ICELAND TO MAINTAIN CURRENT ASSISTANCE LEVELS TO

C O N F I D E N T I A L REYKJAVIK 000211 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/25/2019 TAGS: NATO PREL MOPS MARR PGOV IC SUBJECT: ICELAND TO MAINTAIN CURRENT ASSISTANCE LEVELS TO AFGHANISTAN REF: STATE 120807 Classified By: CDA SAM WATSON FOR REASONS 1.4 (B) AND (D) ¶1. (C) Charge drew on points contained in reftel in a discussion with Greta Gunnarsdottir, head of the International and Security Affairs Directorate at the Icelandic Ministry of Foreign Affairs, on November 25. Gunarsdottir thanked Charge for the information and offered assurances that Aghanistan would remain a top priority for the Icelandic Government. She said that while Iceland cannot increase its contribution at this time, the five Icelanders currently serving in Afghanistan will remain in their positons for the forseeable future. ¶2. (C) Gunnarsdottir also mentioned that several Afghan citizens have enrolled in a new gender equality training program at the University of Reykjavik. She said that participants, upon completion of the program, are expected to return home and continue their work on promoting gender equality in Afghanistan. WATSON