US embassy cable - 05WARSAW3104

C O N F I D E N T I A L WARSAW 003104 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR EUR/RPM, EUR/NCE 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 08/12/2010 
TAGS: PREL, MARR, AF, PL, NATO, UNSC 
SUBJECT: RENEWAL OF ISAF'S U.N. MANDATE - POLAND NOT AN 
OBSTACLE 
 
REF: (A) STATE 146276 
 
Classified By: Political Counselor Mary Curtin, reasons 1.4 (b) and (d) 
 
1. (C) PolMil Chief shared Ref A views on the ISAF mandate 
with Jakub Urbanik, action officer for Afghanistan/Iraq 
operations in the MFA Department of Security Policy, who was 
familiar with the U.S. intentions for revising the NATO 
operational plan.  After discussing the issue with the Polish 
NATO Mission and the MOD, Urbanik said that Poland agreed 
with the U.S. position that the UN mandate was sufficiently 
flexible in its current form to allow revision of the NATO 
operational plan as envisioned. 
 
2. (C) However, Urbanik stressed that the GOP expected 
"several key NATO members" (which he did not specify) to 
raise strong objections to a change in the NATO operational 
plan without making specific amendments to the UN mandate. 
Poland would stand with the U.S. but, not being a member of 
the Security Council, would not have a substantial role to 
play on the UN side. 
 
3. (C) He also indicated that the GOP had not yet formulated 
its own position on how exactly the NATO operational plan 
should be modified.  If the U.S. wanted an official response 
on this question, he would need a more detailed demarche on 
the basis of which he would have to initiate an interagency 
process at the senior policy level. 
Piascik