Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
09BRUSSELS830
2009-06-17 14:01:00
CONFIDENTIAL
Embassy Brussels
Cable title:  

BELGIAN POLICE PREPARING FEASIBILITY STUDY FOR

Tags:  PTER PGOV PREL EAID NATO AF BE 
pdf how-to read a cable
VZCZCXRO7075
RR RUEHDBU RUEHPW RUEHSL
DE RUEHBS #0830/01 1681401
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
R 171401Z JUN 09 ZDK
FM AMEMBASSY BRUSSELS
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 9072
INFO RUCNAFG/AFGHANISTAN COLLECTIVE
C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 BRUSSELS 000830 

SIPDIS

STATE FOR EUR/WE AND SCA/A:AVIEHE

E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/16/2019
TAGS: PTER PGOV PREL EAID NATO AF BE
SUBJECT: BELGIAN POLICE PREPARING FEASIBILITY STUDY FOR
SENDING 2-4 TRAINERS TO AFGHANISTAN

REF: A. BRUSSELS 625

B. KIENE-VIEHE TELCON 6/11/2009

BRUSSELS 00000830 001.2 OF 002


Classified By: Political-Economic Counselor Richard Eason, reason 1.4(b
) and (d).

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 BRUSSELS 000830

SIPDIS

STATE FOR EUR/WE AND SCA/A:AVIEHE

E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/16/2019
TAGS: PTER PGOV PREL EAID NATO AF BE
SUBJECT: BELGIAN POLICE PREPARING FEASIBILITY STUDY FOR
SENDING 2-4 TRAINERS TO AFGHANISTAN

REF: A. BRUSSELS 625

B. KIENE-VIEHE TELCON 6/11/2009

BRUSSELS 00000830 001.2 OF 002


Classified By: Political-Economic Counselor Richard Eason, reason 1.4(b
) and (d).


1. (U) This telegram contains an action request for SCA-A.
See paragraph 8.


2. (C) Summary: The Belgian Federal Police are preparing a
report on the feasibility of sending two to four police
trainers to Afghanistan. The contribution is likely to be in
the framework of EUPOL-Afghanistan. Belgian trainers would
most likely focus their instruction on investigation skills,
information gathering and organizational issues. Depending
on the flexibility offered by EUPOL and security assurances,
there may be interest in working in one or more of the
regional training centers. The International Cooperation
Directorate of the Federal Police recognizes the need to
publicize the connection between Belgium's security and the
success of operations in Afghanistan. End Summary.


3. (C) On June 16, Poloff discussed the need for police
training in Afghanistan with two officials of the Belgian
Federal Police (BFP),Peter De Buysscher, Director for
International Police Cooperation, and Steven De Mey, a
Superintendent in the same office. De Buysscher and De Mey
have been tasked by the Minister of Interior with preparing a
report on feasibility of sending two to four Belgian police
officers to Afghanistan. Their report is due in mid-July.


4. (C) Poloff reviewed with De Buysscher and De Mey the
powerpoint presentation on Police Mentoring Teams discussed
by Poloff and SCA/A in ref B telcon. De Buysscher said that
it is all but certain that if Belgium sends trainers to
Afghanistan, it will be in the context of EUPOL-Afghanistan.
However, he recognized and appreciated that there was much
useful information in the powerpoint presentation on the
structure of the Afghan police and training facilities, as
well as skills needed by trainers, that would be useful in

preparation of the report he and De Mey are working on.
Poloff reviewed the possibilities for training: IPMT's,
EUPOL, Gendarmerie training, and the newly authorized NTM-A
in NATO, but recognized that EUPOL is likely the most
attractive option for Belgium.


5. (C) De Buysscher said that the GOB's serious consideration
of providing police trainers is consistent with its desire to
balance its military contributions to Afghan security with
civilian development assistance. He said that given the
small number of trainers that Belgium expects to contribute,
he wants them to be high-quality individuals. He said that
there is significant interest among Belgian police officers
in participating in international training missions.
However, these missions are not especially career enhancing
once the officers return to their normal duties. He and De
Mey would like to make it more rewarding for officers to seek
such detail assignments than it is now. Officers are usually
assigned for six to eighteen month tours of duty with
international missions. De Buysscher noted that Belgium has
military detachments in Kandahar, Kunduz and Kabul that could
supply security and logistical support to BFP trainers.


6. (C) De Buysscher said that he thinks Belgian trainers
could be most useful in teaching investigative methods and
intelligence-gathering, as well as organizational techniques.
Belgium no longer has a gendarmerie and would not
necessarily be a good choice for providing paramilitary
training, he said. Poloff speculated that given the overall
need for police training in Afghanistan, any contribution
will be appreciated. At the same time, he noted the great
need for district police training and the role of the
regional training centers. He suggested that in view of the
limited number of trainers Belgium is considering providing,
one way to add value to the district police might be to
participate in the regional training center activities.
Neither De Buysscher nor Poloff were aware of EUPOL
involvement in the regional centers and whether the EUPOL
mandate was flexible enough for Belgians to add value in that
way. Poloff urged De Buyssher to lobby for flexibility once
Belgium is working in EUPOL. De Buysscher asked Poloff to
provide information on how CSTC-A and EUPOL interact and
cooperate in the field. Poloff agreed to do so, and also
promised to facilitate obtaining any information on
Afghanistan operations that would be useful to De Buysscher
and De Mey in preparing their report.


7. (C) Over the weekend of June 12-13, the Belgian newspapers
were filled with a report of Belgian soldiers in Afghanistan
coming under fire during their training mission in the Kunduz

BRUSSELS 00000830 002.2 OF 002


OMLT. Parliamentary opponents of Minister of Defense De Crem
used the opportunity again to criticize Belgian involvement
in Afghanistan. De Buysscher said that security of Belgian
troops and eventual police trainers is a concern which is
intensified by memories of the massacre of ten Belgian
paratroopers in Rwanda in 1994. Most of the criticism of De
Crem stems from De Crem's style of communicating with
Parliament, which is sometimes limited by concerns about
confidentiality. According to De Buysscher, average Belgians
are about evenly divided between those who accept the dangers
of Belgium's Afghanistan operations and those who view it as
too dangerous. De Buysscher is himself well aware of the
connection between success in Afghanistan and the national
security of Belgium, recalling the Afghanistan training that
many terrorist suspects and young Islamist radicals in
Belgium have received. He admitted that the government,
including the BFP, have not been proactive in publicizing
that connection in order to build support for the Afghanistan
mission. He said he would work on ways to do so.


8. (C) Comment and action request for SCA/A: Post is pleased
that there is a growing likelihood that Belgium will provide
its first police trainers to Afghanistan in the near future,
even if the contingent is small and centered on EUPOL rather
than an IPMT or NTM-A. Belgium's involvement, if successful,
could be expanded. Post would appreciate any information
SCA/A can provide about interaction and cooperation between
CSTC-A and EUPOL-Afghanistan, to be shared with the Belgian
Federal Police. We would also welcome time spent in Belgium
by experts and high-level visitors from Washington or Kabul
who could reinforce the importance of the police training
mission and provide information based on first-hand
experience in Afghanistan.

BUSH
.