RENEWAL OF ISAF'S U.N. MANDATE - POLAND NOT AN

C O N F I D E N T I A L WARSAW 003104

SIPDIS

STATE FOR EUR/RPM, EUR/NCE

E.O. 12958: DECL: 08/12/2010
TAGS: PREL MARR AF PL NATO UNSC
SUBJECT: RENEWAL OF ISAF'S U.N. MANDATE - POLAND NOT AN
OBSTACLE

REF: (A) STATE 146276

Classified By: Political Counselor Mary Curtin, reasons 1.4 (b) and (d)


1. (C) PolMil Chief shared Ref A views on the ISAF mandate
with Jakub Urbanik, action officer for Afghanistan/Iraq
operations in the MFA Department of Security Policy, who was
familiar with the U.S. intentions for revising the NATO
operational plan. After discussing the issue with the Polish
NATO Mission and the MOD, Urbanik said that Poland agreed
with the U.S. position that the UN mandate was sufficiently
flexible in its current form to allow revision of the NATO
operational plan as envisioned.


2. (C) However, Urbanik stressed that the GOP expected
"several key NATO members" (which he did not specify) to
raise strong objections to a change in the NATO operational
plan without making specific amendments to the UN mandate.
Poland would stand with the U.S. but, not being a member of
the Security Council, would not have a substantial role to
play on the UN side.


3. (C) He also indicated that the GOP had not yet formulated
its own position on how exactly the NATO operational plan
should be modified. If the U.S. wanted an official response
on this question, he would need a more detailed demarche on
the basis of which he would have to initiate an interagency
process at the senior policy level.
Piascik