US embassy cable - 05LJUBLJANA11

C O N F I D E N T I A L LJUBLJANA 000011 
 
SIPDIS 
 
 
DEPT FOR EUR/RPM AND EUR/NCE 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/06/2014 
TAGS: PREL, MARR, SI, NATO 
SUBJECT: SLOVENIA: DEMARCHE DELIVERED ON NATO IN AFGHANISTAN 
 
REF: SECSTATE 2743 
 
Classified By: Deputy Chief of Mission Dean J. Haas for reasons 1.4(b) 
and (d). 
 
1.  (C) MILITARY CONTRIBUTIONS:  On 06 January, Pol-Miloff 
delivered reftel talking points to MFA Deputy Head of NATO 
Department Stanislav Vidovic.  DATT and Pol-Miloff delivered 
reftel points to MoD Director for Defense Policy Uros Krek 
later the same day.  Both Krek and Vidovic reiterated FoMin 
Dimitrij Rupel's 09 December statement from the NATO Foreign 
Ministers Meeting in Brussels that Slovenia would strengthen 
its participation in ISAF during 2005.  Krek said MoD 
officials are consulting with the German MoD about sending 
two Slovenian Armed Forces (SAF) officers as observers to 
join a German-led PRT.  Their task would be to determine in 
what ways Slovenia might contribute further to future PRTs, 
including the possibility of sending civilian experts to 
ISAF.  Krek estimated that the two officers for the PRT would 
be given their orders by 15 February and that they would 
likely arrive in Afghanistan by early April.  He said two SAF 
officers have already been selected for the mission and are 
"waiting for the green light from the Germans." 
 
2.  (C) CIVILIAN DEPLOYMENTS:  The deployment of civilian 
experts to PRTs presents a more difficult issue, according to 
Krek, because Slovenian law does not allow sending civilians 
to join a military mission.  (NOTE:  The Slovenian 
firefighters currently guarding the Kabul airport became 
contract SAF reservists before their deployment.  END NOTE) 
Nonetheless, Krek said legislation is now being drafted to 
support voluntary civilian deployments, and he estimated that 
the first Slovenian civilians - provided that any volunteer - 
would be ready to join PRTs in June 2005. 
 
3.  (C) MFA INSIGHTS:  Vidovic gave much more generalized 
responses than Krek, saying only that a proposal for 
increased ISAF contributions was "in the consideration phase" 
and required coordination with MoD and the Slovenian Mission 
to NATO.  Vidovic said that MoD and MFA would meet during the 
third week of January to discuss a proposal before forwarding 
it to the Government cabinet for action.  Vidovic did, 
however, offer his opinion that PM Janez Jansa's new 
center-right coalition government had a "clear vision" about 
how to fulfill NATO Allies' expectations, "especially those 
of the United States."  Vidovic very straightforwardly said 
that the former government lacked both the capacity and the 
will to live up to its responsibilities within NATO.  He said 
the new government represents a "big hope" for ministry 
staffers working on NATO-related issues. 
ROBERTSON 
 
 
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 2005LJUBLJ00011 - Classification: CONFIDENTIAL 


 
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