SLOVENIA IN ISAF: NO CAVEATS AND POSSIBLY MORE

S E C R E T LJUBLJANA 000235 SIPDIS DEPT FOR EUR/RPM AND EUR/NCE E.O. 12958: DECL: 04/07/2015 TAGS: PREL MARR SI NATO SUBJECT: SLOVENIA IN ISAF: NO CAVEATS AND POSSIBLY MORE TROOPS REF: SECSTATE 60862 Classified By: Deputy Chief of Mission Dean J. Haas for reasons 1.4(b) and (d). ¶1. (S) Pol-Miloff delivered reftel talking points on 08 April to Stanislav Vidovic and Zorica Bukinac Cimpersek in the MFA Security Policy Department, noting in particular that Slovenia's "no caveats" policy for its ISAF troops allowed Slovenian Armed Forces (SAF) soldiers to be among the first on the scene when a passenger aircraft crashed in the mountains earlier this year. Visibly pleased at U.S. recognition of Slovenia's efforts, Vidovic provided information about future Slovenian contributions to ISAF. ¶2. (S) MILITARY CONTRIBUTIONS: Vidovic said Slovenia will send as many as 60 troops to ISAF by the end of August 2005, pending approval of an MOD-prepared proposal for the Government to consider in one of its remaining three April sessions. The proposal would potentially double the SAF contribution of 29 troops currently serving in ISAF. Noting Slovenian plans to withdraw the unit currently deployed in Kabul in August when the Canadians move to the south, Vidovic said two officers would be sent to a German-led PRT in Kunduz, two would remain at headquarters, a motorized platoon of up to 45 soldiers would be sent to an Italian/Spanish-led PRT in Herat, and two officers would be assigned to a regional coordination office in Herat. Vidovic said that Slovenian firefighters currently guarding the Kabul airport would be deployable to the airport in Herat under the plan. The GoS has already approved the deployment of up to ten firefighters to Kabul, with seven currently serving as a subset of the 29 SAF troops in Afghanistan. ¶3. (S) CIVILIAN CONTRIBUTIONS: Vidovic said the timeline for sending civilian volunteers to ISAF PRTs would be longer, but that a group of functional specialists will have completed their training by the end of 2005 in accordance with one of Slovenia's NATO Force Goals. Vidovic noted that legislation to allow deployment of the civilians would likely be in place by early 2006. He said that one result of Slovenian PermRep Matjaz Sinkovec's recent trip to Herat with SACEUR is an increased interest in contributing civilians to PRTs, once the appropriate legislation is in place. Vidovic said Slovenia would consider contributions through its Agriculture Ministry, as well as additional contributions for infrastructure projects. While he said no money has yet been earmarked and no concrete plans identified, Vidovic noted that Sinkovec's influence would be decisive in moving these plans forward, an apparent reference to the PermRep's ties to PM Janez Jansa's SDS Party. ROBERTSON NNNN 2005LJUBLJ00235 - Classification: SECRET v1.6.2