ROMANIAN RESPONSE TO REQUEST FOR CONTRIBUTIONS FOR

C O N F I D E N T I A L BUCHAREST 000132

SIPDIS

STATE FOR EUR/NCE - WILLIAM SILKWORTH

E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/14/2015
TAGS: PARM PREL MASS MARR PGOV AF RO
SUBJECT: ROMANIAN RESPONSE TO REQUEST FOR CONTRIBUTIONS FOR
AFGHAN ARMY; ESTABLISHMENT OF A PRT

REF: STATE 4896

Classified By: POLITICAL SECTION CHIEF ROBERT GILCHRIST FOR REASONS 1.4
A, B AND D


1. (C) This is an Action Request for State Department. See
Paragraph 3.


2. (C) PolMilOff discussed possible Romanian contributions
of weapons to the Afghan National Army (ANA) with Andreea
Pastarnac, Director of the MFA's Middle East, Africa and
Asia-Pacific Department, on January 12 (REFTEL). Pastarnac
stated that she would immediately prepare a briefing paper
for PM Tariceanu and DefMin Atanasiu, stressing that the FM
would not be the final decision maker on whether, and to what
degree, Romania would donate weapons to the ANA.


3. (C) Pastarnac continued that Romania's "new political
leadership" (to include the PM and DefMin) will require
"political background" on the situation in Afghanistan. She
emphasized that she would "try to provide political
information (to them)" giving a "positive" angle to our
request. She underscored that any background information the
U.S. could provide about Afghanistan would help her "provide
a very hard core of arguments" in support of the request.
Embassy Bucharest requests State Department provide
additional information, ideally in the form of a nonpaper,
regarding the current political situation in Afghanistan and
supporting REFTEL request for weapons donation to ANA.


4. (C) In a separate meeting between DefMin Atanasiu and NATO
Supreme Commander Jones on January 11, the Minister heard the
General observe that a great deal of energy was going into
expansion of the NATO role in Afghanistan, with PRTs serving
as the "mechanism driving reconstruction." Atanasiu
responded to the suggestion that Romania might want to
establish its own PRT by promising to examine such a proposal
"with great attention," noting that the U.S. "might be
surprised by a yes." (See also septel) We believe this
apparent readiness to assist with the Afghan Mission makes it
all the more important that we keep the GOR informed on
Afghan developments, particularly ass high-level leadership
has just seen a 100 percent turnover.


5. (U) Amembassy Bucharest's reporting telegrams are
available on the Bucharest SIPRNet website:
www.state.sgov.gov/p/eur/bucharest
DELARE