PARLIAMENT APPROVES EXPANDED ISAF MISSION

UNCLAS BRATISLAVA 000291 SENSITIVE SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PREL PGOV ISAF MOPS LO SUBJECT: PARLIAMENT APPROVES EXPANDED ISAF MISSION REF: A. BRATISLAVA 276 ¶B. BRATISLAVA 290 ¶1. (SBU) Slovakia's Parliament approved on June 19 the Government's plan (described in Ref A) to expand its contribution to ISAF. 126 of Slovakia's 150 MPs were present for the vote, in which 119 voted in favor and seven abstained. All six MPs from the right-of-center Christian-Democratic Party (KDH) who were present abstained, as did one coalition MP, Jozef Rydlo, from the junior coalition partner Slovak National Party (SNS). At a June 19 lunch with the Ambassador, ruling Smer party representatives voiced their full support for the increase. ¶2. (SBU) Under the new mandate Slovakia can send up to 246 soldiers to Afghanistan. The Minister of Defense would like to expand Slovakia's mission one more time, to a total of 280, during the current Government's term, which is expected to last through May 2010. Slovakia is not, however, likely to send combat troops to Afghanistan prior to that time. (See Ref A and Ref B.) OBSITNIK