ITALY SEES NO NEED TO CHANGE ISAF'S UN MANDATE

C O N F I D E N T I A L ROME 002734

SIPDIS


E.O. 12958: DECL: 08/17/2015
TAGS: MOPS MARR PREL AF IT NATO
SUBJECT: ITALY SEES NO NEED TO CHANGE ISAF'S UN MANDATE

REF: A. STATE 146276 B. ROME 2689

Classified By: Acting Pol-Mil Counselor Susanne Rose For
Reasons 1.4 (B) and (D)


1. (C) Acting Pol-Mil Counselor and Pol-Mil Officer met
with MFA NATO Office Director Brauzzi August 17 to discuss
further the renewal of ISAF's UN mandate (reftels). Brauzzi
said he saw no need to change the mandate when it comes up
for renewal. The real issue, he said, is NATO's OPLAN, which
probably will need to be revised to reflect a post-Bonn
Agreement strategy. He expects the war on drugs, institution
building, and judicial reform to be the key challenges facing
Afghanistan after the September elections, and said the
revised plan should include an increased emphasis on fighting
narcotics cultivation and production. Brauzzi also said that
the British have proposed to leave the OPLAN as it stands but
to interpret it more robustly, a proposal that Italy could
accept, especially since ISAF will have more capacity once
the OEF forces have been integrated.


2. (C) Brauzzi also noted that ISAF's Phase Three expansion
will be particularly challenging, and that the Italian
military will not be able to provide additional forces.
(Note. Italy, which took over ISAF command on August 4,
recently has increased its troop presence in Afghanistan to
over 2,000 forces. Italy also will take command of KFOR
(Kosovo) in September and ALTHEA (Bosnia) at the end of the
year, further stretching an already overextended military.
End note.)

SPOGLI


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2005ROME02734 - Classification: CONFIDENTIAL