US embassy cable - 05VIENNA1966

UNCLAS VIENNA 001966 
 
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: PARLIAMENT APPROVES DEPLOYMENT OF 
100 SOLDIERS FOR ELECTIONS - CAVEATS LIFTED 
 
REFS:  A) VIENNA 1895  B) VIENNA 1152  C) STATE 60862 
D)VIENNA AU 081201Z APR 05 
 
This message is sensitive but unclassified. 
 
1.  (SBU) On June 10, Parliament's standing committee 
(Hauptausschuss) unanimously approved the cabinet's 
decision (ref a) to send up to 100 Austrian soldiers to 
the ISAF mission in Afghanistan for a period of three 
months, until October 31, 2005.  The Austrian soldiers 
will join the German PRT in Konduz.  At the same time, 
the committee extended the mandate of the staff officers 
already in Afghanistan to the end of December 2005 and 
lifted the caveat restricting their deployment to Kabul. 
Their mandate now covers the entire ISAF field of 
operations, including ISAF transit/logistics bases in 
Uzbekistan. 
 
2.  (SBU) Speaking to the standing committee June 10, 
Foreign Minister Plassnik stressed that free and fair 
elections were key to further positive developments in 
Afghanistan. According to Plassnik, the international 
community placed a high priority on stabilizing the 
country, and in particular, on containing the illicit 
drug traffic. 
 
3.  (SBU) The committee also approved Plassnik's request 
to support the EU's EUJUST LEX program to promote rule of 
law in Iraq.  Austria will second up to five experts 
(three from the Justice Ministry and two from the 
Interior Ministry) for a period of 12 to 16 days starting 
in June 2005.  Plassnik assured committee members that 
the training seminars would be held outside Iraq, 
possibly in Italy. Plassnik said the first free elections 
and the formation of a transitional government in Iraq 
have been two encouraging developments toward 
democratization. 
 
4.  (SBU) In response to the Ambassador's demarche to 
Defense Minister Platter (ref b), the GoA took advantage 
of the vehicle of the newest deployment authorization to 
lift the caveat on the previous ISAF deployment.  MFA 
Deputy Political Director Thomas Hajnoczi told Acting DCM 
"it would have been silly for the troops to deploy to 
Konduz - and the officers at ISAF not to have been able 
to go visit them." 
 
BROWN