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.