CROATIA SERIOUS ON AFGHANISTAN PRT

C O N F I D E N T I A L ZAGREB 000604 SIPDIS SIPDIS DEPARTMENT FOR EUR/SCE, EUR/RPM, SCA/A E.O. 12958: DECL: 05/15/2016 TAGS: NATO MARR PREL HR DEFENSE REFORM SUBJECT: CROATIA SERIOUS ON AFGHANISTAN PRT REF: SECSTATE 74035 Classified By: Poloff Justin Friedman, reasons 1.4 (b) & (d) ¶1. (C) Poloff met with Marta Nakic-Vojnovic, Head of the MFA NATO Department Section for International Security Operations, on May 15 to follow up on Foreign Minister Grabar-Kitarovic's visit to Afghanistan in April (Nakic-Vojnovic was also on the Croatian delegation). Nakic-Vojnovic said that the GoC was seriously interested in taking on a PRT in Afghanistan. She said that the GoC was studying what was involved in terms of personnel, costs (including possible external funding),and locations with a goal of leading a PRT within the next two years. She continued that FM Grabar-Kitarovic had been energized by her visit to Afghanistan and on her return had immediately secured PM Sanader's approval to move forward with planning for a Croatia-led PRT. The GoC will need Sabor approval to increase the number of troops it has deployed in Afghanistan to take on a lead role in a PRT. The two-year planning time frame Nakic-Vojnovic mentioned is probably an on-target estimate of what it will take to get the MFA and MoD organized to assume this responsibility and secure the necessary parliamentary approvals for higher troop levels. COMMENT: This would represent a substantial increase in Croatia's political and financial commitment to NATO operations. END COMMENT. ¶2. (SBU) At the same meeting, Poloff delivered reftel demarche on ISAF caveats (Croatia has no/no national caveats). Nakic-Vojnovic said that Croatia currently has 69 (sixty nine) troops in ISAF with the addition of 8 persons (a seven-person Military Liaison Observation Team (MLOT) plus one staff officer) to the Lithuanian-run PRT in Chagcharan. The flag-raising ceremony for the new MLOT team will take place on Tuesday, May 16. ¶3. (SBU) Nakic-Vojnovic added that the next group of 80 (eighty) troops will be deployed to Mazaar-i-Sharif with the German PRT during July and August. Of this 80, 19 (nineteen) will be an Observation Military Liaison Education and Training Team (OMLTT) embedded with the Afghan Army and a 61-person force protection platoon (including support and an intelligence cell). By the end of August, Croatia will have a total of 149 troops on the ground in Afghanistan. The current legal mandate from the Sabor (parliament) for this level of deployment runs through the end of calendar 2006. FRANK