ESTONIA UNLIKELY TO SUPPLY TROOPS FOR

UNCLAS TALLINN 000714 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PREL PTER MOPS UN IS EN SUBJECT: ESTONIA UNLIKELY TO SUPPLY TROOPS FOR INTERNATIONAL FORCE IN LEBANON REF: (A) STATE 128442 (B) TALLINN 00689 (U) On August 8 we delivered reftel points (ref A) to Acting MFA Director General for Political Affairs, Arti Hilpus, and asked once more the possibility of Estonia contributing to any eventual international peacekeeping force in Lebanon. Hilpus reiterated that, as Estonia already has close to ten percent of its armed forces serving in foreign missions, it is unlikely that Estonia can contribute any troops for a mission in Lebanon. In an August 9 meeting with Israeli Ambassador to Estonia, Shemi Tzur, Foreign Minister Urmas Paet publicly expressed his support for an international peace keeping force and that he did not rule out possible participation of Estonian soldiers at a later date. In the meantime, the MFA has donated 500,000 EEK ($42,000) in humanitarian assistance for UN operations in Lebanon. Also, if a ceasefire is brokered, Estonia has a rapid-reaction disaster-relief medical team that may be available, although no serious discussions have yet taken place in the MFA on deployment. The GOE's preference is for a peacekeeping force sent under a concrete UN mandate. However, given the fact that Estonia is not planning to contribute personnel, Hilpus said the GOE will defer to the preferences of the lead countries contributing to this force. WOS