Wikileaks - DLXXXVIII
93096 1/19/2007 8:43 07COPENHAGEN66 Embassy Copenhagen CONFIDENTIAL 07STATE4834 VZCZCXYZ0008 OO RUEHWEB DE RUEHCP #0066/01 0190843 ZNY CCCCC ZZH O 190843Z JAN 07 FM AMEMBASSY COPENHAGEN TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 3148 INFO RUEHAK/AMEMBASSY ANKARA 0198 RUEHTH/AMEMBASSY ATHENS 0080 RUEHKB/AMEMBASSY BAKU 0022 RUEHRL/AMEMBASSY BERLIN 0492 RUEHSW/AMEMBASSY BERN 1410 RUEHSL/AMEMBASSY BRATISLAVA 0129 RUEHBS/AMEMBASSY BRUSSELS 8906 RUEHBM/AMEMBASSY BUCHAREST 0647 RUEHUP/AMEMBASSY BUDAPEST 0069 RUEHBY/AMEMBASSY CANBERRA 0859 RUEHDL/AMEMBASSY DUBLIN 1864 RUEHHE/AMEMBASSY HELSINKI 3774 RUEHIL/AMEMBASSY ISLAMABAD 0767 RUEHBUL/AMEMBASSY KABUL 0047 RUEHLI/AMEMBASSY LISBON 0151 RUEHLJ/AMEMBASSY LJUBLJANA 0237 RUEHLO/AMEMBASSY LONDON 0494 RUEHLE/AMEMBASSY LUXEMBOURG 1998 RUEHMD/AMEMBASSY MADRID 2123 RUEHNC/AMEMBASSY NICOSIA 0529 RUEHNY/AMEMBASSY OSLO 5409 RUEHOT/AMEMBASSY OTTAWA 2523 RUEHFR/AMEMBASSY PARIS 0358 RUEHPG/AMEMBASSY PRAGUE 0643 RUEHRK/AMEMBASSY REYKJAVIK 0374 RUEHRA/AMEMBASSY RIGA 0807 RUEHRO/AMEMBASSY ROME 0508 RUEHUL/AMEMBASSY SEOUL 0465 RUEHSQ/AMEMBASSY SKOPJE 0091 RUEHSF/AMEMBASSY SOFIA 0468 RUEHSM/AMEMBASSY STOCKHOLM 8802 RUEHTL/AMEMBASSY TALLINN 1486 RUEHTC/AMEMBASSY THE HAGUE 5737 RUEHTI/AMEMBASSY TIRANA 0141 RUEHKO/AMEMBASSY TOKYO 0457 RUEHVI/AMEMBASSY VIENNA 0311 RUEHVL/AMEMBASSY VILNIUS 1592 RUEHWR/AMEMBASSY WARSAW 1971 RUEHVB/AMEMBASSY ZAGREB 0289 RUEHNO/USMISSION USNATO BRUSSELS BE 1092 C O N F I D E N T I A L COPENHAGEN 000066
SIPDIS
SIPDIS
E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/18/2017 TAGS: PREL, NATO, MARR, MOPS, AF, DA SUBJECT: DANES SUPPORT U.S. INFORMAL NATO MINISTERIAL GOALS
REF: STATE 4834
Classified By: Ambassador James Cain, reasons 1.4b,d
1. (C) Ambassador Cain highlighted for Danish MFA Permanent Secretary (deputy FM) Ulrik Federspiel the urgent need to
SIPDIS seize the momentum in Afghanistan, to pre-empt and thwart an anticipated Taliban offensive in the spring. The United States plans to increase our forces and assistance as part of that effort, he said, and we are looking to Denmark and other allies to accelerate and step up their contributions. Ambassador Cain encouraged Federspiel, who will attend the January 26 ministerial, to consider SHAPE's recommendations to address specific needs and shortfalls, and to look at increasing development aid in response to the forthcoming coordinated list of high-priority, high-impact projects. The United States recognizes that Denmark has been a stalwart ally in Afghanistan, Ambassador Cain noted, but the stakes for NATO could not be higher.
2. (C) Federspiel responded that Denmark shares "completely" our assessment of the situation in Afghanistan, and, without making any commitments, indicated that the Danish government is reviewing its assistance options and possible contributions of special forces. He also welcomed our emphasis on a comprehensive approach for improved civilian-military coordination, and agreed on the need for NATO-ISAF to have greater flexibility. Federspiel reported that Danish efforts to persuade the Germans to lift their caveats have not met with much success, and predicted that Chancellor Merkel will not be moved on this issue.
3. (C) That said, Federspiel noted that the Danes have been among those "doing the heavy lifting" in Afghanistan, operating in the difficult Helmand province, and provided us with a paper outlining Danish assistance to Afghanistan to date, which includes 117 million USD in reconstruction and democratization assistance for Afghanistan over five years, ending in 2009.
4. (C) Ambassador Cain took advantage of the meeting to press Federspiel to take a hard look at overall defense spending, with an eye toward adjusting the Danish defense budget to meet the NATO target of two percent of GDP. Federspiel indicated that the government's multi-year defense plan would not be negotiated among the parliamentary groupings until next year, and at this point it is too early to tell what public attitudes will be toward international commitments -- which increasingly serve as the primary mission for the Danish military. CAIN
