US embassy cable - 05ZAGREB586

C O N F I D E N T I A L ZAGREB 000586 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 04/12/2015 
TAGS: PREL, MARR, AF, HR, NATO, Defense Reform (Mil & NATO) 
SUBJECT: CROATIA IN AFGHANISTAN: MAY UP CONTRIBUTION & 
REMOVE CAVEATS 
 
REF: SECSTATE 60862 
 
Classified By: Poloff Justin Friedman, reasons 1.4 (b) & (d) 
 
SUMMARY 
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1. (C ) Rel UK) The GoC MFA NATO Coordinator Pjer Simunovic 
and MoD Director for International Defense Cooperation Davor 
Cutic responded on April 7 to reftel demarche that the GoC 
would reconsider caveats on Afghanistan ISAF deployments. 
The GoC is currently reviewing increasing its ISAF military 
deployment to up to 150 persons as well as increasing its 
civilian PRT contribution.  Simunovic will lead a four-person 
team on a review tour of the GoC's civilian deployment to 
Feyzabad, Afghanistan April 21-27.  End SUMMARY. 
 
2. (C - Rel UK) Poloff & ADATT delivered reftel demarche 
separately to Croatian MFA National Coordinator for NATO Pjer 
Simunovic and Ministry of Defense Director for International 
Cooperation Davor Cutic on April 7.  Cutic, otherwise well 
informed for his first week on the job, seemed not fully 
briefed on the scope of ISAF mandate, questioning whether the 
current mandate allowed deployments outside of Kabul.  He was 
concerned that the Croatian caveats would be hard to change 
as they reflected President's clear policy of only sending 
troops outside of Croatia under a UN mandate.  We followed up 
on April 8 with relevant UNSCR resolution excerpts to help 
set Cutic straight that the ISAF mandate covers deployments 
beyond Kabul. 
 
3. (C - Rel UK) Nonetheless, Cutic understood the need for 
removing or reducing caveats and said he would look at 
changes as the MoD looks at expanding its ISAF deployment. 
Cutic said that the precise shape of the expanded deployment 
is under review and could be either a reinforced platoon of 
approximately 100 persons (including the current 50 person MP 
platoon) or a full company of 150.  The new personnel would 
come from a NATO-declared infantry company who would be 
cross-trained in MP duties. 
4. (C ) Rel UK) Assistant Minister of Defense Igor Pokaz 
repeated this formulation for an expanded ISAF contribution 
in an April 8 meeting with EUR/SCE Director Charles English. 
Pokaz added that a concept paper for Presidential approval 
was in preparation.  Pokaz said that the Croatian Armed 
Forces were gaining invaluable experience in the Afghanistan 
and other UN PKO deployments and the MoD was looking at 
modalities for expanding its overseas deployments. 
 
5. (C ) Rel UK) Simunovic responded that GoC would review 
the issue in the context of expanding the ISAF deployment, 
noting that the Sabor (Croatian parliament) approves only the 
number and type of troops deployed but does not set any 
specific restrictions on their use.  Simunovic said that the 
caveats could be changed without too much difficulty as they 
were largely mission-specific and set by the MoD.  He also 
commented that it was politically easier for the GoC to gain 
Sabor approval for expanding an existing military mission 
than to create a new one in a place like Iraq. 
 
6. (C ) Rel UK) Simunovic said that he planned to travel 
with a four-man team to Kabul, Kunduz and Feyzabad April 
21-27. The team will consist of Simunovic; Ivan Starcevic, 
the next diplomat to be assigned to the civilian PRT in 
Feyzabad; Marko Kricancic, the Director of the Ministry of 
Internal Affairs' Department for Peacekeeping Missions; and 
an MoD representative to be named.  Simunovic said that he 
would also look at the possibility of increasing civilian 
contributions to Afghanistan PRTs. 
FRANK 
 
 
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