BULGARIA: STAYING COMMITTED IN IRAQ IN 2005

C O N F I D E N T I A L SOFIA 000302

SIPDIS


STATE FOR PM/RSAT, EUR/RPM, EUR/PRA

E.O. 12958: DECL: 02/14/15
TAGS: PREL PGOV PHUM IZ BU
SUBJECT: BULGARIA: STAYING COMMITTED IN IRAQ IN 2005

REF: STATE 22283

(U) CLASSIFIED BY AMBASSADOR JAMES PARDEW, FOR REASONS
1.4 (B) AND (D).


1. (C) SUMMARY: Ambassador's discussions with Bulgarian
Defense Minister Nikolai Svinarov and Foreign Minister
Solomon Passy indicate that Bulgaria does not plan any
dramatic shift in its Iraq troop commitments through 2005.
Passy and Svinarov recommend that the future of Bulgarian
troop commitments be a matter of discussion between
President Bush and Prime Minister Saxe-Coburg Gotha at the
upcoming NATO Summit in Brussels. END SUMMARY.


2. (C) Ambassador raised Bulgaria's commitment to Iraq and
its troop levels with Defense Minister Svinarov on February
14 (see reftel). Svinarov said there would be no hasty
decisions concerning the long-term deployment of Bulgarian
troops in Iraq. He added that training is ongoing for
Bulgaria's fifth battalion to Iraq, which will be deployed
in the coming months. This battalion's tour essentially
commits Bulgaria to Iraq through the end of 2005, although
the number of soldiers is being reduced slightly based on
mission requirements. Svinarov said the GOB will consider
its long-term Iraq strategy in March, but he did not
anticipate any significant change in Bulgaria's commitment
in 2005.


3. (C) Foreign Minister Passy also assured Ambassador there
would be no radical shift in Bulgaria's Iraq force levels
during a meeting on February 11. Going forward, Passy said
there might be some minor adjustments based on military
requirements on the ground, and that Bulgaria might look to
opportunities to transfer troops from Multinational Force-
Iraq (MNF-I) to the NATO Training Mission Iraq (NTM-I).
However, Passy also added the caveat that such a move would
not be considered without consultations.


4. (C) COMMENT: Public government statements on Bulgaria's
potential reassessment of its Iraq commitments have more to
do with political pressures leading up to the country's
June parliamentary elections than any serious rethinking of
the GOB's force levels in MNF-I. Privately GOB leaders are
assuring us that no radical shift in its Iraq troop
commitments is in the offing.