Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
08LJUBLJANA145
2008-03-27 15:52:00
CONFIDENTIAL
Embassy Ljubljana
Cable title:  

SLOVENIA'S EXPECTATIONS FOR NATO BUCHAREST SUMMIT

Tags:  PREL PGOV MARR EUN SI NATO 
pdf how-to read a cable
VZCZCXRO6424
RR RUEHFL RUEHKW RUEHLA RUEHROV RUEHSR
DE RUEHLJ #0145/01 0871552
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
R 271552Z MAR 08
FM AMEMBASSY LJUBLJANA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 6562
INFO RUEHZL/EUROPEAN POLITICAL COLLECTIVE
RUEHZG/NATO EU COLLECTIVE
RUEHNO/USMISSION USNATO 1178
RUEHBS/USEU BRUSSELS
C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 LJUBLJANA 000145 

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/27/2018
TAGS: PREL PGOV MARR ANATO EUN SI
SUBJECT: SLOVENIA'S EXPECTATIONS FOR NATO BUCHAREST SUMMIT

REF: STATE 19516

Classified By: CDA Maryruth Coleman for reasons 1.4 (b,d)

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 LJUBLJANA 000145

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/27/2018
TAGS: PREL PGOV MARR ANATO EUN SI
SUBJECT: SLOVENIA'S EXPECTATIONS FOR NATO BUCHAREST SUMMIT

REF: STATE 19516

Classified By: CDA Maryruth Coleman for reasons 1.4 (b,d)


1. (C) SUMMARY: On March 26, MFA Director of Division for
Security Policy Stanislav Vidovic discussed with Emboff
Slovenia's expectations for the April 2 - 4 NATO Summit in
Bucharest. Vidovic expressed doubt that Slovenia will
announce any increase or restructuring of its International
Security Assistance Force (ISAF) deployment in Afghanistan to
allow for the provision of an Operational Mentor and Liaison
Team (OMLT) or participation in a PRT (per reftel),although
he expects that Prime Minister Janez Jansa will announce a
significant donation of military equipment to Afghanistan.
Vidovic stated that Slovenia sees its participation in the
KFOR mission in Kosovo as a contribution that can provide
greater added value to NATO, and noted that Slovenia plans to
keep its deployment at the current level of 350 troops at the
next rotation in August or September. Vidovic emphasized
Slovenia's strong support for NATO invitations to Croatia,
Macedonia, and Albania and for Membership Action Plan (MAP)
invitations to Ukraine and Georgia. Vidovic also inquired
about U.S. intentions regarding the development of a new NATO
Strategic Concept. END SUMMARY.

Not Willing to Break Eggs for an OMLT
--------------


2. (C) Asked about a March 18 letter from CDA Coleman to PM
Jansa that requested that Slovenia consider restructuring its
ISAF deployment to allow for the provision of at least one
OMLT or participation in a PRT, Vidovic stated that the PM
and his cabinet are currently considering the request. He
shared, however, his personal view that it is highly unlikely
that the GOS will decide to make any significant changes to
Slovenia's ISAF deployment in the months preceding this
autumn's parliamentary elections. Vidovic said that it is
more likely that the PM will announce in Bucharest that
Slovenia will make a significant donation of military
equipment to Afghanistan in the near future, although he
would not say what the donation would be. He also stated

that the PM will announce that Slovenia will deploy for the
first time two civilians to Afghanistan to participate in
civil-military cooperation operations in the Herat PRT and
that Slovenia may deploy additional civilians in the future.
Seeking to justify Slovenia's unwillingness to restructure
its ISAF deployment, Vidovic noted that someone must carry
out the current mission of the Slovenian forces - to protect
the advance air base in Herat. He also pointed to Slovenia's
current deployment in Kosovo of 5% of its armed forces and
its intention to maintain that level of deployment for the
immediate future as a reason for not being able to do more in
Afghanistan.

NATO Must Maintain Open Door Policy
--------------

The Adriatic Three
--------------


3. (C) Vidovic stated that Slovenia sees the decision of
whether to invite the Adriatic Three - Croatia, Macedonia,
and Albania - as the focal question for the Bucharest Summit.
He reiterated Slovenia's strong support for inviting all
three aspiring countries, noting that if all three are not
invited it will send a bad signal to the entire region.
Regarding Macedonia's candidacy, Vidovic asserted that
Slovenia believes that Greece is not playing fair and has
changed the rules regarding the name issue in the middle of
the game. He noted that support for NATO membership amongst
the Macedonian public is the highest of any NATO member or
candidate country, but he worried that there are signs that
this could change if Macedonia is not extended an invitation
at Bucharest. Vidovic expressed concern that some NATO
members have remained too neutral regarding the current round
of potential NATO invites and said that he hopes NATO allies
will soon realize that NATO expansion in the Balkans is
critical to the region's future stability.

MAP Invites for Ukraine and Georgia
--------------


4. (C) Vidovic also underscored the importance of extending
MAP invitations to Ukraine and Georgia at the Bucharest
Summit. Citing Article 10 of the Washington Treaty, Vidovic
argued that NATO must recognize the political will to join
the Alliance that exists in Ukraine and Georgia and that this
should be the guiding factor in NATO's decision. Vidovic
warned against allowing Russia's concerns about MAP
invitations for Ukraine and Georgia to affect NATO's

LJUBLJANA 00000145 002 OF 002


decision, noting that any show of weakness on this issue will
set a bad precedent for future decisions. Vidovic stressed
that a failure to invite Ukraine and Georgia will signal that
NATO's Open Door Policy is an empty promise.

The Rest of the Western Balkans
--------------


5. (C) According to Vidovic, Slovenia would like to see NATO
grant an intensified dialogue to Montenegro and Bosnia and
Herzegovina. He noted that some NATO allies, such as Poland
and Belgium, oppose the opening of such a dialogue, but that
Slovenia hopes to persuade them to accept such a move and
would appreciate greater U.S. engagement on the issue.
Vidovic argued that an intensified NATO dialogue could serve
as a powerful tool to facilitate military and political
reform in both countries. Vidovic also expressed hope that
the Bucharest Summit would succeed in sending a positive
message to Serbia. He advised that the alliance should not
push Serbia too hard as he expects that it will not be long
before the Serbian leadership and public will change their
current attitudes about NATO and the EU.

The Need for a New NATO Strategic Concept
--------------


6. (C) Stepping away from the Bucharest Summit, Vidovic
expressed concern about the lack of movement on the
development of a new NATO Strategic Concept. Noting that the
current concept was developed in 1999, Vidovic argued that it
is time for an update that addresses many of today's
important issues and reflects the changing nature of the
Alliance. He stated that he has not seen any eagerness from
the U.S. to approach a new Strategic Concept with enthusiasm
and asked if the U.S. plans to fully engage on this issue
soon.

Comment
--------------


7. (C) Post has also pressed the issue of Slovenia fielding
OMLTs with State Secretary Matjaz Sinkovec, who saw the
political value of Slovenia altering its deployment to add
further value to ISAF. A/S Fried also raised it with FM
Dimitrij Rupel during a January visit; however, Rupel was
noncommittal and only promised to bring it to the PM's
attention. Post believes that GOS concerns regarding the
political risk of increasing Slovenian troops' exposure to
harm in Afghanistan are sincere and that there are real
constraints on what its military can contribute to
international missions considering its relatively large
deployment to Kosovo. Post suggests that Washington pass the
message directly to PM Jansa at the Bucharest Summit that
Slovenia should discuss with SHAPE possibly restructuring its
deployment to field an OMLT. We could also try to address
Slovenian concerns regarding its military capacity through an
initiative to form a joint OMLT with the Colorado National
Guard, with which the Slovenian Armed Forces have a State
Partnership Program. Post has engaged Slovenia at all levels
of the government and military to consider alterations to its
ISAF contribution and sees the Bucharest Summit, which will
be attended by the PM, FM, and Minister of Defense, as
perhaps the last opportunity to press the GOS on this issue
in advance of the US - EU Summit in Ljubljana in June and
parliamentary elections in September. End Comment.
COLEMAN