SLOVENIA: MFA SHEDS LIGHT ON ISAF AND NTM-I

C O N F I D E N T I A L LJUBLJANA 000126

SIPDIS


DEPT FOR EUR/NCE AND EUR/RPM

E.O. 12958: DECL: 02/23/2015
TAGS: PREL MARR SI NATO
SUBJECT: SLOVENIA: MFA SHEDS LIGHT ON ISAF AND NTM-I
CONTRIBUTION PLANS

REF: A. LJUBLJANA 0011


B. LJUBLJANA 0092

C. IIR 6 952 0013 05

D. IIR 6 952 0014 05

Classified By: Deputy Chief of Mission Dean J. Haas for reasons 1.4(b)
and (d).


1. (C) SUMMARY: During an unrelated demarche on 22
February, DCM and Pol-Miloff pressed MFA Security Policy
Department Head Borut Mahnic for more information about
Slovenian decisions to send officers to an ISAF Provincial
Reconstruction Team (PRT) and military trainers to a third
country under NTM-I. On the PRTs, Mahnic said MFA and MOD
decision-makers have not yet finalized a proposal for the
Cabinet to decide whether to partner with the Germans or
Italians. Regarding military trainers for NTM-I, Mahnic said
Slovenia has offered five trainers and is waiting to hear
where they are needed. END SUMMARY

PRT OFFICERS FOR ISAF: UNDECIDED WHETHER TO JOIN WITH GERMANS
OR ITALIANS
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2. (C) Despite recent statements by MOD officials and
Slovenian Armed Forces (SAF) contacts indicating that
Slovenia plans to send two SAF officers to join a German-led
PRT later this year (refs A, B and D),Mahnic said the GoS
has not yet taken an official decision on PRT involvement.
In fact, Mahnic said that a debate continues among MFA and
MOD decision-makers about whether to send two officers to a
German-led or an Italian-led PRT. While MOD officials have
pointed to the German option as a foregone conclusion, Mahnic
said that certain stakeholders would prefer to see SAF
officers deployed with one of the new Italian-led PRTs in
western Afghanistan. In an informal conversation on 07
February, DefMin Karl Erjavec told COM that Slovenia would
likely send two officers to a German-led PRT this year and
additional officers to an Italian-led PRT in the future (ref
B). Mahnic, whose staff is preparing the draft proposal on
PRTs for the Cabinet, said the decision would be to join
either the Germans or the Italians, but not both. MFA and
MOD will meet during the week of 28 February to discuss the
proposal further, according to Mahnic. As reported ref D,
the SAF General Staff currently expects to deploy two
officers to a PRT in July 2005 but they have not yet started
any PRT training or certification procedures. Slovenia
currently has 29 troops deployed to ISAF, including a
reconnaissance unit, two veterinarians, and four firefighters
to protect Kabul Airport.

NTM-I: FIVE SLOVENIAN TRAINERS WITH NO PLACE TO GO
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3. (C) Mahnic said a destination has not yet been decided
upon for the five military trainers offered by Slovenia to
work through NTM-I in a third country. While the SAF has
reportedly identified as many as nine trainers for the
mission (ref C),Mahnic said the location of the mission
continues to remain an open question. Mahnic said the GoS
considers Jordan a "realistic possibility" based on an
understanding that Jordan had offered to host a mission. He
said "any other place" (meaning any other "third country") is
also a possibility and suggested that the Slovenes have put
their offer on the table at NATO and are simply waiting to be
told where they are needed. On 22 February, PM Janez Jansa
commented to TV Slovenija that his Government would consider
sending military trainers to work inside Iraq if conditions
become safe. Jansa stressed to the reporter that training
Iraqi Security Forces is a "UN-compatible activity" with
unanimous backing within NATO. Slovenia currently has five
police trainers from the Ministry of Interior posted to
Jordan to work with the Iraqi police. The GoS has pledged
EUR 100,000 for the NTM-I Trust Fund and is making
arrangements to send EUR 5.2 million worth of light arms and
other equipment to the Iraqi Security Forces (ref B).
ROBERTSON


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2005LJUBLJ00126 - Classification: CONFIDENTIAL



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