Estonia Assistance to Afghanistan Beyond the Elections

UNCLAS TALLINN 000219 SIPDIS DEPT FOR S/SRAP KAREN HANRAHAN DEPT FOR SCA/A ARIELLA VIEHE DEPT FOR EUR/RPM AARON COPE E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: NATO PREL MOPS MARR AF EN SUBJECT: Estonia Assistance to Afghanistan Beyond the Elections REF: STATE 74362 ¶1. Polcouns and DATT delivered reftel demarche to Paul Teesalu, Director of the MFA's Security Policy Division, and to Kadri Peeters of the MOD's America's desk on July 29. Teesalu stated that Estonia would be unlikely to increase its troop contributions after the August elections. The GOE doubled the number of Estonian troops in Afghanistan, to 289, when it deployed an additional mechanized infantry company for election support in RC South (Helmand) from July through December. With this additional company, Estonia now has 13.5% of its military deployed abroad - possibly the highest of any NATO or ISAF country. Estonia is also unable to prolong the deployment of the mechanized infantry company, as in January 2010 that company is slated to participate in the NATO Response Force. In summer 2010, after the NRF, this company will redeploy to Afghanistan as part of Estonia's regular presence in Helmand. ¶2. Both Teesalu and Peeters stressed that Estonia is committed to helping Afghanistan. Estonia has its largest military and civilian missions in Afghanistan, and regularly lobbies within the EU for more resources to help Kabul. The GOE intends to keep its health specialist in Helmand, and is considering funding new projects to train Afghan doctors and to provide health training to the populace through women's NGOs. Estonia may also soon send a fact finding team to the Afghan parliament to look into the possibility of helping Afghanistan develop some e-government capabilities, but this depends on whether the GOE judges Afghans would be able to take advantage of this sort of high technology. The GOE also has an on-going project in which it sends Members of Parliament and MOD officials to Afghanistan to explain civilian control over the military. Although Estonia's overall development assistance is shrinking during the current economic crisis, from 60 million EEK in 2008 to 40 million EEK in 2009, Teesalu assured that the current 6 million EEK [USD 541,000] for Afghanistan will not be reduced for ¶2010. DECKER