AFGHANISTAN AND PAKISTAN DELIVERABLES FOR NATO AND

C O N F I D E N T I A L MADRID 000314 SIPDIS STATE FOR EUR/WE, ALSO FOR SCA/A - TOM REOTT, EUR/RPM - AARON COPE AND EUR/ERA - DANIEL WEISFIELD, NSC FOR TOBIN BRADLEY, OSD/ISA FOR MAGGIE SADOWSKA E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/26/2019 TAGS: NATO PREL MOPS MARR AF SP SUBJECT: AFGHANISTAN AND PAKISTAN DELIVERABLES FOR NATO AND U.S.-EU SUMMITS REF: STATE 28929 Classified By: CHARGE D' AFFAIRES, A.I. ARNOLD A. CHACON, REASONS 1.4(B ) AND (D). ¶1. (C) CDA spoke March 26 with MOD Secretary General for Policy Luis Cuesta to convey the points contained in reftel. Cuesta had no substantive comment, but promised to reengage March 27 (Note: we understand MOD Chacon is scheduled to speak by telephone with SECDEF March 27 at 8:00 am EDT. Her agenda for that call is likely to be mending fences in the wake of her announcement Spain is leaving KFOR, but she no doubt expects Afghanistan to be raised as well. We also learned today that President Zapatero has suddenly changed his plans and will attend the Progressive Leaders Summit in Chile March 27, almost certainly in the hope of an encounter with Vice President Biden, although we are not aware of any formal meeting request. End note). In a March 24 conversation, Cuesta told the CDA that Spain was considering sending an additional battalion to Afghanistan for the elections with a company to stay behind in Herat. He said Spain was also looking at a contribution to the ANA trust fund, but MOD had no funding for this, so the government was scrubbing its international organizations budget hoping to find the money there. ¶2. (C) A/DCM delivered reftel points March 26 to MFA Deputy DG for Foreign Policy Antonio Alvarez. Alvarez said the Spanish Permrep at NATO would announce March 27 Spain's position on sending more police trainers to Afghanistan. He said the news would be good, although he declined to provide details. Alvarez said the possibilities of sending additional troops to Afghanistan and contributing to the ANA trust fund were under serious discussion within the GOS, and he anticipated a decision would be made in time for the NATO summit, although he would not say what he expected that decision to be. ¶3. (C) Comment: The Spanish have been dropping hints for weeks that they may increase their effort in Afghanistan. We understand Secretary General of the Presidency Bernadino Leon told National Security Advisor Jones March 20 that Spain was ready to send one or two more battalions to Afghanistan for the elections (he also mentioned leaving a company behind in Herat),would send police trainers, and would contribute to the ANA trust fund. This is broadly consistent with what we have been hearing from various sources in Madrid. The common thread in every conversation has been that they expect to be asked at the most senior levels of the USG. President Zapatero is eager for a meeting with POTUS. He needs this not only in order to associate himself with a U.S. President who is very popular in Spain and to buff his foreign policy credentials (which need a great deal of buffing after the KFOR withdrawal fiasco),but to help sell an increased effort in Afghanistan to Spanish voters who are not enthusiastic about the mission. We think a possible Spanish contribution of police trainers to NTM-I and eventual acceptance of Guantanamo detainees probably fall into the same category, that is, things Zapatero would prefer to be seen as delivering because of a personal relationship with the new U.S. President. CHACON