SLOVENIA CONSIDERS EXPANDING NATO TRAINING

C O N F I D E N T I A L LJUBLJANA 000313 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 07/12/2018 TAGS: PREL MARR NATO IZ SI SUBJECT: SLOVENIA CONSIDERS EXPANDING NATO TRAINING MISSION-IRAQ REF: SECSTATE 73794 Classified By: Amb. Yousif B. Ghafari for reasons: 1.4 (B,D) (C) In a July 11 meeting with Security Policy Division Director Stansilav Vidovic and advisor Robert Strazisar, Emboffs encouraged Slovenia to provide additional resources to support new training tasks in response to the newly expanded mission in Iraq. Vidovic responded that the Government of Slovenia (GOS) will have to postpone a decision on whether to support the expanded NATO Training Mission-Iraq (NTM-I) until after the September 21 parliamentary elections. He explained it is "impossible from a political perspective" to recommend increasing Slovenia's contribution in this politically-heated environment. Vidovic noted, however, that after the elections, the GOS would most likely respond favorably to raising the number of Slovenian trainers from two to four. (Note: Initially, Slovenia had four trainers at NTM-I, and had only drawn back to two when NATO decreased the NTM-I. End Note.) Lt. General Gary Speer, Acting Commanding General of USAREUR, and DATT raised this same issue with Chief of Army Staff Lt. General Gutman on July ll. Gutman also said that Slovenia would not consider the issue until after the elections. GHAFARI