Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
06COPENHAGEN324
2006-03-14 13:19:00
CONFIDENTIAL
Embassy Copenhagen
Cable title:  

KEEPING DENMARK IN IRAQ: REQUEST FOR INTERAGENCY

Tags:  PREL MARR IZ DA 
pdf how-to read a cable
VZCZCXYZ0003
PP RUEHWEB

DE RUEHCP #0324/01 0731319
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
P 141319Z MAR 06
FM AMEMBASSY COPENHAGEN
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 2111
INFO RUEHXP/ALL NATO POST COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
RHEFDIA/DIA WASHDC PRIORITY
RUEKJCS/JOINT STAFF WASHDC PRIORITY
RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHINGTON DC PRIORITY
C O N F I D E N T I A L COPENHAGEN 000324 

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/10/2016
TAGS: PREL MARR IZ DA
SUBJECT: KEEPING DENMARK IN IRAQ: REQUEST FOR INTERAGENCY
TEAM

REF: A. COPENHAGEN 286


B. COPENHAGEN 207

C. COPENHAGEN 111

Classified By: AMBASSADOR JAMES P. CAIN,
REASONS 1.4 (B) AND (D)

C O N F I D E N T I A L COPENHAGEN 000324

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/10/2016
TAGS: PREL MARR IZ DA
SUBJECT: KEEPING DENMARK IN IRAQ: REQUEST FOR INTERAGENCY
TEAM

REF: A. COPENHAGEN 286


B. COPENHAGEN 207

C. COPENHAGEN 111

Classified By: AMBASSADOR JAMES P. CAIN,
REASONS 1.4 (B) AND (D)


1. (C) Summary. The Danish parliament in May will vote on a
yet-to-be drafted government resolution to extend Denmark's
contributions to Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF) and the NATO
Training Mission (NTM-I) through the remainder of 2006. In
preparation for what will be a difficult political challenge,
government officials have begun to consider appropriate force
levels and deployments, PRT participation, civilian
participation, and development assistance levels. The
government in April will release a public "white paper" on
Iraq to frame the May parliamentary debate. Senior Danish
officials have expressed strong interest in having a USG
interagency team visit Denmark to discuss specific political
and operational matters related to Denmark's continuing
presence in Iraq. Embassy strongly recommends that
Washington send such a team during the week of April 3. It
would also be useful to make senior U.S. officials available
to Danish journalists in the run-up to the late May vote on
Iraq in the Danish parliament. End Summary.

--------------
Danish Timetable
--------------


2. (C) The mandate for Danish participation in the
multinational force in Iraq expires July 1 and must be
renewed before this session of parliament adjourns in early
June. The Danish government expects to introduce the
necessary resolution in early May. The decisive vote would
take place around May 30, although a senior MFA official
acknowledged to the Ambassador that the exact timetable could
hinge on an Iraqi government being formed and functioning by
the time the Danish parliament votes. (Ref A)


3. (C) It appears very likely that the two largest mainstream
opposition parties will withhold their support for the
extension, forcing the government to rely on a narrow
majority to pass the resolution. This is an exceedingly
controversial maneuver in the consensus-oriented Danish
parliamentary tradition and, while the narrow majority
appears achievable, it is by no means a sure thing. Public

support for the Danish deployment to Iraq has dropped,
especially as fallout from the Mohammed cartoon crisis has
caused some voters to question whether Denmark should be
involved anywhere in the Muslim world (Ref B). The
announcement today of a ten percent reduction in British
coalition forces will also affect Danish public perceptions.


4. (C) The Danish government's current game plan to extend
the mandate starts with the publication in late April of an
Iraq policy paper to frame parliamentary deliberations on the
resolution. This "white paper" will examine ways in which
Denmark's military and civilian contributions in Iraq should
be changed to meet Iraq's evolving stabilization and
reconstruction needs. Danish officials already have begun
work on the paper's conceptual outline, but do not expect to
start drafting the document until mid-April.

--------------
Danish Interest in U.S. Insights
--------------


5. (C) MFA Director for International Security Policy Kim
Jorgensen told Pol/Econ Counselor March 10 that the Danish
government would be interested in hosting Iraq consultations
with U.S. military and civilian officials. The Danes are
interested in meeting with officials who can provide
authoritative insight into U.S. planning as well as respond
to specific political and operational queries. Jorgensen
said the MFA, just as it did for Deputy Senior Advisor on
Iraq Deutsch's visit (Ref C),would convoke appropriate
Danish officials from relevant ministries and offices for
detailed consultations and arrange for courtesy calls on
senior Danish officials. In light of the Danish timetable,
the period in which the U.S. can have maximum influence is
right before that time, the week of April 3.

--------------
Recommendation
--------------


6. (C) Consultations, and the public awareness that we
continue to consult closely with Denmark, are vital to

keeping one of our most steadfast partners in Europe fully
engaged in Iraq. Embassy strongly endorses the Danish
request for an interagency USG team to meet with their Danish
counterparts during the first week of April in Copenhagen.
This would be an ideal opportunity to help ensure continued
Danish support for our shared goals in Iraq. The USG team
would also have the opportunity to influence and shape Danish
decision-making in Iraq, including revisiting potential
Danish interest in providing the UN Mission in Iraq (UNAMI)
with a dedicated C-130 starting in fall 2006. In addition,
Embassy recommends that such a team be prepared to do some
media outreach while in Copenhagen. It would also be useful
for senior U.S. officials to make themselves available to
Danish journalists in the run-up to the Danish parliament's
Iraq vote at the end of May.
CAIN