Date: Tue, 7 Jan 2003 04:26:14 -0800 (PST)
From: Rick Rozoff
Subject: One Month In NATO, Germans Dragoon Slovenes Into Afghan War
http://www.tol.cz/look/BRR/article.tpl?IdLanguage=1&Id
Publication=9&NrIssue=1&NrSection=1&NrArticle=8193
Transitions Online
(Open Society Institute)
January 6, 2003
NATO Beckons
By Ales Gaube
-The Slovenian daily Delo...says the army has already
received the informal hint to prepare for the mission
even though a final political decision has not been
reached.
-The ZLSD Youth Forum fears that Slovenian soldiers
might be used in combat operations against the
remaining Taliban forces that still control part of
Afghanistan. Luka Juri, head of the Youth Forum, said
on 30 December that the invitation for Slovenian
troops to join the ISAF is only the first of many
foreign policy and military tests that Slovenia will
be subjected to because of its new NATO membership.
Juri also said that he was disappointed that the
government intends to decide the issue without a
public discussion. He said that the public would have
no say in whether or not to send troops to
Afghanistan, where they would be “satisfying U.S.
interests and acting in contradiction to efforts for
international stability and development.”
LJUBLJANA, Slovenia--Only a month after Slovenia was
invited to join NATO at the alliance’s Prague summit,
the country’s willingness to cooperate in
international peace missions is being put to the test
with Germany’s request that Slovenia take part in the
International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) in
Afghanistan. Germany will take over the ISAF III
mission in mid-February.
Though the government has yet to make a final decision
on whether or not to send troops to war-torn
Afghanistan, the Slovenian Defense Ministry on 28
December did confirm that it is still inspecting the
possibility of a small-scale contribution to the
peacekeeping mission there. The Slovenian daily Delo,
however, says the army has already received the
informal hint to prepare for the mission even though a
final political decision has not been reached.
To some degree, Slovenia has already been involved in
the mission in Afghanistan--albeit from a safer
distance. In 2000 it sent humanitarian aid to
Afghanistan, and late last year it sent weapons that
the Slovenian army no longer needed, equipping Afghan
security forces with 1,800 guns, ammunition, and
explosives.
“If a decision to participate is made, only a small
unit of the Slovenian armed forces would be sent to
Afghanistan, performing its duties under the auspices
of a larger contingent,” Defense Ministry
representative Uros Krek told TV Slovenia on 28
December.
The Slovenian unit would probably be used to maintain
security in the Afghan capital of Kabul and the
surrounding area. The Slovenian soldiers would also
likely assist the temporary Afghan government in
setting up national security structures, rebuilding
the country, and training future security forces, the
ministry representative explained.
The busy holiday season for the most part kept
politicians from commenting on the issue to the local
media. Only the youth wing of the Unified List of
Social Democrats (ZLSD) coalition party was publicly
skeptical about the possibility of Slovenian soldiers
heading to Afghanistan. The ZLSD youth wing, however,
is known for its staunch opposition to Slovenia’s
membership in NATO. The party itself has supported
Slovenia’s bid to enter the alliance.
The ZLSD Youth Forum fears that Slovenian soldiers
might be used in combat operations against the
remaining Taliban forces that still control part of
Afghanistan. Luka Juri, head of the Youth Forum, said
on 30 December that the invitation for Slovenian
troops to join the ISAF is only the first of many
foreign policy and military tests that Slovenia will
be subjected to because of its new NATO membership.
Juri also said that he was disappointed that the
government intends to decide the issue without a
public discussion. He said that the public would have
no say in whether or not to send troops to
Afghanistan, where they would be “satisfying U.S.
interests and acting in contradiction to efforts for
international stability and development.”
It would not be the first time the Slovenian army has
stepped beyond the Balkans for peacekeeping efforts.
Currently, Slovenia is participating in the
peacekeeping mission in Bosnia and Herzegovina and in
the tense Yugoslav province of Kosovo. Slovenian
forces have been sent to join the United Nations
peacekeeping forces in Cyprus, as well as to the UN
Truce Supervision Organization that is monitoring the
cease-fire on the borders of Israel, Syria, and
Lebanon. It is also widely believed that Slovenia will
be invited to participate in a possible stabilization
force following what many fear to be the imminent war
in Iraq.
From: Rick Rozoff
Subject: One Month In NATO, Germans Dragoon Slovenes Into Afghan War
http://www.tol.cz/look/BRR/article.tpl?IdLanguage=1&Id
Publication=9&NrIssue=1&NrSection=1&NrArticle=8193
Transitions Online
(Open Society Institute)
January 6, 2003
NATO Beckons
By Ales Gaube
-The Slovenian daily Delo...says the army has already
received the informal hint to prepare for the mission
even though a final political decision has not been
reached.
-The ZLSD Youth Forum fears that Slovenian soldiers
might be used in combat operations against the
remaining Taliban forces that still control part of
Afghanistan. Luka Juri, head of the Youth Forum, said
on 30 December that the invitation for Slovenian
troops to join the ISAF is only the first of many
foreign policy and military tests that Slovenia will
be subjected to because of its new NATO membership.
Juri also said that he was disappointed that the
government intends to decide the issue without a
public discussion. He said that the public would have
no say in whether or not to send troops to
Afghanistan, where they would be “satisfying U.S.
interests and acting in contradiction to efforts for
international stability and development.”
LJUBLJANA, Slovenia--Only a month after Slovenia was
invited to join NATO at the alliance’s Prague summit,
the country’s willingness to cooperate in
international peace missions is being put to the test
with Germany’s request that Slovenia take part in the
International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) in
Afghanistan. Germany will take over the ISAF III
mission in mid-February.
Though the government has yet to make a final decision
on whether or not to send troops to war-torn
Afghanistan, the Slovenian Defense Ministry on 28
December did confirm that it is still inspecting the
possibility of a small-scale contribution to the
peacekeeping mission there. The Slovenian daily Delo,
however, says the army has already received the
informal hint to prepare for the mission even though a
final political decision has not been reached.
To some degree, Slovenia has already been involved in
the mission in Afghanistan--albeit from a safer
distance. In 2000 it sent humanitarian aid to
Afghanistan, and late last year it sent weapons that
the Slovenian army no longer needed, equipping Afghan
security forces with 1,800 guns, ammunition, and
explosives.
“If a decision to participate is made, only a small
unit of the Slovenian armed forces would be sent to
Afghanistan, performing its duties under the auspices
of a larger contingent,” Defense Ministry
representative Uros Krek told TV Slovenia on 28
December.
The Slovenian unit would probably be used to maintain
security in the Afghan capital of Kabul and the
surrounding area. The Slovenian soldiers would also
likely assist the temporary Afghan government in
setting up national security structures, rebuilding
the country, and training future security forces, the
ministry representative explained.
The busy holiday season for the most part kept
politicians from commenting on the issue to the local
media. Only the youth wing of the Unified List of
Social Democrats (ZLSD) coalition party was publicly
skeptical about the possibility of Slovenian soldiers
heading to Afghanistan. The ZLSD youth wing, however,
is known for its staunch opposition to Slovenia’s
membership in NATO. The party itself has supported
Slovenia’s bid to enter the alliance.
The ZLSD Youth Forum fears that Slovenian soldiers
might be used in combat operations against the
remaining Taliban forces that still control part of
Afghanistan. Luka Juri, head of the Youth Forum, said
on 30 December that the invitation for Slovenian
troops to join the ISAF is only the first of many
foreign policy and military tests that Slovenia will
be subjected to because of its new NATO membership.
Juri also said that he was disappointed that the
government intends to decide the issue without a
public discussion. He said that the public would have
no say in whether or not to send troops to
Afghanistan, where they would be “satisfying U.S.
interests and acting in contradiction to efforts for
international stability and development.”
It would not be the first time the Slovenian army has
stepped beyond the Balkans for peacekeeping efforts.
Currently, Slovenia is participating in the
peacekeeping mission in Bosnia and Herzegovina and in
the tense Yugoslav province of Kosovo. Slovenian
forces have been sent to join the United Nations
peacekeeping forces in Cyprus, as well as to the UN
Truce Supervision Organization that is monitoring the
cease-fire on the borders of Israel, Syria, and
Lebanon. It is also widely believed that Slovenia will
be invited to participate in a possible stabilization
force following what many fear to be the imminent war
in Iraq.