US embassy cable - 05VIENNA1895

UNCLAS VIENNA 001895 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
 
DEPARTMENT FOR PM, SA/PAB, EUR/RPM, EUR/ERA AND EUR/AGS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: MARR, PREL, KPKO, AF, AU, BK, SR, MK, NATO, EUN 
SUBJECT:  AFGHANISTAN: AUSTRIA SENDING UP TO 100 SOLDIERS 
FOR SEPTEMBER ELECTIONS 
 
REFS:  A) VIENNA 1152 
B)VIENNA AU 081201Z APR 05 
 
This message is sensitive but unclassified. 
 
1.  (SBU) On June 7, the Austrian Council of Ministers 
(cabinet) unanimously approved the deployment of up to 
100 Austrian soldiers to Afghanistan in August - October 
2005.  Parliament's standing committee will have to give 
final approval to the deployment mandate, possibly as 
early as June 10.  Speaking on Austrian television June 
7, Defense Minister Platter said that the decision came 
in response to a request by UN secretary general Kofi 
Annan.  Austria wants to contribute to building a stable 
and secure environment prior to and during the September 
elections in Afghanistan, Chancellor Schuessel explained. 
According to Platter, the Austrian mandate will run to 
the end of October 2005.  Platter earlier told Embassy's 
Defense Attache that the Austrian soldiers would deploy 
as part of the security element for the German PRT in 
Konduz. 
 
2.  (SBU) Austria had previously deployed about 70 troops 
within the German ISAF contingent in Kabul from February 
to December 2002, and a five-man National Intelligence 
Cell from January to August 2003.  Since 2004, a handful 
of Austrian staff officers have served at ISAF 
headquarters and at UNAMA. 
 
3.  (SBU) In March 2005, German Defense Minister Struck 
asked Platter to consider Austrian participation in a 
German-led PRT in Afghanistan.  The decision to redeploy 
has not been especially controversial.  Only Freedom 
Party chairman Heinz-Christian Strache has vocally 
opposed the move, arguing that it was too dangerous to 
send Austrian soldiers to this region. 
 
Brown