NEW EUPOL HOM WOULD LIKE TO DEPLOY THROUGHOUT

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 BRUSSELS 001679

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/29/2018
TAGS: AF BO EUN GG MARR MOPS PARM PGOV PREL RS
SUBJECT: NEW EUPOL HOM WOULD LIKE TO DEPLOY THROUGHOUT
AFGHANISTAN

REF: A. BRU 3501

B. BRU 0882

C. BRU 0348

Classified By: CHRISTOPHER DAVIS FOR REASON 1.4B/D

New EUPOL Head of Mission would like to deploy throughout
Afghanistan


1. (SBU) Summary: On October 24 the new EUPOL Head of
Mission, Police Commissioner Kai Vittrup, met with USEU
Ambassador to discuss his mission, now that the PSC has
approved the doubling of personnel and reassessed the
mandate. Vittrup said that EUPOL would like to deploy to the
Czech PRT in Logar; however, the Czechs cannot agree, since
the U.S. still provides the logistical support there. He
will raise this with Ambassador Wood. Vittrup highlighted
his positive experiences working with the U.S. in previous
positions and intends to coordinate EUPOL's efforts closely
with the U.S. in Afghanistan. He plans to meet U.S.
leadership during the week of November 3, especially the
CSTC-A Commander and U.S. Ambassador. During this meeting,
CPCC's Director for the Middle East and Asia, Dr. Allison
Weston said that the PSC has agreed that the current EUPOL
mandate allows for limited support at district levels,
especially in the assessing and mentoring phases of FDD.
However, she emphasized that member states s
till view Kabul, the Regional Commands and the PRTs as
EUPOL's primary focus. End Summary.

EUPOL goal to deploy throughout all of Afghanistan
-------------- --------------

2. (SBU) In his meeting October 24 with USEU Ambassador,
Danish Police Commissioner Kai Vittrup - who replaced
Brigadier Gen Jurgen Scholz barely a week before as Head of
the EU Police Mission in Afghanistan - stressed the
importance of EUPOL deployment throughout Afghanistan. He
was accompanied by the CPCC (Civilian Operations Command)
Office Director for Asia and Middle East, Dr. Alison Weston
and EUPOL Political Advisor, Mr. Jean-Baptiste Valmary.
Vittrup said EUPOL's effectiveness should increase as
personnel go up from 240 to 400 beginning in December, and as
EUPOL's senior management team is reinforced. Further
improving the outlook, Vittrup said, is his commitment to
coordinating closely with the U.S. and the international
community. The new Afghan Minister of Interior and a new EU
Special Representative are positives as well. Vittrup
cautioned, however, that EUPOL's mission and capabilities are
often misunderstood. The mandate is meant to support a
sustainable command structure from Kabul down
to the Districts, rather than to train police specifically.

Difficulty getting into the Czech PRT of Logar
-------------- --

3. (SBU) Vittrup asked for help in placing EUPOL personnel
in the Logar PRT just south of Kabul, particularly since it
is now run by an EU member state. Even though the Czechs
recently took over staffing this PRT from the U.S., the U.S.,
rather than the Czechs, still provides the logistical
support; therefore the Czechs cannot agree to a EUPOL
presence without EUPOL's technical agreement with the U.S.
Vitrrup said he intends to raise this matter with Ambassador
Wood in Kabul.

FDD and EUPOL's Mandate
--------------

4. (SBU) Vittrup told the Ambassador that he was very
familiar with CSTC-A's ambitious Focused District Development
(FDD) program to reform Afghan police district by district,
through training, equipping and mentoring. He thought
EUPOL's mandate was complementary to FDD-EUPOL from the top
down, and FDD from the districts up. However, he said the EU
does understand that the district level is now where

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international assistance is needed most. Dr. Alison Weston
from the CPCC intervened to tell the Ambassador that EU
CIVCOM has reassessed the EUPOL mandate and OPLAN,
determining that they provide enough flexibility for the
EUPOL HoM to deploy personnel at the district level, when it
is necessary and practical, and when security conditions are
acceptable. Weston added, however, that it is unlikely EUPOL
will operate extensively at the district level, because its
primary instruction from member states is to mentor at the
strategic and regional levels. That said, EUPOL could help
FDD by providing the assessme
nt and mentoring (Phases I & III) aspects of FDD at PRTs and
in some districts, where practical, and where the security
and support environment permit.

EUPOL Deployment to U.S. PRTs
--------------

5. (C) Vittrup asked about the status of a technical
agreement with the United States, especially since EUPOL is
aggressively searching for PRT locations to deploy its
additional personnel, and the absorption capacity of European
PRTs is limited. He and the Council Secretariat experts
accompanying him relayed that EUPOL could better fulfill its
mandate if deployed in U.S. PRTs for two reasons: EU
deployment would be almost country-wide providing continuity
in reform at the strategic, institutional, and leadership
levels; second, it would send the political signal to the
Afghans that the international community is united in its
efforts, and to EU member states that the United States
values EUPOL. Vittrup acknowledged that he also intends to
improve on-the-ground coordination with ISAF/OEF, in the
absence of technical agreements with NATO and the U.S.

Visit to Washington
--------------

6. (SBU) Vittrup said he was eager to get to Kabul. He is
expected to brief the EU member states on EUPOL and in
January will make recommendations forthe future of the
mission. He said he will not visit Washington, D.C. until
January or February, likely as part of a larger EU delegation
including: the EU Commission Head of Delegation in Kabul;
and the EUSR for Afghanistan, Mr. Ettore Sequi.

Bio note: Kai Vittrup-the right man for the job
-------------- ---

7. (SBU) Kai Vittrup, a Danish police professional, replaces
two successive German predecessors in a mission perceived by
many to be ineffective. In addition to a 40-year career in
the Danish national police force, he has worked for the UN as
Police Commissioner for UNMIK (2006-06) and UNMIS (2006-08).
Vittrup was also Senior Police Advisor for the Coalition
Provisional Authority in Iraq from 2003-2004. He is widely
regarded as a capable leader who will emphasize coordination
with other international actors -- particularly the United
States. According to EU contacts, he is largely seen as the
right leader to improve EUPOL on the heels of EU's recent
decision to expand from 240 to roughly 400 authorized
personnel.

Comment: U.S.-EU/NATO-EU Technical Agreements
-------------- -

8. (C) UK and Council Secretariat officials have told USEU
separately that European leaders understand the importance of
getting Afghanistan right, even if European publics may not.
Member State and Council Secretariat contacts have also told
USEU separately that being able to deploy in U.S. PRTs would
improve EUPOL. The U.S. may be well placed to enhance the
EU's role in building up the Afghan National Police. USEU
officials and visitors from Washington are recurrently
reminded by EU Council Secretariat officials that they are
awaiting U.S. response to the EU's request for a technical
agreement that will support EUPOL's deployment in U.S. areas.
Vittrup told the Ambassador that at least half of the

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projected 400 police should be deployed outside of Kabul, but
that this will be difficult absent such a formal technical
agreement with the U.S.


9. (C) Most member states and non-EU contributing countries,
including Canada, want to ensure that obstacles such as this
one are removed, so that EUPOL, with new leadership, can best
provide added value in police reform.

SILVERBERG
.