Wikileaks - CXIV
25516 1/18/2005 12:41 05BUCHAREST132 Embassy Bucharest CONFIDENTIAL 05STATE4896 This record is a partial extract of the original cable. The full text of the original cable is not available. C O N F I D E N T I A L BUCHAREST 000132
SIPDIS
STATE FOR EUR/NCE - WILLIAM SILKWORTH
E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/14/2015 TAGS: PARM, PREL, MASS, MARR, PGOV, AF, RO SUBJECT: ROMANIAN RESPONSE TO REQUEST FOR CONTRIBUTIONS FOR AFGHAN ARMY; ESTABLISHMENT OF A PRT
REF: STATE 4896
Classified By: POLITICAL SECTION CHIEF ROBERT GILCHRIST FOR REASONS 1.4 A, B AND D
1. (C) This is an Action Request for State Department. See Paragraph 3.
2. (C) PolMilOff discussed possible Romanian contributions of weapons to the Afghan National Army (ANA) with Andreea Pastarnac, Director of the MFA's Middle East, Africa and Asia-Pacific Department, on January 12 (REFTEL). Pastarnac stated that she would immediately prepare a briefing paper for PM Tariceanu and DefMin Atanasiu, stressing that the FM would not be the final decision maker on whether, and to what degree, Romania would donate weapons to the ANA.
3. (C) Pastarnac continued that Romania's "new political leadership" (to include the PM and DefMin) will require "political background" on the situation in Afghanistan. She emphasized that she would "try to provide political information (to them)" giving a "positive" angle to our request. She underscored that any background information the U.S. could provide about Afghanistan would help her "provide a very hard core of arguments" in support of the request. Embassy Bucharest requests State Department provide additional information, ideally in the form of a nonpaper, regarding the current political situation in Afghanistan and supporting REFTEL request for weapons donation to ANA.
4. (C) In a separate meeting between DefMin Atanasiu and NATO Supreme Commander Jones on January 11, the Minister heard the General observe that a great deal of energy was going into expansion of the NATO role in Afghanistan, with PRTs serving as the "mechanism driving reconstruction." Atanasiu responded to the suggestion that Romania might want to establish its own PRT by promising to examine such a proposal "with great attention," noting that the U.S. "might be surprised by a yes." (See also septel) We believe this apparent readiness to assist with the Afghan Mission makes it all the more important that we keep the GOR informed on Afghan developments, particularly ass high-level leadership has just seen a 100 percent turnover.
5. (U) Amembassy Bucharest's reporting telegrams are available on the Bucharest SIPRNet website: www.state.sgov.gov/p/eur/bucharest DELARE
