LUXEMBOURG'S CONTRIBUTIONS TO AFGHANISTAN

UNCLAS LUXEMBOURG 000398 SIPDIS SIPDIS DEPT FOR EUR/WE AND SCA/A E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: NATO PREL PGOV MOPS MARR LU AF SUBJECT: LUXEMBOURG'S CONTRIBUTIONS TO AFGHANISTAN ¶1. (U) The Ministry of Defense recently provided the Embassy with updated facts and figures concerning Luxembourg's total contributions to Afghanistan's security and development. The information included military as well as developmental assistance. ¶2. (U) Regarding military assistance, since 2003, Luxembourg has supported ISAF through the consistent deployment of nine personnel for four-month tours. A total of 12 detachments have deployed thus far. These personnel are assigned to the Belgian Force Protection Company with the mission of protecting Kabul International Airport as well as VIP escorts to and from the airport. Additionally, in the July 2004 to January 2005 time frame, one officer and one NCO were deployed with the European Corps headquarters to man the headquarters of ISAF VI. ¶3. (U) On the development front, Luxembourg has provided a total of 19.5 million EUR (25.5 million USD) in bilateral development assistance since 2000 as well as an additional 1.41 million EUR (1.85 million USD) in assistance through NATO and the UN. This includes, most notably, 1 million EUR for the ANA equipment trust fund for the acquisition of passive security equipment (i.e. helmets and body armor) and 200,000 EUR for the Partnership for Peace trust fund for the physical security and stockpiling of ammunition in Afghanistan. In 2006, Luxembourg donated over 200,000 EUR to the NATO-Russia Council pilot project on counternarcotics training for Afghan and Central Asian personnel. ¶4. (U) Much of Luxembourg's development assistance has been targeted at women's issues including maternal health; food security in remote areas; humanitarian projects through NGOs such as Caritas and Handicap International; election support; and institution building. In coming years, the GOL plans to spend about 100,000 EUR annually to support infrastructure development at the Kabul Military High School. KRAFT