US embassy cable - 05PRAGUE499

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 PRAGUE 000499 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 04/05/2015 
TAGS: PTER, PREL, EZ 
SUBJECT: GWOT ASSESSMENT: POST FEEDBACK FOR CZECH REPUBLIC 
 
REF: STATE 60796 
 
Classified By: Political Officer Kimberly C. Krhounek for reasons 1.4(b 
) and (d). 
 
1.  (C) The Czech Republic, despite the weak coalition 
government that came into power after the June 2002 
elections, has been a stauch supporter of the GWOT and has 
responded admirably to USG requests for troop contributions 
to Iraq and Afghanistan, and is actively providing economic, 
humanitarian and training assistance as well.  In addition, 
intelligence cooperation is close and very cooperative on all 
levels.  In response to reftel request, Embassy Prague 
provides the following assessment of GWOT successes to date, 
challenges to address, and proposed solutions. 
 
--------------------------------------- 
SUCCESSES TO DATE - IRAQ & AFGHANISTAN 
--------------------------------------- 
 
2.  (C) Beginning with the war in Iraq, the Czechs became an 
early member of the Coalition and were at one time the 4th 
largest contributor of troops to Iraq.  They started with a 
400-member nuclear-biological-chemical (NBC) defense 
contingent which was stationed in Kuwait and Iraq during and 
after "Operation Iraqi Freedom" war operations.  That mission 
was followed by the six-month deployment of a 600-person 
Czech field hospital, which treated more than 8,000 coalition 
forces and Iraqi civilians in the Basra area between May and 
October 2003.  Most recently, the Czechs have maintained the 
deployment of nearly 100 Czech military police stationed near 
Basra, who have been engaged in training Iraqi security 
forces since the beginning of October 2003.  The mandate for 
the military police was twice extended at our request; the 
first extension covered the period from December 2004 through 
the Iraqi elections and aftermath, and the second one 
extended the military police through 2005.  The MOD is 
already talking about extending the MPs into 2006.  The 
Czechs have also stepped up to the plate on the NATO Training 
Mission-Iraq, detailing five MPs to Baghdad and approving a 
USD 200,000 contribution to the Trust Fund to support this 
mission.  A 10-member field surgical team continues to work 
with the British Field Hospital as well, and is expected to 
stay in Basra until December 2005.  Training of Iraqi army 
soldiers in the Czech Republic has also begun, with 100 Iraqi 
soldiers taking the training during the 2005 calendar year. 
 
3.  (C) The Czech Republic has also contributed troops to 
Afghanistan to assist in GWOT efforts there.  The Czechs 
began in 2003 with the deployment of 15 specialists in 
explosive ordinance disposal (EOD), weather and engineering 
to the NATO ISAF mission and have maintained their continuous 
presence at the Bagram airfield ever since.  They expect to 
take over the Bagram airfield operations next year (number of 
support troops needed to fulfill this mandate is still 
unknown).  Between March and September 2004, the GOCR also 
deployed a 112-man Special Operations Force company in 
support of Operation Enduring Freedom.  The Czechs are 
currently contributing 40-man reconnaissance unit to the 
German-led Provincial Reconstruction Team; a deployment which 
began early this year. 
 
4.  (C)  In addition to troop contributions, the Czech 
government has been very proactive on providing assistance 
for the reconstruction of Iraq and support for building new 
government institutions, which are critical fields to help 
stabilize the country.  Early on, they detailed 19 Czech 
experts to various ministries of the Coalition Provisional 
Authority (CPA), and still maintain one at the Ministry of 
Interior.  They are also active in civilian assistance and 
have contributed to training more than 200 Iraqi judges at 
the CEELI Institute in Prague, have brought Iraqi diplomats 
for training at the Czech diplomatic academy and 10 Czech 
police instructors participate in police training in Jordan 
as part of a two-year project ongoing since November 2003. 
The Czech government is helping to sponsor a number of Iraqi 
students pursuing graduate economic studies at the Prague 
campus of the Center for Economic Research and Graduate 
Education (CERGE-EI).  It has donated more than USD 1.4 
million to humanitarian assistance in Iraq through various 
NGO's including UNHCR and WFP.  They also provided free 
medical care to 26 Iraqi children with serious medical 
problems; these children were flown to the Czech Republic at 
the cost of approximately USD 500,000 in 2003 and 2004.   USD 
480,000 has been used for transformation assistance, 
including providing equipment for the southern Iraq police 
academy of Az Zubayr, specialized study stays for Iraqi 
experts in sewage treatment, pump stations, irrigation, 
traffic control, etc.  The GOCR also provided assistance to 
facilitate Iraqi citizens living in the Czech Republic to 
vote in the January elections.  Finally, the GOCR has funded 
programs to protect Iraqi cultural heritage (USD 40,000) and 
development cooperation projects (USD 560,000). 
 
5.  (C) Post has successfully used the International Visitor 
(IV) and Voluntary Visitor (VolVis) programs to promote 
greater knowledge and awareness of terrorism and 
terrorist-related issues.  In 2004, Post supported the 
participation of a senior Czech investigator in the VolVis 
regional project for Europe on "Terrorist Financing Issues," 
as well as a 6-person IV group project on law enforcement 
that will help prosecutors and investigators combat the 
criminal elements that are often associated with the 
international terrorist networks.  Post's candidates for 2005 
show the same commitment to expanding knowledge and awareness 
in these fields, with 2 participants attending an ITT on 
"Money Laundering and Financing of Terrorism" and another 2 
candidates attending MRP's on "US-European Security Issues" 
and "US Foreign Policy Challenges." 
6.  (C) Post also has an active, successful Public Affairs 
outreach that address various aspects of the war on terror, 
including issues related to Iraq, Afghanistan, and the role 
of NATO in the Greater Middle East.  These have included 
digital conferences with government officials and think tank 
experts on military action in Iraq, US priorities for NATO in 
preparation for the Prague and Istanbul summits, and NATO's 
role in Afghanistan.  Visiting speakers from institutions 
such as the American Enterprise Institute, Congressional 
Research Service and Washington Institute for Near East 
Studies have participated in conferences and met with Czech 
officials, academics and media to address U.S. policy actions 
in Iraq, Iran, Middle East and legal aspects on 
counterterrorism and the threat of Al-Quaeda.  PAS has 
sponsored several American journalists who cover the Middle 
East and Iraq for programs with Czech journalists and 
students, and discussions organized in cooperation with Radio 
Free Europe/Radio Liberty.  Our American Information Center 
has organized panel discussions with both U.S. and Czech 
participants on developments in Iraq on the anniversary of 
the war, Iraqi media and Iraqi elections.  The Ambassador and 
other Embassy officials have participated in media 
roundtables and conferences related to the GWOT, and PAS has 
placed a number of commentaries in the main Czech dailies on 
this subject.  In addition, we have provided financial and 
logistical support for two annual conferences organized by 
the Program of Atlantic Security Studies on "NATO and the 
Greater Middle East" and "Energy Security," at both of which 
USG officials participated, presenting U.S. policy objectives 
on issues related to combatting terrorism. 
 
------------------------------------ 
CHALLENGES AND PROPOSED SOLUTIONS 
------------------------------------ 
 
 
7. (C)  Both the rigid Czech legal structure and political 
realities mean that it is easier for the GOCR to deploy 
troops when there is an authorizing UN Security Council 
resolution or NATO decision (although they have acted without 
it when needed).  The Czechs are committed Atlanticists and 
NATO membership remains popular among the Czech public and 
politicians.  For example, the most recent extension of 
troops in Iraq was facilitated by the possibility that that 
all the MPs would be brought eventually into the NATO 
Training 
Mission; the GOCR has already told us that their ability to 
smoothly extend the military police into 2006 depends in part 
on securing a firm NATO decision to bring the existing Czech 
operation near Basra into the NTM.  Likewise it was important 
in the last extension that the UK publicly took the lead, 
with the U.S. working behind the scenes. 
 
8.  (C) An obstacle to committing greater numbers of Czech 
troops to overseas missions is  the cost that transporting 
and re-supplying several overseas deployments at the same 
time places on the MOD budget.  The Czechs must either 
contract or rely on the USG to move their troops; although 
they are hoping to acquire American-built C-130J aircraft 
within the next couple of years to assist in this area.  The 
USG has been able to help defray these costs through 
reimbursement, or to provide the needed airlift, but not in 
every case.  The Czechs also have a doctrinal limit of 
deploying only 1000 personnel with rotation at any given 
time.  Their on-going commitments to Iraq and Afghanistan, 
together with deployments in the Balkans, and in support of 
the UN, place them continuously at or near this ceiling. 
 
9.  (C) One of the best means at our disposal for urging 
action and maintaining the long term commitments is 
conducting regular consultations between senior-level 
officials in Washington and Prague, such as the recent visit 
by Deputy Secretary.  The more we can maintain contact with 
Czech officials as "equal partners," the greater effect we 
have on pressing decisions of the moment.  This was clearly 
evident when the first request for an extension of the 
military police unit in Basra came up, following a 
reorganization of the government under a relatively new Prime 
Minister.  A telephone call from President Bush urging the 
extension was an important factor in getting the new PM 
solidly behind the extension and pushing it through 
Parliament in a rapid manner.  In addition, maintaining an 
active public affairs outreach to Czech decision-makers and 
public, has been instrumental in explaining U.S. policy 
objectives. 
 
Visit Prague's Classified Website: 
http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/eur/prague/index. cfm 
CABANISS