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| Identifier: | 04DUBLIN1790 |
|---|---|
| Wikileaks: | View 04DUBLIN1790 at Wikileaks.org |
| Origin: | Embassy Dublin |
| Created: | 2004-12-14 07:56:00 |
| Classification: | CONFIDENTIAL |
| Tags: | MARR MOPS |
| Redacted: | This cable was not redacted by Wikileaks. |
This record is a partial extract of the original cable. The full text of the original cable is not available.
C O N F I D E N T I A L DUBLIN 001790 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/10/2014 TAGS: MARR, MOPS SUBJECT: AMBASSADOR KENNY'S CALL ON NEW DEFENSE MINISTER Classified By: AMB JAMES KENNY FOR REASONS 1.4 B AND D 1. (C) On December 9, Amb. Kenny met with Willie O'Dea in O'Dea's new capacity as Ireland's Minister of Defense. The ambassador underscored the value of close U.S.-Irish cooperation, especially in peacekeeping and information exchange. The Ambassador urged Ireland to extend its mission in Afghanistan beyond July 2005. He encouraged O'Dea to let Irish defense personnel take advantage of U.S. training, and emphasized that Ireland gains in the eyes of its EU colleagues when its equipment, training, and field experience are of the highest quality. He cited Ireland's purchase of Javelin in that regard, and the performance of its peacekeepers, especially in Afghanistan and Liberia. The ambassador expressed his regret that Ireland had not selected Sikorsky's Black Hawk helicopter, and made clear that the U.S. expected Ireland's procurement practices to be fair and transparent. O'Dea is still learning his brief and thus was not yet prepared to go into issues in detail. That said, he confirmed Ireland's pride in its peacekeeping abilities, spoke with enthusiasm about his trip the week of December 13 to Liberia, where he and President McAleese will visit Irish peacekeepers, and said he would be very interested in exploring opportunities for more training/education. On Sikorsky, the minister said that he had deliberately not gotten involved directly, believing that the process must be clearly free from politics. The Secretary General, Michael Howard, said he believed the process of selecting a new helicopter had been fair and transparent. He said the Black Hawk exceeded Irish requirements and cost contraints. The Ambassador sent the minister a letter following this meeting, supporting Sikorsky's request for more information from the GOI. KENNY
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