Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
09STOCKHOLM214
2009-03-27 14:37:00
CONFIDENTIAL
Embassy Stockholm
Cable title:
SWEDEN COMMITTED TO NATO KFOR MISSION THROUGH END
how-toVZCZCXRO2360 OO RUEHDBU RUEHFL RUEHKW RUEHLA RUEHNP RUEHROV RUEHSR DE RUEHSM #0214 0861437 ZNY CCCCC ZZH O 271437Z MAR 09 FM AMEMBASSY STOCKHOLM TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 4260 INFO RUEHZL/EUROPEAN POLITICAL COLLECTIVE IMMEDIATE RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHDC IMMEDIATE RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK IMMEDIATE 0320 RUEHNO/USMISSION USNATO BRUSSELS BE IMMEDIATE
C O N F I D E N T I A L STOCKHOLM 000214
SIPDIS
E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/27/2019
TAGS: PREL MARR NATO KPKO KVIR SW
SUBJECT: SWEDEN COMMITTED TO NATO KFOR MISSION THROUGH END
OF 2009, POSSIBLY LONGER
REF: A. SECSTATE 26179
B. IIR 6 892 0041 09
Classified By: CDA Robert J. Silverman, Reasons 1.4 (b) and (d)
C O N F I D E N T I A L STOCKHOLM 000214
SIPDIS
E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/27/2019
TAGS: PREL MARR NATO KPKO KVIR SW
SUBJECT: SWEDEN COMMITTED TO NATO KFOR MISSION THROUGH END
OF 2009, POSSIBLY LONGER
REF: A. SECSTATE 26179
B. IIR 6 892 0041 09
Classified By: CDA Robert J. Silverman, Reasons 1.4 (b) and (d)
1. (C) Sweden will not pull its forces out of KFOR in 2009,
according to Carl Magnus Ericsson of the MFA's International
Security Policy unit. Replying to demarche points (Ref A) on
March 26, Ericsson explained that Parliament last fall
approved a bill extending the Swedish presence in KFOR for
the calendar year 2009; the Government had sought a two-year
extension to 2010 but lawmakers generally prefer to go a year
at a time -- as they did with Afghanistan -- to allow for an
annual debate and review of Sweden's overseas deployments.
2. (C) The Swedish government and Parliament currently agree
that the status quo, with 250 Swedish troops in Kosovo, needs
to be maintained at least until the EULEX mission is up and
running, Ericsson stated. At the same time, the MFA thinks
the mission needs to be calibrated to meet challenges on the
ground, which are increasingly becoming "police work in
nature." Consequently, Sweden welcomes the proportional
shift with more police officers coming in as military troops
depart. Sweden is tentatively planning to keep some military
troops in Kosovo in 2010, but will look closely at taskings
that come out of the April NATO Summit and the June NATO
defense ministerial to see whether it needs to change its
deployments (Ref B).
SILVERMAN
SIPDIS
E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/27/2019
TAGS: PREL MARR NATO KPKO KVIR SW
SUBJECT: SWEDEN COMMITTED TO NATO KFOR MISSION THROUGH END
OF 2009, POSSIBLY LONGER
REF: A. SECSTATE 26179
B. IIR 6 892 0041 09
Classified By: CDA Robert J. Silverman, Reasons 1.4 (b) and (d)
1. (C) Sweden will not pull its forces out of KFOR in 2009,
according to Carl Magnus Ericsson of the MFA's International
Security Policy unit. Replying to demarche points (Ref A) on
March 26, Ericsson explained that Parliament last fall
approved a bill extending the Swedish presence in KFOR for
the calendar year 2009; the Government had sought a two-year
extension to 2010 but lawmakers generally prefer to go a year
at a time -- as they did with Afghanistan -- to allow for an
annual debate and review of Sweden's overseas deployments.
2. (C) The Swedish government and Parliament currently agree
that the status quo, with 250 Swedish troops in Kosovo, needs
to be maintained at least until the EULEX mission is up and
running, Ericsson stated. At the same time, the MFA thinks
the mission needs to be calibrated to meet challenges on the
ground, which are increasingly becoming "police work in
nature." Consequently, Sweden welcomes the proportional
shift with more police officers coming in as military troops
depart. Sweden is tentatively planning to keep some military
troops in Kosovo in 2010, but will look closely at taskings
that come out of the April NATO Summit and the June NATO
defense ministerial to see whether it needs to change its
deployments (Ref B).
SILVERMAN