UKRAINE: IRAQ DEPLOYMENT REQUIREMENTS

C O N F I D E N T I A L KYIV 002759 SIPDIS SIPDIS DEPT ALSO FOR PM, NEA/I, AND EUR/UMB E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/06/2017 TAGS: MARR MOPS PREL IZ UP SUBJECT: UKRAINE: IRAQ DEPLOYMENT REQUIREMENTS REF: STATE 150164 Classified By: Political Counselor Kent Logsdon for reasons 1.4(b,d) ¶1. (C) With regard to all the scenarios contained in reftel, Ukraine's parliament must approve the deployment of Ukrainian military units in peacekeeping operations (PKO),while the President can authorize the participation of individual members of the military in PKOs by the issuance of a Presidential Decree. Thus, legislative approval or a simple executive decision could apply in any of reftel's four scenarios. That said, we believe the first (Ukraine joining a U.S.-Iraq agreement) and fourth (Ukrainian troops or units deploying as part of forces under U.S. command) scenarios would be most feasible for Ukraine. In particular, the third scenario (Ukraine and Iraq signing a separate bilateral agreement based on the U.S.-Iraq model) would be a lengthy process taking many months. ¶2. (SBU) Ukrainian President Yushchenko and Defense Minister Hrytsenko both place a high value generally on Ukraine's participation in PKOs as an opportunity for Ukraine to demonstrate its readiness to contribute to international stability. Ukraine currently has contingents and personnel serving in various operations in nine countries. Ukraine is also the only non-NATO country that is participating in every NATO operation. Ukraine currently has 34 personnel in Iraq, with thirty-one personnel serving on headquarters staffs and providing training of Iraqi police and security forces. Three personnel serve in the NATO training mission. By Presidential Decree, Ukraine may send up to 50 personnel to Iraq. (Note: Issuance of a new Presidential Decree, which could be required if the current UNSCR's authority expires, could be a process requiring several months.) ¶3. (SBU) The likelihood of future Ukrainian participation in Iraq after the current MNF-I mandate expires and the importance of a follow-on UNSCR will also depend, however, on the selection of the next prime minister and the composition of the next cabinet, both of which are currently issues under negotiation in the wake of the September 30 parliamentary elections. Our Ukrainian interlocutors themselves would probably not be able to respond to reftel's questions authoritatively until a new parliamentary coalition and government are formed, but we stand ready to engage them if requested. ¶4. (U) Visit Embassy Kyiv's classified website: www.state.sgov.gov/p/eur/kiev. Taylor