Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
05SANTODOMINGO1147
2005-03-02 13:12:00
CONFIDENTIAL
Embassy Santo Domingo
Cable title:  

DOMINICAN PRESIDENT APPROVES PROVIDING STAFF

Tags:  PREL MARR DR 
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This record is a partial extract of the original cable. The full text of the original cable is not available.
C O N F I D E N T I A L SANTO DOMINGO 001147 

SIPDIS

STATE FOR PM, WHA, WHA/CAR;
NSC FOR SHANNON;
USCINCSO ALSO FOR POLAD;
USCENTCOM ALSO FOR POLAD,

E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/02/2015
TAGS: PREL MARR DR
SUBJECT: DOMINICAN PRESIDENT APPROVES PROVIDING STAFF
OFFICERS TO SUPPORT IRAQ EFFORT

REF: USDAO SANTO DOMINGO IIR 6 827 9937 05

Classified By: EcoPol Counselor Michael Meigs.

C O N F I D E N T I A L SANTO DOMINGO 001147

SIPDIS

STATE FOR PM, WHA, WHA/CAR;
NSC FOR SHANNON;
USCINCSO ALSO FOR POLAD;
USCENTCOM ALSO FOR POLAD,

E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/02/2015
TAGS: PREL MARR DR
SUBJECT: DOMINICAN PRESIDENT APPROVES PROVIDING STAFF
OFFICERS TO SUPPORT IRAQ EFFORT

REF: USDAO SANTO DOMINGO IIR 6 827 9937 05

Classified By: EcoPol Counselor Michael Meigs.


1. (C) On Tuesday, February 17 President Leonel Fernandez
accepted a proposal from Armed Forces Minister Sigfrido Pared
Perez to send Dominican officers to help staff operations in
Iraq and to provide support for the Iraqi Area of Operations
at Central Command in Tampa, Florida. There will be no
publicity for this military cooperation, at least initially.
On the basis of that discussion, Pared Perez has given
instructions to draw up criteria for selection of as many as
20 officers, from captains through lieutenant colonels, drawn
from all services. A key limiting criterion is English
language ability. The senior staff plans to pay all
allowances ("viaticos") due by regulation (the Mejia
administration failed to pay most of the viticos owed to the
two 300-soldier contingents sent to Iraq between August 2003
and May 2004). Dominicans believe that they can send these
officers within 60 days from selection, which may mean by
late May of this year. The specialties most likely to be
provided are planning officers and military police trainers
(the earlier Dominican contingents performed this task and
briefly provided personal security to Administrator Paul
Bremer when he visited the area).

2. (C) Fernandez's approval of this measure delivers on his
pre-election message to the USG that
he and his administration would be supportive of the U.S.
military in international operations
(when his lieutenants delivered that generally worded message
in March, 2004, it appeared that
under President Meja the Dominican armed forces might be
considering a third rotation ) one
that never materialized). This initiative would keep the
Dominicans as candidates for international
peace keeping, both in the U.S. effort abroad and in future
UN peacekeeping operations. And
it would give healthy exposure to upcoming mid-rank officers
that could help change the
orientation of the Dominican armed forces toward a more
professional, service-oriented mission.


3. (C) Given these developments, encouraged in part by the
visit last month of CINCSOUTH General
Craddock, Embassy advises that no rpt no demarche is required
on the subject of military support
for the Iraq effort; however, a letter of invitation with
thanks from a senior U.S. military leader
would be appropriate.


18. (U) This piece and others in our series can be consulted
at our SIPRNET site
http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/wha/santodomingo/
along with extensive other material.



MARSHALL