BELGIAN MOD ON PLANS FOR THE MILITARY IN 2009

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 BRUSSELS 001496 SIPDIS STATE FOR EUR/WE, EUR/RPM, SCA/A, AF/C, EUR/SCE AND NEA/ARN E.O. 12958: DECL: 09/24/2018 TAGS: PGOV PREL MARR BE AF LE CG CD KV SUBJECT: BELGIAN MOD ON PLANS FOR THE MILITARY IN 2009 REF: STATE 97991 Classified By: Pol-Econ Counselor Richard Eason, reason 1.4(b) and (d). ¶1. (C) Summary: Belgian troops are operating in Afghanistan, Kosovo, Lebanon, Chad and the Congo. The Ministry of Defense is developing a strategy for 2009 that foresees increases in the Belgian participation in Afghanistan and in the EU Battle Group, but a pullback in Lebanon. Although Defense Minister De Crem and his generals would like for Belgium to contribute more, the MOD is operating at its budgetary and political limits. Therefore, at this time, we believe it is unlikely the MOD or the GOB will be able to contribute the significant amounts requested reftel for the Afghan National Army. De Crem, Development Minister Michel and U.S. Embassy DCM Bush are going to Afghanistan on September 30, and will have a chance to discuss what more Belgium might be able to do in regard to the ANA. Given political an budgetary realities, a positive response will be difficult to obtain. End Summary. ¶2. (C) Poloff met on September 22 with Vincent Mertens de Wilmars, Director of the Diplomatic Department of the Belgian Ministry of Defense, to present reftel request for contributions to sustaining the Afghan National Army. The meeting took place as a shakeup in the federal government's coalition raised questions about the durability of Prime Minister Leterme's government. Mertens outlined an ambitious vision of Belgium's military activities in 2009 that will undoubtedly be controversial and meet resistance in government circles. He said that Defense Minister De Crem's staff was putting the final touches on a paper that would present the program to the government for consideration, but that the uncertainties in the government would likely delay its presentation for the time being. AFGHANISTAN -------------- ¶3. (C) Mertens said that De Crem would like to extend the approved 6-month deployment of Belgian F-16's, which arrived in Kandahar, Afghanistan on September 3, to twelve months. De Crem is anxious for Belgian troops to "get beyond the fence" in Afghanistan in 2009. An Operational Mentoring and Liaison Team (OMLT) will likely be deployed in January or February 2009. De Crem would like for it to get established, evaluate its success and then create a second OMLT unit. The Minister is putting out feelers in Brussels to gauge the level of support for a second OMLT. ¶4. (C) Note: Minister De Crem will go to Afghanistan on September 30-October 1, accompanied by Minister for Development Cooperation Charles Michel, several parliamentarians and the press. U.S Embassy DCM Bush will go with him as well. They will visit Kabul Airport (KAIA), where 316 Belgian troops have had the lead for the past year and are soon to turn the lead over to Hungary. After that, all but 37 of the troops will remain to operate the airport and to train Afghan airport personnel. De Crem will also review operations in Kandahar, where about 100 Belgians are stationed along with the F-16's. Another 24 troops are stationed at Kunduz in the North of Afghanistan in a PRT under German command. De Crem's trip is an effort to showcase a successful mission and build support for a continued and expanded presence in Afghanistan. End Note. LEBANON -------------- ¶5. (C) The Belgian Army has 489 troops in Lebanon. Of these, 313 are supporting UNOFIL, notably in de-mining operations. A Belgian naval frigate with a crew of 157 is also supporting UNOFIL operations. Mertens said that the Belgians will be taking over leadership of the European Union Battle Group in 2009, and will be required to hold 800 troops and a hospital in readiness. The Army's only hospital is in Lebanon now. As a result, De Crem would like to pull out or seriously reduce Belgium's presence in Lebanon. Pulling back from Lebanon is politically sensitive, since it is a francophone country and has significantly more support in Belgium than does Afghanistan, Mertens said. CHAD -------------- ¶6. (C) Mertens said De Crem intends for the 100 Belgian troops in Chad to stay on there, because the situation remains unsettled and because UN involvement gives his government a strong basis for a presence there. KOSOVO -------------- BRUSSELS 00001496 002 OF 002 ¶7. (C) In Kosovo, the MOD is evaluating what it should do. The 200 Belgian troops will stay there until mid-2009, Mertens said. However, he believes that the Belgians should not be expanding their presence when others are scaling back. CONGO -------------- ¶8. (C) Mertens did not mention the Democratic Republic of the Congo, where Belgium has about 60 troops training Congolese engineers in Kananga. ENLARGING THE AFGHAN ARMY -------------- ¶9. (C) Comment: Reftel requests a contribution from the Belgian Government for an expanded Afghan National Army, in the amount of USD 10 million in each of the years 2010-2014. The Belgian MOD is operating at its budgetary limits, as well as its current political limits, and is unlikely to be able to find such an amount for the ANA. However, DCM will discuss the idea with De Crem and Michel during his trip to Afghanistan to see if there is a way Belgium can respond positively. Frankly, given budgetary and political realities, we think a contribution is unlikely. It may be somewhat easier to obtain financial support from other areas of the Belgian government if the request is revamped to encompass development and humanitarian assistance as well. End Comment. FOX .