ACTION REQUEST: LATVIAN MINDEF REQUESTS CLOSE

C O N F I D E N T I A L BAGHDAD 002319 SIPDIS SIPDIS CONFIDENTIAL/REL LATVIA (LG) SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 07/02/2016 TAGS: PGOV PHUM MOPS PREL PARM LG MD IZ SUBJECT: ACTION REQUEST: LATVIAN MINDEF REQUESTS CLOSE COORDINATION ON COALITION DEVELOPMENTS 1.(U) This is cable contains an action request; please see para 10. 2.(C/REL LG) SUMMARY. On July 1, Latvian Defense Minister, Atis Slakteris told the Political-Military Counselor that his government is committed to sustaining its presence in Iraq. However, he stated to do so will continue to be a challenge, as the Latvian public and domestic media are not of the same opinion. They want their troops home now. According to Slakteris, with the upcoming parliamentary elections in autumn, "Latvian troops in Iraq" will become a consistent front page issue. This being the case, he stressed the importance of the USG keeping Latvia current on USG force plans, noting that the recent announcement by the USG that it would be "withdrawing troops," caught Riga off guard and without adequate comment to respond to press inquiries. ¶3. (C/REL LG) SUMMARY CONT. Slaketeris also took this opportunity to request assistance in returning his rotating troops to Latvia between July 4 and 5 vice the latest plan to fly them home out of Kuwait between July 12-15. Pol-Mil counselor committed to informing MNF-I of his concerns and seeing if any remedy were available. He acknowledged the consequence of such issues becoming part of Latvia,s domestic debate. Political- Military counselor has since consulted with appropriate U.S. military personnel and learned the status of the flight. Please see para 7 - 9 for complete background and para 10 for action request END SUMMARY. ¶4. (C/REL LG) DefMin Slaketeris informed Pol-Mil Counselor that his government and military are committed to remaining in Iraq as long as the USG and the Iraqi government deems their assistance necessary. He lamented that the Latvian public is not convinced of the need for Latvian troops to participate in stabilizing Iraq and noted the Latvian press is always fueling the public,s angst against the mission. ¶5. (C/REL LG) With upcoming parliamentary elections, Slakteris said it would be critical to have good news stories from Iraq and to demonstrate to the public that the USG is a true ally, closely coordinating its force plans with the Latvian Government. The recent media,s reporting of the USG,s announcement that the USG was "withdrawing troops" caught the Latvian government and military by surprise, leaving them ill prepared to address their domestic media questions. Slakteris urged that the USG keep Coalition members in the "know" of USG military plans in Iraq so they can plan accordingly. ¶6. (C/REL LG) Political-Military counselor agreed that coordination and sharing of information among Coalition partners is and will remain critical. He stressed that withdrawal of USG forces will be conditioned-based and gradual. He further emphasized the importance of all Coalition members,and especially Latvia, to continue their much valued missions; we need everyone as all members contribute directly to success in Iraq. ¶7. (C/REL LG) Slakteris requested Pol-Mil Counselor,s assistance in returning Latvian rotating troops home on time. According to Slakteris, the outgoing contingent of around 120 troops, now in Kuwait, he said, was supposed to leave on July 5-7, and now they have been informed they must wait in Kuwait until July 12-15, in order to accommodate a small Moldovan contingent. The flight would stop in Moldova before Latvia. To make matters worse, he said, the decision to delay the flight was made just now while he was in Iraq, without any consultation with him or anyone else in the Latvia military, leaving the appearance that Latvia has no role in decisions affecting their troops. Slakteris admitted that this issue might seem small to us, but the delay in their troops coming home to families would get into the media and its impact on public opinion at home, he worried, might seriously influence the electoral campaign. Pol-Mil counselor said he understood the consequences of such developments entering into the domestic debate, and committed to looking into the issue immediately. ¶8. (C/REL LG) Pol-Mil Counselor has since discussed the redeployment of Latvian Soldiers with MNF-I and CENTCOM. According to CENTCOM air and logistic operations, July 10-13 were the departure dates suggested by the Latvian Senior National Representatives (SNRs) in Tampa and CENTCOM fulfilled their request. These dates were not influenced by Moldova,s redeployment. In fact, the Moldovans offered to fly on these days to accommodate CENTCOM,s efforts to make efficient use of airlift. Further, CENTCOM advised, the entire Latvian contingent of 120 troops is not in Kuwait. A small advance team has flown to Kuwait, but the main body remains in Iraq at their base. ¶9. (C/REL LG)It seems the problem is a miscommunication between the Latvian SNRs, in the field, and their Minister of Defense in Riga. At this late date, it is not feasible to alter the airlift date due to time needed to meet overflight requirements and get all troops in Kuwait for departure. CENCTOM has conveyed this message to SNRs in Tampa who in turn should report the message to the Latvian MoD. ¶10. (U) ACTION REQUEST: Post requests the Department to ask Riga to convey a message to appropriate Latvian officials based on the above. Khalilzad