the Middle East. Gal
stated Slovakia will likely follow the EU common policy
regarding the recent Intergovernmental Authority on
Development's (IGAD) proposal to deploy troops (without
contributing much to the discussion). He could not offer any
information about a possible EU position because the issue
was not discussed at the last meeting in Brussels. In his
opinion, EU-African affairs are now being dealt with in a
different manner than under the Dutch presidency, which had
more experience working with African nations and leaders. He
commented that these decisions are occurring at a higher
level than in working groups with more of an emphasis on
negotiating official agreements. Overall, Gal stated that
the interests of Italy and those that prioritized support for
Sudan will impact the outcome of the EU position.


2. (C) Note: Slovakia maintains peacekeepers in Africa and
shares international concerns about the on-going
demilitarization process in Somalia. The GOS recently
evaluated its ability to participate at a greater level in
Africa. The outcome of that evaluation was a decision that
more could not be offered at this time because of budgetary
constraints and other factors, such as language proficiency.


THAYER


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