CZECH CHAMBER OF DEPUTIES APPROVES EXTENSION OF MP

UNCLAS PRAGUE 000111

SIPDIS

SENSITIVE

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PREL MARR EZ IZ
SUBJECT: CZECH CHAMBER OF DEPUTIES APPROVES EXTENSION OF MP
MISSION IN IRAQ

REF: A. PRAGUE 60


B. PRAGUE 25


1. (U) Sensitive But Unclassified - Not for Internet
Distribution.


2. (SBU) Summary. On January 21 the Czech Chamber of
Deputies, parliament's lower house, approved the extension of
the Czech military police (MP) mission in Iraq until the end
of 2005. With a few exceptions, the coalition and opposition
Civic Democratic (ODS) MPs voted as a bloc in favor, while
the Communist Party unanimously opposed the move, as
expected. The approval went smoothly, largely because PM
Gross chose a smart strategy of consulting potential
opponents beforehand and not binding Social Democratic (CSSD)
MPs to vote in favor. The fact that the request came
formally from the British and Iraqi contributed to the
positive outcome. The proposal now moves to the Senate,
which is expected to approve it without delay. End Summary.


3. (SBU) 125 out of the 181 deputies present voted in favor
of extending the military police mission serving in the
British sector in southern Iraq; 46 voted against. Foreign
Relations Committee Chairman Vladimir Lastuvka (CSSD),an
opponent of the war in Iraq, abstained, and former Foreign
Minister Jan Kavan, another critic of the Iraqi war, voted in
favor. Our contacts in CSSD, including some who have raised
objections to the war in Iraq and remain skeptical about
Iraq's democratic future, said that the approval can largely
be credited to the fact that the request came from the
British and the Iraqis (both PM Blair and PM Allawi wrote to
PM Gross formally seeking the extension); the GOCR made no
public mention of the U.S. role. Another factor generating
support for the extension was the agreement to move the Czech
MPs into the NATO Training Mission once Phase III is launched
later this year.


4. (SBU) In general, Czech officials and parliamentarians
agree that no matter what happened in the past, it is not
time to leave Iraq until some normalcy returns to the
country. However, they remain skeptical about the outcome of
the January 30 elections given the security situation in the
country. Gross's decision to meet with potential CSSD
opponents of the extension provided an opportunity to
alleviate embarrassment in Parliament. Defense Minister
Kuhnl's ability to allocate the necessary money, estimated at
7.5 million US dollars, from the defense budget also bore
positively on the final decision.


5. (U) The extension still needs the approval of the Senate.
The Senate Foreign Affairs, Defense and Security Committee
will discuss the proposal on January 26. A vote is possible
January 27. No significant opposition is expected.


6. (SBU) Comment: Czech officials acknowledge privately that
behind-the-scenes USG efforts to build support for the
extension and smooth the way for the transition to the NATO
Training Mission (reftels) were important to the surprisingly
swift and noncontroversial extension. In addition to
demonstrating the Czech's commitment to remain engaged in the
war in Iraq, the deft handling of the extension vote is a
sign that we can continue to work with PM Gross on matters of
importance to the U.S., despite his weakened political
position.

HILLAS