AUSTRIA PREPARING TO SUPPORT AFGHANISTAN MISSION

C O N F I D E N T I A L VIENNA 000065

SIPDIS

DEPARTMENT FOR EUR/CE AND SCA/A

E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/19/2019
TAGS: PREL AF AU
SUBJECT: AUSTRIA PREPARING TO SUPPORT AFGHANISTAN MISSION
WITH POLICE AND FUNDING

REF: 09 VIENNA 1570

Classified by: Economic-Political Counselor J. Dean Yap for
reasons 1.4 (b) and (d).


1. (C) Bernhard Zimburg, MFA East Asia Director, told
Polchief January 13 that the GOA is preparing to send five
active duty police officers and, most likely, two retired
judges to the EUPOL mission in Afghanistan. The Interior
Ministry has issued a request for volunteers for the police
positions. Officials at Interior have not formally agreed to
deploy the two retired judges, but they are expected to do so
soon, Zimburg said. Before the personnel can be sent to
Afghanistan, the Council of Ministers will have to approve
the deployment and the GOA will send a "fact finding mission"
to Afghanistan to check on arrangements. The Austrian
personnel would begin their duty in Afghanistan by March at
the earliest. Once there, they will be under EUPOL
authority; the GOA will not place any restrictions on their
activities, he said.


2. (C) The GOA is also preparing to fund a number of projects
in Afghanistan. The MFA is hoping to put together a total of
3-4 million Euros for 2010, though the funding levels need to
be negotiated with other GOA entities, particularly the
Finance Ministry, Zimburg said. The funding levels under
consideration include:

-- 1-2 million Euros in leftover disaster relief funds to be
provided to a fund for UN agencies in Afghanistan.

-- Half a million Euros for a UNODC anti-corruption project.

-- 250,000 Euros for a de-mining project run by an NGO under
UN auspices.

-- 100,000-200,000 Euros for a number of small OSCE projects.
EACHO