US embassy cable - 05BRATISLAVA357

C O N F I D E N T I A L  BRATISLAVA 000357 
 
SIPDIS 
 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 04/19/2015 
TAGS: PREL, MARR, LO, IZ 
SUBJECT: SLOVAKIA FIRM ON IRAQ MANDATE 
 
REF: (A) STATE 72115 (B) WARSAW 2000 (C) STATE 75184 
 
     (D) BRATISLAVA 135 
 
Classified By: CDA SCOTT N. THAYER FOR REASONS 1.4(B) AND (D) 
 
1. (C) SUMMARY. Prominent Slovak defense policy players have 
recently raised publicly whether the GOS should reopen the 
parliamentary debate on the Slovak troops in Iraq.  State 
Secretary at the MOD Martin Fedor stressed publicly the 
 
SIPDIS 
importance of a renewed UN Security Council mandate, while 
opposition MP and Chair of the Security and Defense Committee 
Robert Kalinak has asked when Slovak soldiers will return 
home.  Nevertheless, all sides have stressed the importance 
of keeping Slovak soldiers in Iraq for now and emphasized no 
unilateral decisions on drawdowns will be made. END SUMMARY. 
 
Government Policy: Stay the Course in Iraq 
------------------------------------------ 
2. (U) State Secretary at the MOD Martin Fedor said publicly 
April 13 that, &Our presence in Iraq is determined by three 
starting points -- the resolution of the UN Security Council 
(1546) calling on member states to engage themselves, the 
invitation from the Iraqi Government, and the mandate from 
the National Council of the Slovak Republic (parliament). 
These conditions apply not only to the Defense Ministry, but 
also to the entire Slovak political representation.8  Fedor 
continued that, &it is important to us how the international 
community and the Iraqi Government approach the new 
situation, as well as the standpoint of the allies. 
According to our assessment, the work carried out by Slovak 
engineers is still justified.8  Slovak Ambassador to the 
U.S. Rastislav Kacer made similar comments at the Secretary's 
April 12 Iraq Forum (ref A). 
 
3. (C) Fedor's foreign policy advisor Mario Nicolini told 
poloff April 22 that Fedor's comments were an outgrowth of 
similar comments from Poland (ref B) and did not represent a 
dramatic shift in Slovak policy.  He reaffirmed several times 
the GOS is "not wavering in its support" for its mandate in 
Iraq.  He said Fedor's comments were not the most diplomatic 
in that the State Secretary did not intend to express any 
lack of resolve to keep Slovak troops in Iraq.  He said Fedor 
painted himself into a corner with the journalists.  Nicolini 
reiterated the Slovaks will not make any unilateral decisions 
on withdrawal or drawdowns, but they want to see the UNSC 
renew the Iraq mandate in June.  Fedor's comments do not 
suggest the MOD is requesting an official invitation from the 
Iraqi government to remain in Iraq; the MFA's assessment that 
the Iraqi government wants the Slovak troops to remain is 
sufficient. 
 
4. (C) Director of the MFA's Security Policy department 
Lubomir Cano told Charge May 3 that Slovakia closely monitors 
allies' moves in Iraq.  Slovak security and defense planners 
want to make sure Slovak deminers in Iraq are properly 
defended, and the elected government of Iraq and the UN 
continue to authorize military involvement in Iraq.  Cano 
said the GOS will watch the actions of its allies and will 
not be the last country to leave. 
 
5. (C) Speaker of Parliament Pavol Hrusovsky (KDH) told U/S 
Nicholas Burns that Slovak troops would stay in Iraq and 
inquired about the type of troops needed (ref C).  Nicolini 
also expressed to poloff a growing interest in supplying 
troops other than deminers.  He said the MOD is evaluating 
the type of troops it can supply to play a more significant 
role in the GWOT within the Slovak Armed Forces' limited 
financial capacity. 
 
Opposition: When will the Slovak Troops Come Home? 
--------------------------------------------- ----- 
6. (C) Responding to Fedor,s comments in the media, Chairman 
of Parliament,s Security and Defense Committee and 
opposition MP Robert Kalinak (Smer) said, "Parliament should 
again deal with this.  The election has already taken place 
in Iraq and the situation should stabilize.  At issue is not 
the withdrawal or remaining of our troops, but the setting of 
rules for their operation in Iraq and the duration of their 
mission.8  Kalinak reiterated this position in his meeting 
with U/S Burns, adding the pending logistical support gap 
resulting from the Polish drawdown may jeopardize the safety 
of Slovak troops.  However, Kalinak noted that political 
support remains for the Iraq deployment, citing parliament's 
February 10 decision to contribute to the NATO Training 
Mission - Iraq (ref D).  Kalinak told Charge May 5 (septel) 
that Hrusovsky's visit to Washington (ref C) has been 
especially valuable in shoring up political support for the 
deployment among all parliamentary groups who accompanied him 
(including Kalinak himself). 
 
COMMENT 
------- 
7. (C) There is no serious momentum within parliament to 
change Slovakia's unlimited mandate in Iraq, and it is highly 
unlikely the MOD will spearhead such an effort.  Absent a 
failure to secure an extension of UNSCR 1546, we consider the 
GOS' commitment to Iraq as firm through the 2006 
parliamentary elections.  Current opposition candidates are 
likely to criticize the coalition government's contribution 
to the war in pre-election campaigns but stop short of 
advocating withdrawal.  Smer Chairman Robert Fico is likely 
to lead the pack in criticizing the Dzurinda government. 
Only the marginalized Communist party (KSS) -- consistently 
polling under the five percent threshold to get into 
parliament -- advocates withdrawal. 
MINIMIZE CONSIDERED 
THAYER 
 
 
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