CROATIA IN AFGHANISTAN: MAY UP CONTRIBUTION &

C O N F I D E N T I A L ZAGREB 000586

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 04/12/2015
TAGS: PREL MARR AF HR NATO NATO
SUBJECT: CROATIA IN AFGHANISTAN: MAY UP CONTRIBUTION &
REMOVE CAVEATS

REF: SECSTATE 60862

Classified By: Poloff Justin Friedman, reasons 1.4 (b) & (d)

SUMMARY
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1. (C ) Rel UK) The GoC MFA NATO Coordinator Pjer Simunovic
and MoD Director for International Defense Cooperation Davor
Cutic responded on April 7 to reftel demarche that the GoC
would reconsider caveats on Afghanistan ISAF deployments.
The GoC is currently reviewing increasing its ISAF military
deployment to up to 150 persons as well as increasing its
civilian PRT contribution. Simunovic will lead a four-person
team on a review tour of the GoC's civilian deployment to
Feyzabad, Afghanistan April 21-27. End SUMMARY.


2. (C - Rel UK) Poloff & ADATT delivered reftel demarche
separately to Croatian MFA National Coordinator for NATO Pjer
Simunovic and Ministry of Defense Director for International
Cooperation Davor Cutic on April 7. Cutic, otherwise well
informed for his first week on the job, seemed not fully
briefed on the scope of ISAF mandate, questioning whether the
current mandate allowed deployments outside of Kabul. He was
concerned that the Croatian caveats would be hard to change
as they reflected President's clear policy of only sending
troops outside of Croatia under a UN mandate. We followed up
on April 8 with relevant UNSCR resolution excerpts to help
set Cutic straight that the ISAF mandate covers deployments
beyond Kabul.


3. (C - Rel UK) Nonetheless, Cutic understood the need for
removing or reducing caveats and said he would look at
changes as the MoD looks at expanding its ISAF deployment.
Cutic said that the precise shape of the expanded deployment
is under review and could be either a reinforced platoon of
approximately 100 persons (including the current 50 person MP
platoon) or a full company of 150. The new personnel would
come from a NATO-declared infantry company who would be
cross-trained in MP duties.

4. (C ) Rel UK) Assistant Minister of Defense Igor Pokaz
repeated this formulation for an expanded ISAF contribution
in an April 8 meeting with EUR/SCE Director Charles English.
Pokaz added that a concept paper for Presidential approval
was in preparation. Pokaz said that the Croatian Armed
Forces were gaining invaluable experience in the Afghanistan
and other UN PKO deployments and the MoD was looking at
modalities for expanding its overseas deployments.


5. (C ) Rel UK) Simunovic responded that GoC would review
the issue in the context of expanding the ISAF deployment,
noting that the Sabor (Croatian parliament) approves only the
number and type of troops deployed but does not set any
specific restrictions on their use. Simunovic said that the
caveats could be changed without too much difficulty as they
were largely mission-specific and set by the MoD. He also
commented that it was politically easier for the GoC to gain
Sabor approval for expanding an existing military mission
than to create a new one in a place like Iraq.


6. (C ) Rel UK) Simunovic said that he planned to travel
with a four-man team to Kabul, Kunduz and Feyzabad April
21-27. The team will consist of Simunovic; Ivan Starcevic,
the next diplomat to be assigned to the civilian PRT in
Feyzabad; Marko Kricancic, the Director of the Ministry of
Internal Affairs' Department for Peacekeeping Missions; and
an MoD representative to be named. Simunovic said that he
would also look at the possibility of increasing civilian
contributions to Afghanistan PRTs.
FRANK


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