SCENESETTER FOR EUR DAS DICARLO VISIT TO

UNCLAS TALLINN 000064 SIPDIS SENSITIVE SIPDIS DEPARTMENT FOR EUR/NB KAYE LEE E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: OTRA PREL EN SUBJECT: SCENESETTER FOR EUR DAS DICARLO VISIT TO TALLINN, FEBRUARY 5-6 REF: A) 06 TALLINN 1114 B) TALLINN 0002 ¶1. (U) Welcome to Tallinn. Your visit will bring you to one of our most supportive allies in Europe. Your arrival comes on the heels of the President's historic visit to Estonia last November, and amidst fervent campaigning for Estonia's parliamentary elections in early March. ¶2. (SBU) Foreign Affairs Minister Urmas Paet and Defense Minister Jurgen Ligi will host the Adriatic- Baltic-Atlantic Ministerial (A3B3) on February 5-6 at the Radisson Hotel in Tallinn. Prime Minister Andrus Ansip will also host a lunch for conference attendees. Confirmed participants include Foreign Ministers from Albania, Croatia, Macedonia, Bosnia, Montenegro, and Lithuania and Defense Ministers from Albania, Croatia, Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia, and Lithuania. The conference agenda includes discussions on: -- Regional security and international operations; -- The role of education in defense transformation; -- Maintaining momentum after the Riga NATO Summit; -- Tasks and challenges associated with defense transformation; and -- NATO expansion. Estonia: A Staunch NATO Ally -------------- ¶3. (U) Estonia consistently supports U.S. positions within NATO. Despite the small size of its military, it is contributing almost 5% of its deployable forces to NATO operations in Afghanistan and Kosovo, as well as Operation Iraqi Freedom and EUFOR-ALTHEA, the European Union peacekeeping force in Bosnia. Since joining NATO in 2004, Estonia has made significant strides in transforming its own military into an effective and experienced contributor to NATO and other international military operations. Unlike some NATO allies which are cutting back on defense spending, the GOE is on track to meet its NATO commitment of devoting 2 percent of its GDP to defense (currently at 1.83%). Public support for NATO is strong in Estonia: surveys consistently show that more than 70% of the public supports NATO membership. ¶4. (U) Estonia has prioritized its mission in Afghanistan as its most significant contribution to the global war on terror (GWOT). Estonian soldiers participate in the UK-led Provincial Reconstruction Team (PRT) in Helmand Province in the south. This is the epicenter of Afghanistan's opium production and has recently seen a strong resurgence of Taliban activity. In 2006, the GOE increased its troop contribution to 130 and posted a diplomat to Helmand to oversee development assistance projects. Since 2002, Estonia has donated USD 187,631 in humanitarian assistance to Afghanistan. For 2007, it has pledged to provide an additional USD 91,000 worth of hospital equipment to the children's ward of the central Helmand hospital. ¶5. (SBU) Estonia has soldiers in Bosnia, participating in an EU-peacekeeping operation, as well as in Kosovo in a NATO-led operation. In Bosnia, Estonia recently increased its troop contribution to 29 soldiers for EURFOR-ALTHEA. In Kosovo, Estonia had a company size infantry unit participating in a Danish-led peacekeeping force in 2006. However, with Afghanistan deemed a higher priority, the number of troops was reduced to 25, where they serve in Pristina as military police. ¶6. (U) Estonia is a vocal supporter of NATO expansion. Prime Minister Ansip and Foreign Minister Paet regularly speak out on the importance of bringing Balkan and Eastern European countries into NATO in order to cement democratic and free-market reforms there. Estonia's own experience creating a booming economy and vibrant democracy after re-independence has given it immense credibility in promoting transformational diplomacy. Despite its commitment to NATO expansion, Estonia has always made it clear that no aspirant country should be given a "free ride" when it comes to fulfilling membership requirements. President Toomas Hendrik Ilves, Prime Minister Ansip, and Foreign Minister Paet recently reiterated this message in meetings with Ukrainian President, Viktor Yanukovych, and Georgian President, Mikheil Saakashvili (Ref A and B). A Democracy Promoter -------------- ¶7. (U) The GOE has provided significant technical assistance to Georgia, Ukraine, and the Balkans to aid in these governments' political, military and economic reforms. The GOE annually sponsors Georgian, Ukrainian and Balkan officers and civilians to study at the Baltic Defense College. The GOE also provides training through its Public Service Academy and School of Diplomacy for Ukrainian, Georgian, and Moldovan diplomats, civil servants, law enforcement, and customs agents. ¶8. (U) Estonia has also conducted cooperation and development assistance projects in the Balkans and Adriatic. Estonia's outreach has focused on IT, tourism, market reforms, and institution building through project partnerships. Since 2000, Estonia has engaged in the following outreach projects: - organized a conference in Macedonia on how to use EU structural funds (2005); - provided IT and communications training through its e-Governance Academy for civil servants from Albania, Bosnia, Macedonia, Serbia, and Montenegro (2004); - organized conference on Ecotourism to promote cross border cooperation for government officials from Albania, Bosnia, Croatia, Serbia, and Montenegro (2004); - provided technical assistance for WTO membership on agriculture reform for government officials from Albania, Macedonia, Serbia, and Montenegro (2003); - provided technical assistance for juridical and legal curriculum development for judges from Albania (2003); - funded cultural and education exchanges between Estonian and Bosnian students (2001); and - hosted media self-regulation training for members of the Press Council of Bosnia (2000). Iraq: Staying the Course -------------- ¶9. (U) The GOE has been a committed partner in Iraq. Currently, 38 Estonian soldiers serve shoulder-to- shoulder with U.S. 1st Brigade Combat Team outside of Baghdad, where they engage in some of the toughest counterinsurgency missions (in which Estonians have suffered 18 casualties, including 2 killed). U.S. commanders on the ground have consistently praised Estonian soldiers for their skill, professionalism, and valuable contributions to a critical mission. In late December 2006, Estonia's parliament voted to renew the GOE's Iraq mission mandate for an additional year, despite a low level of public support. Additionally, the combination of a tight labor market, a booming economy, and continued emigration of Estonian workers to higher wage EU member states has created military staffing shortages, which have placed an additional strain on operations. While it is unlikely that the March Parliamentary elections will result in a significant change in Estonia's policy towards Iraq, maintaining political support for Iraq will be a serious challenge in the medium- to long- term. Bios of Key Estonian Interlocutors -------------- ¶10. (U) Prime Minister Andrus Ansip was born in Tartu, Estonia's second largest city, in 1956. Ansip is the leader of the Estonian Reform Party, a pro-free market and trans-Atlanticist party. After a career in banking and finance, Ansip entered politics in 1998 as mayor of Tartu. In 2004, he became the head of the Reform Party and the Minister of Economy. Ansip became Prime Minister in April 2005, when the current three-party coalition was formed. He is running for election to Parliament and is his party's candidate for Prime Minister. Ansip speaks English, German, and Russian. ¶11. (U) Foreign Minister Urmas Paet was born on April 20, 1974, in Tallinn. Like PM Ansip, Paet is a member of the Reform Party. Prior to becoming a politician, Paet worked in the media. In March 2003, he was elected to parliament (representing a district in Tallinn). Paet served as Minister of Culture before becoming Foreign Minister in 2005. Paet is a leading Reform candidate in the elections. He speaks Russian, English, German and Finnish. ¶12. (U) Defense Minister Jurgen Ligi was born in Tartu in 1959. Like Ansip and Paet, Ligi is also a member of the Reform Party and is running for election to Parliament. Prior to politics, Ligi was an economist and an economic advisor in local government. He was elected to parliament in 1995 and has been Minister of Defense since October 2005. Ligi speaks English, Finnish, and Russian. ¶13. (SBU) These three men are among the strongest and most vocal supporters of NATO and Estonia's active role in the GWOT. They regularly articulate a moral case to the public for Estonia's participation in NATO and foreign operations -- Estonia's obligation to repay its "debt" for the external support it received after re-independence. They are also strong advocates for Estonia's efforts to promote democracy and market reform abroad. GOLDSTEIN