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 NNNN 2005ROME02734 - Classification: CONFIDENTIAL