MINISTER OF INTERIOR DEFENDS GO-SLOW ATTITUDE

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 BRUSSELS 001737

SIPDIS

STATE FOR EUR/WE, EUR/RPM AND SCA/A

E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/21/2019
TAGS: EAID PREL PGOV BE AF
SUBJECT: MINISTER OF INTERIOR DEFENDS GO-SLOW ATTITUDE
TOWARD POLICE TRAINERS FOR AFGHANISTAN

BRUSSELS 00001737 001.3 OF 002



1. (C) Summary: The Ambassador met with Minister of Interior
Annemie Turtelboom on December 16 to discuss possible
contributions to police training in Afghanistan. Turtelboom
took credit for obtaining cabinet approval for sending two or
three police trainers and a magistrate to the EUPOL
Afghanistan mission. Turtelboom expressed support for a
stronger civilian development commitment to Afghanistan.
However, she said she preferred to wait to see how the
Belgian public accepts the deployment of the trainers already
approved before new ones are authorized. The Ambassador
sought Turtelboom's evaluation of where political opposition
to sending more police to Afghanistan may arise. She
identified certain Flemish Socialist party politicians and
the heads of the police unions as obstacles. She also
suggested that public opinion on enhanced efforts in
Afghanistan generally could be influenced by the editors of
the major newspapers in Belgium. The Embassy is looking for
ways to more widely publicise the President's Oslo speech
upon accepting the Nobel Prize to increase public
understanding of the U.S. position on Afghanistan and issues
of security generally. End Summary.


2. (C) The Ambassador told Turtelboom that he understands the
sensitivities of the GOB about Belgium's engagement in
building security and stability in Afghanistan. He said that
both the United States and Belgium need to work to clear up
misconceptions of the motives for international intervention
there. President Obama's Nobel Prize acceptance speech is a
clear statement of U.S. intentions regarding peace, he said.
A number of Belgian politicians, such as Flemish Socialist
Dirk Vandermaelen, are proud to have been pacifists since
their student days, he said. The Ambassador has told him
that he is a pacifist too, in that the objective is to leave
Afghanistan in peace, with the Taliban and Al Qaida defeated,
while expending the least amount of military effort to
accomplish that end. The strategy, he said, is equally
focused on civilian development assistance, and the military
surge is intended to allow time for development assistance to
be effective and to build a more stable society. He told
Turtelboom that the Secretary asked PM Leterme for 150 more
troops (a 20% increase) and one more year of a military
commitment, through 2011. The Ambassador added that there is
also a significant need for police trainers, to train
effective Afghan police to support and defend development
efforts. What is needed is a sizeable contribution of
trainers, beyond the three or four already promised by
Belgium, he said.


3. (C) Turtelboom said that the idea of sending police
trainers to Afghanistan has been on the agenda of her
predecessors as Minister of Interior for nearly 2 years.
While the other ministers always said no, she said, she
decided to go ahead and secure cabinet approval of sending
three police officers and a judge. Her view, she said, is
that there are more and more countries in the world where
instability and lawlessness exist, such as Somalia. Military
troops alone cannot fully stabilize such places. What is
needed is capacity building in the armies, police and
economies of such countries. Therefore, she said, "I said
go." The police grumbled, but the government did not receive
any critcism in the press. Turtelboom's hope is to start
slowly and then do more, because Belgium should not send only
military assistance to Afghanistan. While she understands
the Ambassador's approach, Belgium is "more down to earth",
she said. Her expectation is that Belgium could send five or
ten more police trainers after the first group of three or
four has established itself. The trainers are receiving
military training to ensure their ability to protect
themselves if necessary. It can't all be done at once, she
insisted. She admitted that building the capacity of
institutions is important, however.


4. (C) The Ambassador inquired about what is holding Belgium
back from making a more significant contribution of police
trainers. Turtelboom said that her main concern is the
security of the trainers. They will receive four weeks of
basic military training to ensure their ability to protect
themselves if necessary. Turtelboom assumed that "the
opposition" will oppose sending more trainers in the future,
but added that much depends on public opinion. This is why
the Belgian government has started slowly, she said. She
expects the first trainers to go to Afghanistan in March or
April of 2010. However, Turtelboom said, Defense Minister De
Crem's outspoken support of Afghanistan operations is
creating a "backlash" against him. If there were a
referendum on further participation, she contended, the
people would say no. She expects the first trainers to go to
Afghanistan in March or April of 2010. The Ambassador said
that if there is a public backlash against De Crem, it is not

BRUSSELS 00001737 002 OF 002


especially visible. He suggested a number of ways the
Embassy might help build higher public support for the U.S.
administration's Afghanistan strategy in Belgium. He pressed
Turtelboom about who opposes sending more police trainers to
Afghanistan.


5. (C) Turtelboom hesitated, but offered some leads as to
where the Embassy could focus its lobbying to change opinion.
These include the police unions, led by Jan Schonkeren and
Philip Van Hamme. She said that her colleagues Laurette
Onkylinx (PS),Minister of Social Affairs, and Joelle Milquet
(CdH),Minister of Employment and Equal Opportunity, are
convinced and are not obstacles. Former defense minister and
Andre Flahaut (PS)is not expecially influential in her
opinion. In parliament, Flemish Socialist Dirk Vandermaelen
is outspoken against what Belgium is doing in Afghanistan.
Turtelboom said that to develop public opinion it is
important to gain the support of the editors of the major
Belgian newspapers.


6. (C) Comment: Turtelboom seems to be most worried about
the reaction of the Belgian public to "adventurism" in
Afghanistan, but no such reaction is readily apparent in
Brussels. Turtelboom's promise of three police trainers and
a magistrate will give Belgium a token presnce in EUPOL that
it does not have now, but one that is large in her mind, as
it estabishes the principle that Belgium will send police
trainers. We understood Turtelboom to say that she will
increase the number of trainers if all goes well with the
small contingent leaving in a few months. She identifies
three major groups as potentially chilling the government's
willingness to do more: the opposition parties (mainly
Flemish Socialists),the press and public opinion. The
Ambassador's contacts so far with the Flemish and francophone
socialists indicate that they understand the need for action
in Afghanistan, as explained by President Obama. They agree
that civilian reconstruction depends on a solid police force.
The Ambassador will meet with legislators and newpaper
editors. The Embassy also wants to disseminate the
President's Nobel Prize speech more widely, in the belief
that its themes will resonate with the Belgian public and is
Afghanistan policy's best advocate. Otherwise, few opinion
leaders or members of the public will have seen it as
delivered by the President. Venues include the Belgian
Parliament and possibly the open air Park in Brussels,
directly across the street from the Embassy. The upcoming
one-year anniversary of President Obama's inauguration will
provide a timely opportunity to show the speech. End
Comment.

GUTMAN
.