Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
06WARSAW2478
2006-11-30 11:18:00
CONFIDENTIAL
Embassy Warsaw
Cable title:
POLAND-IRAQ: GOP PREPARING TO CONFIRM TROOP
VZCZCXRO2461 OO RUEHBC RUEHDBU RUEHDE RUEHFL RUEHIHL RUEHKUK RUEHKW RUEHLA RUEHROV RUEHSR DE RUEHWR #2478 3341118 ZNY CCCCC ZZH O 301118Z NOV 06 FM AMEMBASSY WARSAW TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 2541 INFO RUCNRAQ/IRAQ COLLECTIVE RUEHZL/EUROPEAN POLITICAL COLLECTIVE RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK 1376
C O N F I D E N T I A L WARSAW 002478
SIPDIS
SIPDIS
E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/29/2011
TAGS: PARM PREL UNSC MOPS MARR PL IZ
SUBJECT: POLAND-IRAQ: GOP PREPARING TO CONFIRM TROOP
PRESENCE THROUGH DECEMBER 31, 2007
REF: A. WARSAW 2433
B. STATE 188677
C. STATE 188249
Classified By: Political Counselor Mary Curtin, reasons 1.4(b) and (d)
C O N F I D E N T I A L WARSAW 002478
SIPDIS
SIPDIS
E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/29/2011
TAGS: PARM PREL UNSC MOPS MARR PL IZ
SUBJECT: POLAND-IRAQ: GOP PREPARING TO CONFIRM TROOP
PRESENCE THROUGH DECEMBER 31, 2007
REF: A. WARSAW 2433
B. STATE 188677
C. STATE 188249
Classified By: Political Counselor Mary Curtin, reasons 1.4(b) and (d)
1. (C) SUMMARY. Senior MFA officials stated privately that
the Council of Ministers would shortly forward to President
Kaczynski a decision extending the Polish deployment to Iraq
through December 31, 2007, consistent with the newly passed
UNSCR 1723, while MOD and the General Staff confirmed
planning for deployments at current levels in 2007. In
response to a leaked memo from DefMin Sikorski recommending
that Poland withdraw from Iraq in July 2007, President Lech
Kaczynski reconfirmed publicly November 27 that Poland will
fulfill its commitments to Iraq and stay to the end of 2007.
Nonetheless, the level of "semi-public" debate and anxiety
over Iraq deployments continues to rise. END SUMMARY.
2. (U) The Polish edition of Newsweek published November 27 a
leaked memo from DefMin Radek Sikorski to President Lech
Kaczynski that recommended Poland withdraw from Iraq in July
2007 at the end of the next six-month rotation of troops to
the Polish-led Multi-National Division Center South (MND-CS).
The memo, dated October 24, asserted that the MND-CS had
accomplished its mission and would be able to hand over full
responsibility for its sector to Iraqi security forces and
argued that the Iraq mission should be discontinued in light
of Poland's increased troop commitments in Afghanistan,
Lebanon and elsewhere. Although Newsweek's front page story
created a brief furor, President Lech Kaczynski quickly
issued a statement reconfirming his consistent public
position since meeting President Bush in Washington in
January 2007, that Polish troops would remain in Iraq through
2007.
3. (C) Amb. Krzysztof Plominski, Acting Director of the MFA
Middle East Africa Department, called in PolExt Chief to
provide an update on Poland's Iraq policy and similarly rebut
the Newsweek story. Plominski shared the instructions he had
sent to Polish Amb. Janusz Reiter in Washington for the
November 29 "Iraqi Forum," which included the clear message
that Poland would stay in Iraq in 2007. With UNSCR 1723 now
passed and a letter received from Iraqi National Security
Adviser Rubai on November 27 explicitly requesting that
Polish troops remain in Iraq, the last remaining procedural
requirements for a government decision on troop extension
(Ref A) had been fulfilled.
4. (C) Plominski said that the MFA expected the Council of
Ministers to approve and forward to President Kaczynski for
signature in the next two weeks a decision extending the
Polish deployment until December 2007, consistent with the
new mandate under UNSCR 1723 and the request contained in
Rubai's letter - which was consistent with the request from
Iraqi PM al Maliki to the UN Security Council (Ref C).
Plominski was unable to provide details on numbers and tasks
of the next Polish rotation that was due to arrive in January
2007. However, MOD and General Staff officials have
confirmed separately to USDAO Warsaw that they are preparing
for a January rotation much like the current deployment -
800-900 troops split between the two bases at Al Kut and Ad
Divaniyah.
5. COMMENT. GOP officials from the president and the PM down
have consistently reiterated their readiness to keep Polish
troops in Iraq through the end of 2007, with the single
exception of Sikorski, who has focused his energies and
public support instead on Poland's upcoming deployment of
some 1200 troops to Afghanistan, where he served as a British
journalist in the 1980s. Nevertheless, in Poland as in other
Coalition states there is increasing anxiety and
"semi-public" debate among elites in and out of government
regarding the future of the mission in Iraq. END COMMENT.
ASHE
SIPDIS
SIPDIS
E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/29/2011
TAGS: PARM PREL UNSC MOPS MARR PL IZ
SUBJECT: POLAND-IRAQ: GOP PREPARING TO CONFIRM TROOP
PRESENCE THROUGH DECEMBER 31, 2007
REF: A. WARSAW 2433
B. STATE 188677
C. STATE 188249
Classified By: Political Counselor Mary Curtin, reasons 1.4(b) and (d)
1. (C) SUMMARY. Senior MFA officials stated privately that
the Council of Ministers would shortly forward to President
Kaczynski a decision extending the Polish deployment to Iraq
through December 31, 2007, consistent with the newly passed
UNSCR 1723, while MOD and the General Staff confirmed
planning for deployments at current levels in 2007. In
response to a leaked memo from DefMin Sikorski recommending
that Poland withdraw from Iraq in July 2007, President Lech
Kaczynski reconfirmed publicly November 27 that Poland will
fulfill its commitments to Iraq and stay to the end of 2007.
Nonetheless, the level of "semi-public" debate and anxiety
over Iraq deployments continues to rise. END SUMMARY.
2. (U) The Polish edition of Newsweek published November 27 a
leaked memo from DefMin Radek Sikorski to President Lech
Kaczynski that recommended Poland withdraw from Iraq in July
2007 at the end of the next six-month rotation of troops to
the Polish-led Multi-National Division Center South (MND-CS).
The memo, dated October 24, asserted that the MND-CS had
accomplished its mission and would be able to hand over full
responsibility for its sector to Iraqi security forces and
argued that the Iraq mission should be discontinued in light
of Poland's increased troop commitments in Afghanistan,
Lebanon and elsewhere. Although Newsweek's front page story
created a brief furor, President Lech Kaczynski quickly
issued a statement reconfirming his consistent public
position since meeting President Bush in Washington in
January 2007, that Polish troops would remain in Iraq through
2007.
3. (C) Amb. Krzysztof Plominski, Acting Director of the MFA
Middle East Africa Department, called in PolExt Chief to
provide an update on Poland's Iraq policy and similarly rebut
the Newsweek story. Plominski shared the instructions he had
sent to Polish Amb. Janusz Reiter in Washington for the
November 29 "Iraqi Forum," which included the clear message
that Poland would stay in Iraq in 2007. With UNSCR 1723 now
passed and a letter received from Iraqi National Security
Adviser Rubai on November 27 explicitly requesting that
Polish troops remain in Iraq, the last remaining procedural
requirements for a government decision on troop extension
(Ref A) had been fulfilled.
4. (C) Plominski said that the MFA expected the Council of
Ministers to approve and forward to President Kaczynski for
signature in the next two weeks a decision extending the
Polish deployment until December 2007, consistent with the
new mandate under UNSCR 1723 and the request contained in
Rubai's letter - which was consistent with the request from
Iraqi PM al Maliki to the UN Security Council (Ref C).
Plominski was unable to provide details on numbers and tasks
of the next Polish rotation that was due to arrive in January
2007. However, MOD and General Staff officials have
confirmed separately to USDAO Warsaw that they are preparing
for a January rotation much like the current deployment -
800-900 troops split between the two bases at Al Kut and Ad
Divaniyah.
5. COMMENT. GOP officials from the president and the PM down
have consistently reiterated their readiness to keep Polish
troops in Iraq through the end of 2007, with the single
exception of Sikorski, who has focused his energies and
public support instead on Poland's upcoming deployment of
some 1200 troops to Afghanistan, where he served as a British
journalist in the 1980s. Nevertheless, in Poland as in other
Coalition states there is increasing anxiety and
"semi-public" debate among elites in and out of government
regarding the future of the mission in Iraq. END COMMENT.
ASHE