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


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2005LJUBLJ00235 - Classification: SECRET



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