BELGIANS SAY THEY WILL SUPPORT UNIFIL, BUT NO

C O N F I D E N T I A L BRUSSELS 002800 SIPDIS NOFORN SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 08/15/2011 TAGS: MARR MOPS PREL BE SUBJECT: BELGIANS SAY THEY WILL SUPPORT UNIFIL, BUT NO AGREEMENT ON HOW REF: SECSTATE 134133 Classified By: Political Counselor Theodore H Andrews, Reasons 1.4 (b) and (d) ¶1. (C) For Belgium, all options were still on the table regarding participation in the new look UNIFIL. This was the only significant result of an August 16, 2006 planning meeting between representatives of the Prime Minister's office, the MFA, the Defense Ministry, and the Development Ministry. BG Harry Vindevogel, military adviser to the Prime Minister, reaffirmed to polcouns the existence of a cross party consensus to "do something," but added that the exact shape of Belgium's role was still not fixed. ¶2. (C) Vindevogel noted that the Belgians were gathering further information from a variety of sources, including New York, and from other EU capitals. The French and Italian contribution to the force would probably exercise a decisive influence on what the Belgians (and other EU members) finally decided to do. Responding to a point raised in reftel, Vindevogel said Belgium traditionally used its own transportation assets for participation in PKO's. ¶3. (U) In an interview published August 16, 2006, Foreign Minister De Gucht indicated dissatisfaction with the lack of specifics about the mandate for UNIFIL. He expressed particular disappointment with the reported comments of the UNIFIL commander suggesting a long lead time before the new force reached its authorized strength; the build up should run much faster to be effective, De Gucht maintained. De Gucht also said he would like to have seen an explicit mention of Chapter VII in the recently passed resolution. Imbrie .