BELGIANS READY TO ACCEPT EXPANSION OF AFGHAN ARMY

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 BRUSSELS 000203 SIPDIS STATE FOR EUR/WE, EUR/RPM AND SA/A E.O. 12958: DECL: 02/10/2019 TAGS: PREL MARR NATO PINR AF BE SUBJECT: BELGIANS READY TO ACCEPT EXPANSION OF AFGHAN ARMY TRUST FUND Classified By: Charge d'Affaires Wayne Bush, reason 1.4(b) and (d) ¶1. (C) Summary: On February 10 Charge discussed Belgium's reported opposition to expansion of the Afghan National Army (ANA) trust fund to cover sustainment costs with Jean-Arthur Regibeau, Director-General for Multilateral Affairs at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Belgium. Regibeau stated that if contributions from NATO members to the trust fund are considered to be voluntary only, and if the fund is open to contributions from non-NATO member states, then Belgium will not oppose the expansion. He said that while Belgium may not be able to pay the full USD 10 million per year that the U.S. has asked it to contribute to the ANA trust fund, it would decide how much it could afford to contribute, taking into account its other contributions to Afghanistan's security and development. Regibeau also discussed opportunities for and obstacles to a greater level of development assistance to Afghanistan from Belgium and the possibility of Belgian assistance in training Afghan police. End Summary. ¶2. (C) Charge told Regibeau that a larger, stronger Afghan National Army is essential to better security in Afghanistan and to success of the ISAF mission. He said that the USG agrees with Belgium that other countries and institutions should make contributions to the trust fund, and that expanding the scope of the fund does not imply that NATO allies will assume full responsibility for funding sustainment costs. Allowing the expansion to go forward will actually enable big contributors, including countries in Asia and the Gulf, to supply funds, he added. He pointed out the that the Joint Control and Monitoring Board, which Belgium reportedly has favored to administer the trust fund, does not have the capacity to do so. Finally, he said that Belgium's action to block the use of the trust fund for ANA sustainment was at odds with Belgium's strong commitment to Afghanistan, and he hoped to find a way for Belgium and the U.S. to be in the same voting column on the question of the ANA trust fund. ¶3. (C) Regibeau said that in general, Belgium supports the need to help the ANA and that a consensus in Belgium's government is possible to allow a contribution. He said that it is a problem that NATO is more and more perceived as an occupying force and not a helper in Afghanistan. Therefore, it is important to "internationalize" assistance to the ANA. This would help to blunt criticism of NATO and attract support from those who prefer to have a UN or other international imprimatur on military operations, of whom there are many in the Belgian parliament. Regibeau said that a second problem for Belgium is money. Afghanistan is Belgium's most important military operation abroad, he said, but funding pressures are tight. The government is seeking to cut overall expenditures by 3 percent by 2012, and increasing a commitment in Afghanistan means that cuts must occur elsewhere in the budget. The GOB fears that NATO countries will be held accountable for the entire USD 2 billion cost of sustainment of the ANA. The government simply cannot afford its share of that entire amount, he concluded. ¶4. (C) Nevertheless, Regibeau said, Afghanistan is a U.S. and NATO priority and inevitably a Belgian priority as well. The U.S. Embassy's approaches to the MOD and MFA are timely, he said, since the government's political military committee met on February 9 to discuss Afghanistan. (Note: Charge made the same demarche on the ANA to Vincent Mertens de Wilmars, Diplomatic Advisor to Defense Minister De Crem, on February 6.) He made it clear that if it is true that contributions to the expanded fund by NATO members will be voluntary, then expansion of the ANA trust fund would be acceptable to the GOB, and even more so if the fund is opened up to international contributions. He said that Belgium's NATO delegation will take that position in upcoming discussions of the trust fund. He went on to say that while the Belgians will not likely be able to contribute the entire USD 10 million per year sought by NATO, they may be able to contribute a package or combination of cash and other assistance. Such assistance might include six million dollars and training for Afghan police. However, while Foreign Minister De Gucht has advocated providing police training in the council of ministers, he has run into opposition from the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the police themselves, who are concerned about the safety of trainers sent to Afghanistan. Cost is a significant but secondary consideration, according to Regibeau, in that civilian trainers are much more expensive to deploy than military troops. ¶5. (C) Charge asked Regibeau whether it might be possible to step up Belgium's civilian development assistance to BRUSSELS 00000203 002 OF 002 Afghanistan and also to make it a "partner country" for foreign aid under Belgian law. "Partner countries" receive direct assistance from Belgium, not just funds provided through multilateral development agencies. Regibeau said that assisting Afghanistan has not been popular with the Belgian NGOs who are influential with the GOB's Minister of Development Cooperation, Charles Michel. He suggested the names of some Belgian NGOs that might support more assistance for Afghanistan and others that have strong influence with Michel. He encouraged the Embassy to speak with the NGO's and with some Belgian officials he named to develop support for a more robust assistance program from Belgium and addition of Afghanistan to Belgium's list of partner countries. ¶6. (C) Comment: The Embassy intends to follow up the meetings with MOD and MPA with outreach to the Ministry of Development Cooperation, the Ministry of Interior and influential NGOs to work toward greater support for Belgium's development and other non-military assistance to Afghanistan. We will also continue to urge enhanced Belgian military participation in ISAF. End Comment. BUSH .