DELIVERING ON NATO'S PROMISE TO AFGHANISTAN

C O N F I D E N T I A L WELLINGTON 000911 SIPDIS SIPDIS STATE FOR D (FRITZ),EAP/FO, EUR/RPM, AND EAP/ANP NSC FOR VICTOR CHA SECDEF FOR OSD/ISD JESSICA POWERS PACOM FOR J01E/J2/J233/J5/SJFHQ E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/20/2016 TAGS: PREL MARR MOPS PINS NZ SUBJECT: DELIVERING ON NATO'S PROMISE TO AFGHANISTAN REF: SECSTATE 186256 Classified By: DCM David Keegan, for reasons 1.4(b) and (d) ¶1. (C) Pol-Econ Couns shared reftel points with Michael Swain, Deputy Director of the Security Policy Division at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade (MFAT). Swain expressed sympathy with our frustrations over caveats (NZDF force personnel operate without caveats in Afghanistan) and said NZ remains appreciative of US support of NZDF operations. ¶2. (C) Swain also said that GNZ Ministers will over the coming months be considering options for a future NZDF role in Afghanistan, as the current deployment is only scheduled through September 2007. GNZ takes its commitment seriously, but Ministers have made it clear that NZDF must be able to cover all contingencies in the region, where New Zealand and Australia are the first and last resort. Troops are in Solomons and Timor and now also Tonga, and events in Fiji remain worrisome, said Swain. ¶3. (C) Comment: Post will continue to monitor closely GNZ's review of its Afghanistan commitments and encourage a continued, meaningful NZDF presence. Higher level expressions of encouragement from senior USG officials meeting with GNZ counterparts would also be useful here. McCormick