US embassy cable - 05LJUBLJANA235

S E C R E T LJUBLJANA 000235 
 
SIPDIS 
 
 
DEPT FOR EUR/RPM AND EUR/NCE 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 04/07/2015 
TAGS: PREL, MARR, SI, NATO 
SUBJECT: SLOVENIA IN ISAF: NO CAVEATS AND POSSIBLY MORE 
TROOPS 
 
REF: SECSTATE 60862 
 
Classified By: Deputy Chief of Mission Dean J. Haas for reasons 1.4(b) 
and (d). 
 
1.  (S) Pol-Miloff delivered reftel talking points on 08 
April to Stanislav Vidovic and Zorica Bukinac Cimpersek in 
the MFA Security Policy Department, noting in particular that 
Slovenia's "no caveats" policy for its ISAF troops allowed 
Slovenian Armed Forces (SAF) soldiers to be among the first 
on the scene when a passenger aircraft crashed in the 
mountains earlier this year.  Visibly pleased at U.S. 
recognition of Slovenia's efforts, Vidovic provided 
information about future Slovenian contributions to ISAF. 
 
2.  (S) MILITARY CONTRIBUTIONS:  Vidovic said Slovenia will 
send as many as 60 troops to ISAF by the end of August 2005, 
pending approval of an MOD-prepared proposal for the 
Government to consider in one of its remaining three April 
sessions.  The proposal would potentially double the SAF 
contribution of 29 troops currently serving in ISAF.  Noting 
Slovenian plans to withdraw the unit currently deployed in 
Kabul in August when the Canadians move to the south, Vidovic 
said two officers would be sent to a German-led PRT in 
Kunduz, two would remain at headquarters, a motorized platoon 
of up to 45 soldiers would be sent to an Italian/Spanish-led 
PRT in Herat, and two officers would be assigned to a 
regional coordination office in Herat.  Vidovic said that 
Slovenian firefighters currently guarding the Kabul airport 
would be deployable to the airport in Herat under the plan. 
The GoS has already approved the deployment of up to ten 
firefighters to Kabul, with seven currently serving as a 
subset of the 29 SAF troops in Afghanistan. 
 
3.  (S) CIVILIAN CONTRIBUTIONS:  Vidovic said the timeline 
for sending civilian volunteers to ISAF PRTs would be longer, 
but that a group of functional specialists will have 
completed their training by the end of 2005 in accordance 
with one of Slovenia's NATO Force Goals.  Vidovic noted that 
legislation to allow deployment of the civilians would likely 
be in place by early 2006.  He said that one result of 
Slovenian PermRep Matjaz Sinkovec's recent trip to Herat with 
SACEUR is an increased interest in contributing civilians to 
PRTs, once the appropriate legislation is in place.  Vidovic 
said Slovenia would consider contributions through its 
Agriculture Ministry, as well as additional contributions for 
infrastructure projects.  While he said no money has yet been 
earmarked and no concrete plans identified, Vidovic noted 
that Sinkovec's influence would be decisive in moving these 
plans forward, an apparent reference to the PermRep's ties to 
PM Janez Jansa's SDS Party. 
ROBERTSON 
 
 
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 2005LJUBLJ00235 - Classification: SECRET 


 
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