Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
05CANBERRA1460
2005-08-30 02:56:00
CONFIDENTIAL
Embassy Canberra
Cable title:  

AUSTRALIAN DOD READOUT ON FIJI GUARD UNIT

Tags:  PREL MARR PGOV PINR IZ FJ AS UNSC 
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C O N F I D E N T I A L CANBERRA 001460 

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 08/30/2015
TAGS: PREL MARR PGOV PINR IZ FJ AS UNSC
SUBJECT: AUSTRALIAN DOD READOUT ON FIJI GUARD UNIT
DEPLOYMENT TO IRAQ

REF: A. SUVA 447 AND PREVIOUS

B. USUN NEW YORK 1997

Classified By: PolCouns Woo Lee. Reasons: 1.4 (b/d).

C O N F I D E N T I A L CANBERRA 001460

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 08/30/2015
TAGS: PREL MARR PGOV PINR IZ FJ AS UNSC
SUBJECT: AUSTRALIAN DOD READOUT ON FIJI GUARD UNIT
DEPLOYMENT TO IRAQ

REF: A. SUVA 447 AND PREVIOUS

B. USUN NEW YORK 1997

Classified By: PolCouns Woo Lee. Reasons: 1.4 (b/d).


1. (C) Summary: Australian Department of Defense (ADOD)
officials told us on August 29 that they were exasperated by
Fiji,s threat to renege on its commitment to provide guard
units to the UN in Basra and Erbil, and they planned to
advise Defense Minister Hill and the Department of Prime
Minister and Cabinet (PM&C) to "call the Fijians, bluff" by
holding firm on their refusal to pay the costs associated
with equipping Fijian soldiers for duty in Iraq. The
Australians believe the costs should properly be paid by the
Fijians or the UN. It remains to be seen, however, whether
the Minister and the PM will follow ADOD,s advice. End
Summary


2. (C) ADOD International Policy Division Pacific Branch DG
Brigadier Paul Symon and Pacific Director Sari Sutton told us
on August 29 that in April 2005 the Fijian ambassador to
Australia had asked ADOD to provide GOF troops deploying to
Iraq this (northern hemisphere) autumn with military gear, to
include everything from socks to body armor to high-fashion
sunglasses. Symon declined the request, telling the
ambassador that the UN would help with such procurements if
the GOF were to submit a request to DPKO. Symon ended the
April meeting by telling the ambassador that he would be
willing to revisit the issue after the GOF had gotten what
equipment it could via DPKO.


3. (C) Fast-forward to the week of August 22, when the GOF
informed the USG and the UN (reftels) that Fiji was compelled
to back out of its commitment to increase its presence in
Iraq because the Australians had refused to deliver promised
assistance. Symon,s staff made some inquiries and learned
from the UN that the GOF had never submitted a request for
the basic gear Fijian soldiers needed for service in Iraq.
Sutton surmised that GOF officials had deliberately waited
until the last minute to announce their problem in order to
provoke a crisis that would play the Australians and the
Americans off each other and see one of the two pay expenses
that would rightfully have been covered by Fiji or the UN.
This scenario was plausible, Sutton argued, particularly
since the cost of the gear funded by DPKO would have been
deducted from the fees the UN was to pay to the GOF for the
"inner ring" guard force's service.


4. (C) Sutton pointed out that the U.S. and Australia faced
two competing objectives in dealing with Fiji. On one hand,
she argued, it would be good for us, and for the UN, to have
even more Fijian troops in Iraq. On the other hand, we
risked creating the expectation in Fiji that the U.S. and
Australia would cover costs that the GOF should rightly
cover, and for which there is an extant UN funding mechanism,
when a given mission was of critical importance.


5. (C) Sutton acknowledged that there was a chance the GOA
would decide to "roll over" and provide the equipment the
Fijians asked for once again. If they did roll, Sutton said,
it would be done at the expense of fostering bad behavior on
the part of the GOF. Therefore, if either the GOA or the USG
agreed to equip the Fijians again, Sutton argued, this time
there should at least be conditions attached to ensure that
later deployments are properly coordinated, provisioned and
funded. Symon said that he would argue to his minister that
it is important, "at the very least, that we let the current
impasse evolve through its natural course" at the UN to see
what the Fijians bring to the table rather than "jump in"
with funding in the next 24-48 hours.


6. (C) Comment: Sutton and Simon are frustrated by what
they see as the GOF's attempt to milk the system and blame
the GOA for a problem of its own making. They are eager to
cooperate with the U.S. to fix the planning and other
systemic issues that led to the current problem. It is
uncertain, however, if Minister Hill and the PM will see
things the same way as their bureaucrats, or if they will
place greater importance in simply ensuring that the Fijian
presence in Iraq continues and accede to the Fijian demands.
STANTON