Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
08BRUSSELS997
2008-07-01 10:26:00
CONFIDENTIAL
USEU Brussels
Cable title:  

EULEX KOSOVO POLICE STAFFING GAPS AND TRANSITION

Tags:  PREL KPKO EUN UNMIK KV 
pdf how-to read a cable
VZCZCXRO7138
PP RUEHFL RUEHKW RUEHLA RUEHROV RUEHSR
DE RUEHBS #0997/01 1831026
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
P 011026Z JUL 08
FM USEU BRUSSELS
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY
INFO RUEHZL/EUROPEAN POLITICAL COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK PRIORITY
RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHDC PRIORITY
RXFPSH/SHAPE SHAPE BE PRIORITY
RHMFITT/CDR USEUCOM VAIHINGEN GE PRIORITY
RUEKJCS/JOINT STAFF WASHDC PRIORITY
RHEHNSC/NSC WASHDC PRIORITY
C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 BRUSSELS 000997 

SIPDIS

FOR EUR/SCE, EUR/ERA, INL

E.O. 12958: DECL: 07/01/2018
TAGS: PREL KPKO EUN UNMIK KV
SUBJECT: EULEX KOSOVO POLICE STAFFING GAPS AND TRANSITION
ACTIVITIES

Classified By: A/Political Minister-Counselor Alyce Tidball for reasons
1.4 (b) and (d).

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 BRUSSELS 000997

SIPDIS

FOR EUR/SCE, EUR/ERA, INL

E.O. 12958: DECL: 07/01/2018
TAGS: PREL KPKO EUN UNMIK KV
SUBJECT: EULEX KOSOVO POLICE STAFFING GAPS AND TRANSITION
ACTIVITIES

Classified By: A/Political Minister-Counselor Alyce Tidball for reasons
1.4 (b) and (d).


1. (C) Summary: EU officials described for member and third
state contributors current EULEX shortfalls in specialized
police capabilities including sniper and SWAT teams, K9 units
and Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) units at a June 30
workshop in Brussels. Emphasizing that it had been the
member states themselves that had decided these capabilities
were required for the EU to effectively fulfill its police
mandate in Kosovo, EULEX officials said that without adequate
contributions, EULEX would lack the ability to perform
high-risk operations and sufficiently protect EULEX
personnel. Staffing shortfalls do not extend to the crowd
and riot control aspects of the mission; the EU has secured
commitments to fill all four of the required police units in
that functional area. EULEX planners generally are satisfied
with UNMIK reconfiguration plans, but admit that specific
details remain to be discussed. In the interim period before
the EU assumes authority and begins implementing its mandate,
EULEX personnel will deploy and work to build connections
with and informally mentor Kosovar officials, as well as to
familiarize themselves with UNMIK cases and files. End
Summary.


2. (C) EU Civilian Planning and Conduct Capability (CPCC)
staff and EULEX mission officials held a June 30 workshop to
solicit member and third state contributions to the EULEX
Security and Intervention Units (SIU). The SIU units include
a 70-person Close Protection Unit (CPU),a K9 unit consisting
of 20 dog handlers and dogs, a 12-person Explosive Ordnance
Disposal (EOD) unit, and a 56-officer Intervention Group
which includes sniper and SWAT team components. EULEX
officials emphasized that only 50 percent of the slots have
been filled in these units, and without full staffing, the EU
would lack sufficient capacity to deal with high risk
operations and protect EULEX personnel. The EU currently has
no formal offers of sniper squads or K9 units, and only one
of three SWAT teams pledged. They have only 2 of the
requested 12 EOD officers. Officials explained that their

initial approach had been to request full 5-man SWAT teams or
sniper squads from contributing states in order to reduce
fragmentation and take advantage of national training but,
due to the alarming gaps, they were revising the policy to
accept contributions of individual officers with the required
expertise. The French Gendarmerie has offered pre-deployment
training in France for any subsequent multinational, "mosaic"
teams that are pieced together from new contributions.


3. (C) Describing these resources as ones "we need but hope
we never have to use," CPCC officials emphasized that it was
the member states themselves who directed planners to request
these teams and capabilities because they were essential for
the EU to fulfill the executive policing portions of its
mandate in Kosovo. Now the member states must make good on
their commitments and fill the outstanding requirements,
preferably before the July 10 deadline of the current call
for contributions. Moreover, one EULEX official noted,
because the EULEX mission represents the first time the EU
has executive powers in an ESDP mission and the first time
the EU will provide the capability of a high-end intervention
group, it would be especially shameful for the EU to fail at
this "historic" effort due to lack of contributions. He
added that the Kosovo Police Service (KPS) currently lacks
the capability to do high-risk operations, so EULEX initially
will be providing the only high-end police expertise and
equipment available in the country. In response,
representatives from Italy and Sweden agreed the necessity of
fulfilling the requirements, but cautioned EU officials not
to overuse the "historic ESDP" rhetoric, lest the EU be
unfairly accused of trying to build the structure and power
behind ESDP when it was merely trying to meet needs in
Kosovo. (Note: Roughly half of EU member states had
representation at the workshop, and all third states except
Switzerland attended.)


4. (C) On equipment issues, EULEX officials said that while
the EU has defined the lists of equipment they expect to see
transferred from UNMIK to EULEX, they remain unsure as to
when that equipment will be received. Because some of the
SIU tasks will be different than what UNMIK currently
performs and therefore not subject to transfer under
reconfiguration plans, contributors were provided a list

BRUSSELS 00000997 002 OF 002


(sent to EUR/SCE and INL) of the specialized equipment
required for the SIU units, and urged to contribute where
they could. Expressing some surprise at what was apparently
a new list of requests for the member states, the Swedish
representative raised the possibility that some of the
equipment on the list would be prohibited under national laws
or police practices and argued for more time for the EU to
examine the list. Otherwise silent through the presentation,
EULEX Deputy Head of Mission Roy Reeve explained that the
real focus for contributors should not be equipment, which
the EU would purchase for these special teams if necessary,
but rather the staffing gaps that remain, particularly in the
K9 realm. When asked privately on the margins what would
happen if contributors did not provide the necessary
capabilities, one CPCC official said that the EU would
probably have to scale back its level of ambition with regard
to these special policing tasks. (Comment: The
embarrassment factor of not being able to perform key tasks
could be the best instrument CPCC has to encourage member
states to step up to the task they have set themselves.)


5. (C) According to CPCC planners, the shortfalls they are
experiencing in filling SIU capabilities do not extend to
other special police areas, which include crowd and riot
control (CRC) and witness security. Four integrated police
units (IPUs) have been pledged by France, Italy, Poland, and
Romania to fulfill the EU's current requirements to deploy
two IPUs in Northern Kosovo, and two in the South, for a
total of approximately 450 CRC police officers. The Polish
and Romanian IPUs will transfer over from UNMIK duty after
reconfiguration, and EU officials note with some dismay
rumors that France and Italy are considering moving their
gendarme forces rom KFOR duty to EULEX. The EU has
receivedthe budgetary allocation, although not yet the
political approval from member states, to add two additional
IPUs (approximately 310 officers) if the security situation
warrants. These reserve units have not yet been pledged.
CPCC planners anticipate a total mission strength of
approximately 1850 personnel, including the CRC forces, but
not including the contingency units. There are nearly 210
remaining vacancies spread throughout the police, justice,
and customs sectors of the mission, including the unfilled
SIU jobs. The EU hopes to have these jobs filled during July.


6. (C) Asked about the UNMIK reconfiguration process, CPCC
officials said that they thought they had "most of what they
needed" from the UN, but specific details on deployment and
asset transfer schedules are still being discussed. In the
meantime, they have defined roles and tasks for deployed
staff with the goal of increasing EULEX visibility ahead of
taking over executive responsibilities and implementing the
EULEX mandate at the end of the transition period.
Specifically, during this period EULEX police officers
charged with performing the EU's monitoring, mentoring, and
advising KPS duties will begin to build connections with the
KPS and other actors and begin making assessments in order to
be adequately prepared when EULEX assumes full duties. EULEX
anticipates close cooperation with UNMIK on reviewing the
police involvement on criminal files and related evidence, as
well as additional in country training for special police.
On the justice side, judges and prosecutors will initially
deploy in local courts and prosecution offices in Pristina,
Peja, Prizren and Gilan to build connections with local
officials and gain access to UNMIK case files.


MURRAY


.