UK FACILITATES TRANSIT OF DANISH CARGO

C O N F I D E N T I A L ISLAMABAD 009772 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 05/25/2016 TAGS: MARR MASS PGOV PK PREL SUBJECT: UK FACILITATES TRANSIT OF DANISH CARGO REF: ENGELKEN-GRENCIK EMAIL 17 MAY 06 Classified By: Ambassador Ryan C. Crocker, Reasons 1.4 (b) and (d) ¶1. (C) In response to inquiries via State and Defense Department channels (Reftel),post has confirmed through the British High Commmision (BHC) and Danish Defense Command Representatives that Danish military cargo transiting Pakistan en route to Afghanistan was successfully offloaded at Karachi on 22 May. The Danes discharged 33 flat racks of vehicles, 2 empty flat racks, and 247 containers. The first truck convoy transporting the cargo to the Pak-Afghan border en route to Kandahar departed Karachi just after midnight on Thursday, May 25 via commercial transporter "Secure Packers"; the BHC estimates that the convoy will reach the border crossing at Chaman in four or five days. The BHC estimates that the convoys transporting the Danish cargo will depart Karachi over the next six days. A three-member Danish team will remain in Karachi to oversee the cargo until the last transport convoy reaches Afghanistan. ¶2. (C) As this cargo will support Danish troops assigned to the British battle group in Helmand Province, Afghanistan, the BHC agreed to facilitate the transit after the Pakistani Embassy in Copenhagen denied a Danish request for a National Logistics Cell exemption authorizing transport via a private commercial carrier. (Note: The request had been forwarded through the Pakistani Embassy as the Danish Embassy in Islamabad had been closed following violent anti-cartoon demonstrations in February 2006. End note) Working in coordination with post's Office of Defense Representative - Pakistan (ODRP) and the Netherlands Defense Attache, the BHC served as a liaison between the Danes and the GOP bureaucracy. After a recent meeting attended by visiting members of the Danish Defense Command and the BHC with Pakistani's Joint Staff HQ and Ministry of Defense, the BHC stressed that failure to issue a No Objection Certificate (NOC) to the Danes permitting the use of the commercial carrier would lead to unacceptable delays, undermining ISAF's deployment in Helmand and endangering the lives of British and Danish troops. The Danes received the NOC midday May 25; the first transport convoy departed Karachi approximately twelve hours later. ¶3. (C) Comment: The BHC's willingness to facilitate the transit of this shipment offers an excellent example of ISAF cooperation. Thanks to its intervention, the Danish cargo cleared the port and was on the road according to the original deployment timeline. CROCKER