GWOT ASSESSMENT: POST FEEDBACK FOR CZECH REPUBLIC

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 PRAGUE 000499

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 04/05/2015
TAGS: PTER PREL EZ
SUBJECT: GWOT ASSESSMENT: POST FEEDBACK FOR CZECH REPUBLIC

REF: STATE 60796

Classified By: Political Officer Kimberly C. Krhounek for reasons 1.4(b
) and (d).


1. (C) The Czech Republic, despite the weak coalition
government that came into power after the June 2002
elections, has been a stauch supporter of the GWOT and has
responded admirably to USG requests for troop contributions
to Iraq and Afghanistan, and is actively providing economic,
humanitarian and training assistance as well. In addition,
intelligence cooperation is close and very cooperative on all
levels. In response to reftel request, Embassy Prague
provides the following assessment of GWOT successes to date,
challenges to address, and proposed solutions.

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SUCCESSES TO DATE - IRAQ & AFGHANISTAN
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2. (C) Beginning with the war in Iraq, the Czechs became an
early member of the Coalition and were at one time the 4th
largest contributor of troops to Iraq. They started with a
400-member nuclear-biological-chemical (NBC) defense
contingent which was stationed in Kuwait and Iraq during and
after "Operation Iraqi Freedom" war operations. That mission
was followed by the six-month deployment of a 600-person
Czech field hospital, which treated more than 8,000 coalition
forces and Iraqi civilians in the Basra area between May and
October 2003. Most recently, the Czechs have maintained the
deployment of nearly 100 Czech military police stationed near
Basra, who have been engaged in training Iraqi security
forces since the beginning of October 2003. The mandate for
the military police was twice extended at our request; the
first extension covered the period from December 2004 through
the Iraqi elections and aftermath, and the second one
extended the military police through 2005. The MOD is
already talking about extending the MPs into 2006. The
Czechs have also stepped up to the plate on the NATO Training
Mission-Iraq, detailing five MPs to Baghdad and approving a
USD 200,000 contribution to the Trust Fund to support this
mission. A 10-member field surgical team continues to work
with the British Field Hospital as well, and is expected to
stay in Basra until December 2005. Training of Iraqi army
soldiers in the Czech Republic has also begun, with 100 Iraqi
soldiers taking the training during the 2005 calendar year.


3. (C) The Czech Republic has also contributed troops to
Afghanistan to assist in GWOT efforts there. The Czechs
began in 2003 with the deployment of 15 specialists in
explosive ordinance disposal (EOD),weather and engineering
to the NATO ISAF mission and have maintained their continuous
presence at the Bagram airfield ever since. They expect to
take over the Bagram airfield operations next year (number of
support troops needed to fulfill this mandate is still
unknown). Between March and September 2004, the GOCR also
deployed a 112-man Special Operations Force company in
support of Operation Enduring Freedom. The Czechs are
currently contributing 40-man reconnaissance unit to the
German-led Provincial Reconstruction Team; a deployment which
began early this year.


4. (C) In addition to troop contributions, the Czech
government has been very proactive on providing assistance
for the reconstruction of Iraq and support for building new
government institutions, which are critical fields to help
stabilize the country. Early on, they detailed 19 Czech
experts to various ministries of the Coalition Provisional
Authority (CPA),and still maintain one at the Ministry of
Interior. They are also active in civilian assistance and
have contributed to training more than 200 Iraqi judges at
the CEELI Institute in Prague, have brought Iraqi diplomats
for training at the Czech diplomatic academy and 10 Czech
police instructors participate in police training in Jordan
as part of a two-year project ongoing since November 2003.
The Czech government is helping to sponsor a number of Iraqi
students pursuing graduate economic studies at the Prague
campus of the Center for Economic Research and Graduate
Education (CERGE-EI). It has donated more than USD 1.4
million to humanitarian assistance in Iraq through various
NGO's including UNHCR and WFP. They also provided free
medical care to 26 Iraqi children with serious medical
problems; these children were flown to the Czech Republic at
the cost of approximately USD 500,000 in 2003 and 2004. USD
480,000 has been used for transformation assistance,
including providing equipment for the southern Iraq police
academy of Az Zubayr, specialized study stays for Iraqi
experts in sewage treatment, pump stations, irrigation,
traffic control, etc. The GOCR also provided assistance to
facilitate Iraqi citizens living in the Czech Republic to
vote in the January elections. Finally, the GOCR has funded
programs to protect Iraqi cultural heritage (USD 40,000) and
development cooperation projects (USD 560,000).


5. (C) Post has successfully used the International Visitor
(IV) and Voluntary Visitor (VolVis) programs to promote
greater knowledge and awareness of terrorism and
terrorist-related issues. In 2004, Post supported the
participation of a senior Czech investigator in the VolVis
regional project for Europe on "Terrorist Financing Issues,"
as well as a 6-person IV group project on law enforcement
that will help prosecutors and investigators combat the
criminal elements that are often associated with the
international terrorist networks. Post's candidates for 2005
show the same commitment to expanding knowledge and awareness
in these fields, with 2 participants attending an ITT on
"Money Laundering and Financing of Terrorism" and another 2
candidates attending MRP's on "US-European Security Issues"
and "US Foreign Policy Challenges."

6. (C) Post also has an active, successful Public Affairs
outreach that address various aspects of the war on terror,
including issues related to Iraq, Afghanistan, and the role
of NATO in the Greater Middle East. These have included
digital conferences with government officials and think tank
experts on military action in Iraq, US priorities for NATO in
preparation for the Prague and Istanbul summits, and NATO's
role in Afghanistan. Visiting speakers from institutions
such as the American Enterprise Institute, Congressional
Research Service and Washington Institute for Near East
Studies have participated in conferences and met with Czech
officials, academics and media to address U.S. policy actions
in Iraq, Iran, Middle East and legal aspects on
counterterrorism and the threat of Al-Quaeda. PAS has
sponsored several American journalists who cover the Middle
East and Iraq for programs with Czech journalists and
students, and discussions organized in cooperation with Radio
Free Europe/Radio Liberty. Our American Information Center
has organized panel discussions with both U.S. and Czech
participants on developments in Iraq on the anniversary of
the war, Iraqi media and Iraqi elections. The Ambassador and
other Embassy officials have participated in media
roundtables and conferences related to the GWOT, and PAS has
placed a number of commentaries in the main Czech dailies on
this subject. In addition, we have provided financial and
logistical support for two annual conferences organized by
the Program of Atlantic Security Studies on "NATO and the
Greater Middle East" and "Energy Security," at both of which
USG officials participated, presenting U.S. policy objectives
on issues related to combatting terrorism.

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CHALLENGES AND PROPOSED SOLUTIONS
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7. (C) Both the rigid Czech legal structure and political
realities mean that it is easier for the GOCR to deploy
troops when there is an authorizing UN Security Council
resolution or NATO decision (although they have acted without
it when needed). The Czechs are committed Atlanticists and
NATO membership remains popular among the Czech public and
politicians. For example, the most recent extension of
troops in Iraq was facilitated by the possibility that that
all the MPs would be brought eventually into the NATO
Training
Mission; the GOCR has already told us that their ability to
smoothly extend the military police into 2006 depends in part
on securing a firm NATO decision to bring the existing Czech
operation near Basra into the NTM. Likewise it was important
in the last extension that the UK publicly took the lead,
with the U.S. working behind the scenes.


8. (C) An obstacle to committing greater numbers of Czech
troops to overseas missions is the cost that transporting
and re-supplying several overseas deployments at the same
time places on the MOD budget. The Czechs must either
contract or rely on the USG to move their troops; although
they are hoping to acquire American-built C-130J aircraft
within the next couple of years to assist in this area. The
USG has been able to help defray these costs through
reimbursement, or to provide the needed airlift, but not in
every case. The Czechs also have a doctrinal limit of
deploying only 1000 personnel with rotation at any given
time. Their on-going commitments to Iraq and Afghanistan,
together with deployments in the Balkans, and in support of
the UN, place them continuously at or near this ceiling.


9. (C) One of the best means at our disposal for urging
action and maintaining the long term commitments is
conducting regular consultations between senior-level
officials in Washington and Prague, such as the recent visit
by Deputy Secretary. The more we can maintain contact with
Czech officials as "equal partners," the greater effect we
have on pressing decisions of the moment. This was clearly
evident when the first request for an extension of the
military police unit in Basra came up, following a
reorganization of the government under a relatively new Prime
Minister. A telephone call from President Bush urging the
extension was an important factor in getting the new PM
solidly behind the extension and pushing it through
Parliament in a rapid manner. In addition, maintaining an
active public affairs outreach to Czech decision-makers and
public, has been instrumental in explaining U.S. policy
objectives.

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