GUATEMALAN PEACEKEEPERS DEPART FOR CONGO

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 GUATEMALA 000828

SIPDIS

SENSITIVE

DEPT FOR WHA/CEN, IO/PHO, AND AF/RSA

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: KPKO PREL MOPS PHUM EAID ASEC GT CG UN
SUBJECT: GUATEMALAN PEACEKEEPERS DEPART FOR CONGO

REF: (A) GUATEMALA 0392 (B) 04 GUATEMALA 3163 (NOTAL)


1. (SBU) Summary: Guatemalan military continue to expand
their participation in peacekeeping operations, most recently
with 105 Guatemalan peacekeepers joining the MONUC mission in
the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The Guatemalan Defense
Ministry has apparently won an interagency struggle over the
destination of UN payments for peacekeeping, with the funds
to go to the Defense Ministry rather than the general
treasury. The GOG is moving ahead with plans to provide
another 75 person contingent to MONUC with only details of
Finance Ministry funding to be worked out. The Guatemalan
military does not appear to be large enough to accommodate
Guatemalan desires for increased peacekeeping participation.
End Summary.


2. (U) The Defense Ministry's March 29 departure ceremony at
the military side of La Aurora International Airport in
Guatemala City garnered widespread attendance and media
attention. In addition to President Berger, Vice President
Stein, Foreign Minister Briz, and Defense Minister General
Aldana attended the one-hour ceremony, together with most of
the senior Guatemalan military officers assigned to the
capital. In a brief but laudatory speech, President Berger
praised the military for its peacekeeping contributions,
boasted of his administration's accomplishments in military
downsizing and transformation, and attempted to reassure the
emotional family members of the Guatemalan MONUC contingent.
Following his speech, Berger and other senior officials
greeted members of the 105 person contingent and mingled with
family members, many of whom were crying or showing other
signs of distress over the departure of their loved ones.


3. (SBU) The Guatemalan personnel will receive UN
reimbursement on a sliding scale equal to that received by
Guatemalan troops in Haiti. (In October, Guatemala deployed
a company-size military police contingent to MINUSTAH.)
Officers in Congo will receive 90 percent of the UN
reimbursement, NCOs will get 60 percent, and soldiers will
receive 50 percent. Although the exact details remain
unclear, the Guatemalan Kaibil (Special Forces) soldiers in
the contingent will apparently receive a slightly higher
percentage than their non-Kaibil colleagues. The remainder
of the UN funds will go to the Defense Ministry rather than
the general treasury as was proposed by the Finance Ministry.



4. (SBU) During a Defense Ministry peacekeeping presentation
at a March 15 GOG cabinet meeting, President Berger approved
a Defense Ministry request to obtain GOG funding to equip a
second 75 person Military Police contingent for MONUC. The
Defense Ministry is now attempting to work out the funding
details with the Finance Ministry. The Guatemalans are
aiming for a June deployment date to the Congo but this may
slip until July.


5. (SBU) Comment: The senior leadership of the Guatemalan
military strongly supports participation in peacekeeping
operations as a vehicle for enhancing the professionalization
of the Guatemalan military (principally through exposure to
other military forces and through experience gained in
out-of-area joint operations). The Guatemalan Government --
especially the Foreign Ministry -- is equally enthusiastic in
supporting efforts that it views as enhancing Guatemala's
international reputation. Guatemala's commitment to
international peacekeeping is a very positive development and
one we should encourage politically and support logistically
whenever possible.


6. (SBU) Comment continued: However, desires to expand
Guatemala's participation will soon run into personnel
constraints because of the military's 15,500 personnel
strength ceiling. Guatemala's PKO commitments to date are at
less than 300 personnel, but this number must be multiplied
by a factor of three to account for troop rotations. In
addition, Guatemala is providing specialized personnel (most
notably military police) rather than infantry; the Guatemalan
military force structure contains only a limited number of
such personnel (e.g. less than 400 military police). To
address a shortage of military police (who are also in high
demand to provide support to Guatemala's National Civilian
Police) by expanding the number of such personnel is not a
viable option as it would negatively impact the military's
ability to implement its modernization program of operational
platforms to replace the old territorial structure. For this
reason, the Guatemalan military is exploring the idea of
emulating other countries by not counting deployed
peacekeepers against its personnel ceiling, an idea that
would likely generate strong political opposition.
HAMILTON