US embassy cable - 04BRATISLAVA135

UNCLAS  BRATISLAVA 000135 
 
SIPDIS 
 
 
SENSITIVE 
 
STATE FOR EUR/NCE, EUR/RPM 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: MARR, PREL, PGOV, PINR, LO, NATO, Nato 
SUBJECT:  SCENESETTER FOR VISIT OF GEN JAMES L. JONES, 
SACEUR 
 
1.   (SBU) During your visit as SACEUR to Slovakia on 
February 12-13, you may wish to emphasize the following 
priorities that the U.S. and NATO share: 
 
-- encourage the GOS to maintain their commitment to 
spend two percent of GDP on defense; 
 
-- thank the GOS for their contributions to Operation 
Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom as well as 
their intended deployment to ISAF in May; 
 
-- encourage the GOS to stay the course on military 
reform and professionalization. 
 
Political Dynamics 
------------------ 
 
2.  (SBU) Prime Minister Mikulas Dzurinda's government 
is a center-right coalition made up of four parties 
that were elected in the fall of 2002 to a four-year 
term.  Although this government is more ideologically 
coherent than its predecessor, also led by Dzurinda, it 
has faced considerable challenges since its formation. 
Dzurinda recalled Minister of Defense Ivan Simko in 
September 2003 for what he described as 
insubordination.  Simko would not support the Prime 
Minister's decision to recall the head of the National 
Security Office (NBU), which issues NATO security 
clearances.  Juraj Liska, a member of Dzurinda's party 
and former mayor of Trencin, was named Defense Minister 
in October. 
 
3.  (SBU) Your visit will include a meeting with 
President Rudolf Schuster, who is running for 
reelection in April.  The president has little formal 
power in Slovakia, but can influence decisions by using 
his office as a bully pulpit and can veto legislation. 
There are currently 12 candidates in the race, but only 
three or four -- including Schuster, Foreign Minister 
Eduard Kukan, and former Prime Minister Vladimir Meciar 
-- have any real chance of making it into the second 
round. 
 
4.  (SBU) Opposition parties and labor unions have 
organized a referendum calling for early elections, 
which Schuster wants to hold concurrently with the 
Presidential election to attract greater voter turnout. 
Slovakia has had only one successful referendum since 
independence with the others failing due to a lack of 
voter turnout.  The referendum is non-binding, so the 
decision to hold early elections would still have to be 
made in parliament, where it would likely fail. 
 
Defense Spending 
---------------- 
 
4.  (SBU) The Slovaks committed to spending 2 percent 
of GDP after the Prague Summit.  For 2004, the defense 
budget is 1.81 percent of GDP, but additional outlays, 
including settlement of Soviet-era debt, should bring 
total defense spending to 2.02 percent.  However, 
Finance Minister Miklos has argued strongly that 
defense spending be cut and it is unclear whether the 
GOS and parliament have the willpower to keep defense 
spending at a real 2 percent in the out years. 
 
OIF/OEF/ISAF 
------------ 
 
5.  (SBU) Per capita, Slovakia is one of the most 
active international peace-keeping nations with nearly 
800 personnel deployed in 11 missions.  The GOS, with 
only minimal public backing, strongly supported the war 
in Iraq and sent a chem-bio consequence management unit 
to Kuwait under Czech command.  After the end of 
hostilities, the unit (82-strong) was replaced with an 
engineering unit that is currently deployed in the 
Polish sector.  The Slovak parliament recently agreed 
to increase the number of troops deployed in Iraq, 
adding 23 to increase security. 
 
 
6.  (SBU) The Slovaks also have a 40-person air-field 
construction unit deployed as part of OEF at Bagram Air 
Base in Afghanistan.  Their six-month mandate has been 
extended three times.  Prime Minister Dzurinda visited 
this unit in January.  Currently there is a proposal to 
send a 16-person demining unit to Afghanistan under 
ISAF command.  This would be Slovakia's first mission 
under the NATO flag. 
 
Military Reform 
--------------- 
 
7.  (SBU) This year the Ministry of Defense will 
conduct a mid-course review of its long-term military 
reform strategy Force 2010.  The review will take into 
account changes in NATO Force Goals as well as 
different realities in Slovakia.  The Slovaks are 
committed to developing their chemical defense unit as 
a niche capability for NATO.  The other niche 
capabilities the Slovaks have identified are military 
police and engineers. 
 
8.  (SBU) Defense Minister Liska recently commissioned 
a new study on the air force which recommended 
extending the life of 10 MiG-29s plus 2 trainers, 
rather than follow the paths of their neighbors and 
issue a tender for fighters.  The study also suggested 
upgrading 18 Mi-24 attack helicopters (they are 
planning for 10) and acquiring 2-4 medium lift 
transport aircraft by 2010.  They are considering 
acquiring C-130s under the Excess Defense Articles 
program.  This proposal is still in the early stages, 
but the Slovaks are very interested.  We have 
encouraged Liska to incorporate the study within the 
larger context of Force 2010. 
 
WEISER 
 
 
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