US embassy cable - 03OTTAWA1654

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 OTTAWA 001654 
 
SIPDIS 
 
NATO FOR DEFENSE SECRETARY RUMSFELD 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/10/2013 
TAGS: PREL, MOPS, KPKO, AF, IZ, CG, Iraq, Afghanistan 
SUBJECT: CANADIAN MILITARY PREPARING FOR KEY ROLE IN ISAF, 
MAKING MODEST CONTRIBUTIONS IN IRAQ AND CONGO 
 
REF: (A) OTTAWA 985 AND PREVIOUS (B) OTTAWA 1190 
 
Classified By: Political Minister Counselor Brian Flora, 
Reasons 1.5 (b) and (d). 
 
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SUMMARY 
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1. (C) While NATO is assuming the lead for ISAF, Canada will 
join Germany as one of the two largest troop contributors 
beginning in August.  Canada will be providing two rotations 
of 1,800 personnel each for ISAF IV and V.  While Canada will 
not back away from this commitment, it is expressing concern 
about the security situation in Afghanistan and the lack of 
political progress made by the Karzai Government.  Before its 
main ISAF deployment gets underway, Canada is also making 
small military contributions in Iraq and Congo, using CC130 
aircraft to transport U.S. military personnel into Iraq and 
French military personnel into Congo.  END SUMMARY. 
 
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AFGHANISTAN 
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2. (C) Canada is proceeding with preparations for the 
infantry battle group and brigade staff headquarters it will 
be contributing to ISAF IV and V (ref. A).  There are 
currently 150 Canadian Forces (CF) personnel in Kabul laying 
the groundwork, and the bulk of the CF deployment will take 
place starting in late July.  CF MGEN Andrew Leslie will be 
the Deputy Commander in ISAF headquarters, and will be joined 
there by 15-20 other CF personnel.  CF BGEN Peter Devlin will 
be Commander of the Kabul Multinational Brigade. 
 
3. (C) Foreign Affairs (DFAIT) and National Defense (DND) 
contacts tell us that beyond the announced ISAF mission in 
Kabul, Canada is looking at potential CF participation in 
Provincial Reconstruction Teams.  One of the factors they are 
assessing is security, particularly after the recent killing 
of 4 German soldiers.  Canada prefers that the three missions 
going on concurrently in Afghanistan - Operation Enduring 
Freedom, NATO/ISAF, and UN - be brought together.  Canadian 
Defense Minister McCallum will be visiting Kabul June 23-24, 
and Afghan Foreign Minister Abdullah will be visiting Ottawa 
in August.  Canada has also announced that it is opening an 
Embassy in Afghanistan, which should be "fully operational" 
by summer 2004.  Canada's diplomatic efforts in Kabul are 
currently being handled by TDY personnel from Islamabad. 
 
4. (C) While Canada will follow through on its ISAF 
commitments, Foreign Minister Graham told reporters on June 
10 that "the anarchy in Afghanistan is clearly a serious 
concern for us."  Our DFAIT contacts noted UN SRSG Brahimi's 
recent message in Paris, where he said that the Karzai 
Government is repeating the mistakes of the early 1990s, 
potentially enabling the Taliban to re-establish itself. 
DFAIT expressed concern about the Government's inability to 
be more inclusive, about following through on the elections 
timetable, and about what would happen if Karzai was killed. 
 
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IRAQ, CONGO 
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5. (C) Prior to its main ISAF deployment, Canada is also 
making small military contributions in Iraq (ref. A) and the 
Congo.  Canada is using four CC-130 Hercules transport 
aircraft based in the UAE, which previously had been 
dedicated to Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF).  On June 2 and 
8, the CC130s were used to transport U.S. military personnel 
and equipment from Kuwait into Iraq.  On June 9, two of the 
CC130s were deployed to Entebbe, Uganda, where they are being 
used to transport French troops into Bunia, Congo.  Canada 
will devote the two CC-130s to the Congo mission until July 
7, when they will return to the UAE to support the ISAF 
deployment.  Canada will send a fifth CC-130 into theater in 
July to help with the ISAF deployment surge. 
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COMMENT 
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6. (C) The Canadian Government continues to step up to the 
plate in Afghanistan, where it has made significant military 
contributions under OEF and has disbursed US$86 million in 
humanitarian assistance (another US$185 million has been 
committed over the next 2 years).  In Iraq, Canada refused to 
join our military coalition but is providing humanitarian 
assistance, using both military and civilian assets.  Canada 
participated with us in a recent police/judiciary assessment 
team visit to Iraq, and we expect RCMP officers to be 
deployed as part of this effort.  In Congo, Canada's military 
contribution is in keeping with Prime Minister Chretien's 
push in the G-8 for greater responsiveness to African crises. 
 All of these efforts continue to strain the underfunded 
Canadian military, which will have 9% of all available combat 
troops deployed overseas by August. 
CELLUCCI