

Currently released so far... 12689 / 251,287
Browse latest releases
2010/12/01
2010/12/02
2010/12/03
2010/12/04
2010/12/05
2010/12/06
2010/12/07
2010/12/08
2010/12/09
2010/12/10
2010/12/11
2010/12/12
2010/12/13
2010/12/14
2010/12/15
2010/12/16
2010/12/17
2010/12/18
2010/12/19
2010/12/20
2010/12/21
2010/12/22
2010/12/23
2010/12/24
2010/12/25
2010/12/26
2010/12/27
2010/12/28
2010/12/29
2010/12/30
2011/01/01
2011/01/02
2011/01/04
2011/01/05
2011/01/07
2011/01/09
2011/01/10
2011/01/11
2011/01/12
2011/01/13
2011/01/14
2011/01/15
2011/01/16
2011/01/17
2011/01/18
2011/01/19
2011/01/20
2011/01/21
2011/01/22
2011/01/23
2011/01/24
2011/01/25
2011/01/26
2011/01/27
2011/01/28
2011/01/29
2011/01/30
2011/01/31
2011/02/01
2011/02/02
2011/02/03
2011/02/04
2011/02/05
2011/02/06
2011/02/07
2011/02/08
2011/02/09
2011/02/10
2011/02/11
2011/02/12
2011/02/13
2011/02/14
2011/02/15
2011/02/16
2011/02/17
2011/02/18
2011/02/19
2011/02/20
2011/02/21
2011/02/22
2011/02/23
2011/02/24
2011/02/25
2011/02/26
2011/02/27
2011/02/28
2011/03/01
2011/03/02
2011/03/03
2011/03/04
2011/03/05
2011/03/06
2011/03/07
2011/03/08
2011/03/09
2011/03/10
2011/03/11
2011/03/13
2011/03/14
2011/03/15
2011/03/16
2011/03/17
2011/03/18
2011/03/19
2011/03/20
2011/03/21
2011/03/22
2011/03/23
2011/03/24
2011/03/25
2011/03/26
2011/03/27
2011/03/28
2011/03/29
2011/03/30
2011/03/31
2011/04/01
2011/04/02
2011/04/03
2011/04/04
2011/04/05
2011/04/06
2011/04/07
2011/04/08
2011/04/09
2011/04/10
2011/04/11
2011/04/12
2011/04/13
2011/04/14
2011/04/15
2011/04/16
2011/04/17
2011/04/18
2011/04/19
2011/04/20
2011/04/21
2011/04/22
2011/04/23
2011/04/24
2011/04/25
2011/04/26
2011/04/27
2011/04/28
2011/04/29
2011/04/30
2011/05/01
2011/05/02
2011/05/03
2011/05/04
2011/05/05
2011/05/06
2011/05/07
2011/05/08
2011/05/09
2011/05/10
2011/05/11
2011/05/12
2011/05/13
2011/05/14
2011/05/15
2011/05/16
2011/05/17
2011/05/18
2011/05/19
Browse by creation date
Browse by origin
Embassy Athens
Embassy Asuncion
Embassy Astana
Embassy Asmara
Embassy Ashgabat
Embassy Apia
Embassy Ankara
Embassy Amman
Embassy Algiers
Embassy Addis Ababa
Embassy Accra
Embassy Abuja
Embassy Abu Dhabi
Embassy Abidjan
Consulate Auckland
Consulate Amsterdam
Consulate Adana
American Institute Taiwan, Taipei
Embassy Bujumbura
Embassy Buenos Aires
Embassy Budapest
Embassy Bucharest
Embassy Brussels
Embassy Bridgetown
Embassy Bratislava
Embassy Brasilia
Embassy Bogota
Embassy Bishkek
Embassy Bern
Embassy Berlin
Embassy Belmopan
Embassy Belgrade
Embassy Beirut
Embassy Beijing
Embassy Banjul
Embassy Bangkok
Embassy Bandar Seri Begawan
Embassy Bamako
Embassy Baku
Embassy Baghdad
Consulate Barcelona
Embassy Copenhagen
Embassy Conakry
Embassy Colombo
Embassy Chisinau
Embassy Caracas
Embassy Canberra
Embassy Cairo
Consulate Curacao
Consulate Ciudad Juarez
Consulate Chennai
Consulate Casablanca
Consulate Cape Town
Consulate Calgary
Embassy Dushanbe
Embassy Dublin
Embassy Doha
Embassy Djibouti
Embassy Dili
Embassy Dhaka
Embassy Dar Es Salaam
Embassy Damascus
Embassy Dakar
Consulate Dubai
Embassy Helsinki
Embassy Harare
Embassy Hanoi
Consulate Ho Chi Minh City
Consulate Hermosillo
Consulate Hamilton
Consulate Hamburg
Consulate Halifax
Embassy Kyiv
Embassy Kuwait
Embassy Kuala Lumpur
Embassy Kinshasa
Embassy Kingston
Embassy Kigali
Embassy Khartoum
Embassy Kathmandu
Embassy Kampala
Embassy Kabul
Consulate Kolkata
Embassy Luxembourg
Embassy Luanda
Embassy London
Embassy Ljubljana
Embassy Lisbon
Embassy Lima
Embassy Lilongwe
Embassy La Paz
Consulate Lahore
Consulate Lagos
Mission USOSCE
Mission USNATO
Mission UNESCO
Embassy Muscat
Embassy Moscow
Embassy Montevideo
Embassy Monrovia
Embassy Minsk
Embassy Mexico
Embassy Mbabane
Embassy Maputo
Embassy Manila
Embassy Manama
Embassy Managua
Embassy Malabo
Embassy Madrid
Consulate Munich
Consulate Mumbai
Consulate Montreal
Consulate Monterrey
Consulate Milan
Consulate Melbourne
Embassy Nicosia
Embassy Niamey
Embassy New Delhi
Embassy Ndjamena
Embassy Nassau
Embassy Nairobi
Consulate Naples
Consulate Naha
Embassy Pristina
Embassy Pretoria
Embassy Prague
Embassy Port Of Spain
Embassy Port Louis
Embassy Port Au Prince
Embassy Phnom Penh
Embassy Paris
Embassy Paramaribo
Embassy Panama
Consulate Peshawar
REO Basrah
Embassy Rome
Embassy Riyadh
Embassy Riga
Embassy Reykjavik
Embassy Rangoon
Embassy Rabat
Consulate Rio De Janeiro
Consulate Recife
Secretary of State
Embassy Suva
Embassy Stockholm
Embassy Sofia
Embassy Skopje
Embassy Singapore
Embassy Seoul
Embassy Sarajevo
Embassy Santo Domingo
Embassy Santiago
Embassy Sanaa
Embassy San Salvador
Embassy San Jose
Consulate Strasbourg
Consulate St Petersburg
Consulate Shenyang
Consulate Shanghai
Consulate Sapporo
Consulate Sao Paulo
Embassy Tunis
Embassy Tripoli
Embassy Tokyo
Embassy The Hague
Embassy Tel Aviv
Embassy Tehran
Embassy Tegucigalpa
Embassy Tbilisi
Embassy Tashkent
Embassy Tallinn
Consulate Toronto
Consulate Tijuana
USUN New York
USEU Brussels
US Office Almaty
US Mission Geneva
US Interests Section Havana
US Delegation, Secretary
UNVIE
Embassy Ulaanbaatar
Embassy Vilnius
Embassy Vienna
Embassy Vatican
Embassy Valletta
Consulate Vladivostok
Consulate Vancouver
Browse by tag
AF
ASEC
AR
AEMR
AMGT
AE
AU
AID
AORC
APER
AS
AM
AFIN
AMED
AJ
AGR
ACOA
ANET
ASIG
ABLD
AL
AA
APECO
AGAO
AY
AGMT
APEC
AINF
AG
ACS
AECL
AFFAIRS
ABUD
ASUP
ADANA
AADP
AMCHAMS
ARF
ASEAN
ADPM
ATRN
ALOW
APCS
ADCO
ACAO
AORG
AROC
AO
AODE
ACABQ
AX
AMEX
AFGHANISTAN
AZ
AND
ARM
AQ
ATFN
AMBASSADOR
ACBAQ
AFSI
AFSN
AC
AUC
ASEX
AER
AVERY
AGRICULTURE
ASCH
AFU
AMG
ATPDEA
ASECKFRDCVISKIRFPHUMSMIGEG
AORL
ADM
AN
AIT
BU
BR
BL
BO
BA
BB
BG
BM
BBSR
BH
BEXP
BK
BD
BTIO
BT
BE
BY
BF
BX
BP
BRUSSELS
BILAT
BIDEN
BC
BMGT
BWC
BN
BTIU
CH
CG
CF
CU
CE
CVIS
CASC
CO
CS
CA
CIDA
CBW
CW
CMGT
CI
CODEL
CY
CPAS
CJAN
CD
CWC
CDG
CIA
CL
CROS
CAPC
CTR
CT
CR
CBSA
CEUDA
COM
CFED
CV
CACS
CARSON
CLINTON
CN
CONS
CM
CAC
CIC
COPUOS
CDC
CONDOLEEZZA
CICTE
COUNTER
COUNTRY
CBE
CKGR
CHR
CVR
COUNTERTERRORISM
CITEL
CLEARANCE
COE
CARICOM
CB
CSW
CITT
CACM
CDB
CJUS
CTM
CAN
CLMT
CBC
CNARC
CIS
EG
EZ
EUN
ECON
ETRD
ECPS
EFIN
ENRG
ETTC
EPET
EINV
EAID
EAIR
EWWT
EU
EAGR
EC
ELAB
EIND
EN
EMIN
ESENV
ENNP
EFIS
ELTN
ET
ECIN
EFTA
ES
EINT
EI
ENGR
ETRDEINVECINPGOVCS
ENVI
ETRDECONWTOCS
ECINECONCS
ELN
ELECTIONS
ENVR
EXTERNAL
EXIM
ETRO
ENIV
ESA
ER
EK
EUR
EFINECONCS
EUMEM
EUREM
EPA
ERNG
ENERG
ECA
ETRC
EINVEFIN
ETC
EAP
ECONOMY
EINN
ECONOMIC
EXBS
ECUN
ENGY
ECONOMICS
EIAR
EINDETRD
ECONEFIN
EURN
EDU
ETRDEINVTINTCS
ECIP
EFIM
EAIDS
EREL
EINVETC
ECONCS
ETRA
EAIG
EUC
ERD
ETRN
EINVECONSENVCSJA
EEPET
EUNCH
IS
IZ
IR
IC
IO
IN
ID
IGAD
IT
ILC
IAEA
ITU
ICAO
IMO
IBRD
IMF
ICJ
IAHRC
ITF
INRA
INRO
IWC
IQ
IV
ICRC
ICTY
INRB
IEFIN
ILO
ITRA
ITALY
IBET
ISRAELI
IL
INTELSAT
IRC
IDP
ICTR
IRAQI
IPR
IIP
INMARSAT
ITPGOV
ITALIAN
INTERNAL
IRS
IA
INTERPOL
IEA
INR
IZPREL
IRAJ
IF
ITPHUM
ISRAEL
IACI
INDO
IDA
ISLAMISTS
KSPR
KNNP
KWBG
KAWK
KISL
KPAO
KN
KS
KIPR
KCRM
KDEM
KIRF
KJUS
KHLS
KSCA
KOMC
KAWC
KV
KFRD
KWMN
KTIP
KPWR
KSUM
KGHG
KTIA
KTFN
KIRC
KCOR
KACT
KMDR
KGIC
KOLY
KUNR
KIDE
KMPI
KPKO
KCFE
KVPR
KRAD
KPAL
KFRDCVISCMGTCASCKOCIASECPHUMSMIGEG
KTEX
KTDB
KFSC
KZ
KSEP
KFLU
KE
KU
KPLS
KRVC
KRIM
KSTH
KG
KFLO
KPOA
KICC
KDDG
KPRV
KTBT
KBCT
KSAF
KMOC
KDRG
KBIO
KREC
KSTC
KVRP
KBTR
KMIG
KENV
KNSD
KCGC
KWAC
KFRDKIRFCVISCMGTKOCIASECPHUMSMIGEG
KWMM
KPRP
KNEI
KPAI
KO
KVIR
KX
KMCA
KCRS
KMFO
KID
KCIP
KNAR
KR
KCRCM
KBTS
KSEO
KHDP
KFIN
KOCI
KGIT
KNUP
KPAONZ
KNUC
KNNPMNUC
KERG
KSCI
KTLA
KHIV
KCSY
KTRD
KMRS
KNPP
KJUST
KCMR
KTER
KRCM
KCFC
KSAC
KCHG
KREL
KFTFN
KCOM
KLIG
KDEMAF
KAID
KGCC
KICA
KHUM
KSEC
KPIN
KESS
KDEV
KWWMN
KOM
KWNM
KRFD
KRGY
KIFR
KWMNCS
KPAK
KOMS
KHSA
MPOS
MOPS
MARR
MTCR
MNUC
MASS
MX
MCAP
MAR
MTRE
MASC
MK
MG
MTCRE
MI
MD
MA
MO
MY
MU
ML
MRCRE
MAS
MEDIA
MC
MR
MIL
MW
MARAD
MAPP
MZ
MP
MOPPS
MTS
MLS
MILI
MEPN
MEPI
MEETINGS
MERCOSUR
MT
MCC
MIK
MAPS
MV
MILITARY
MDC
MEPP
MASSMNUC
MUCN
MQADHAFI
NATO
NG
NL
NZ
NT
NW
NO
NU
NS
NPT
NASA
NI
NK
NSG
NE
NORAD
NAFTA
NP
NATIONAL
NSSP
NSF
NA
NGO
NV
NR
NDP
NIPP
NZUS
NH
NC
NEW
NRR
NAR
NATOPREL
NPG
NSC
NPA
NSFO
OPDC
OPRC
OEXC
OTRA
ODIP
OIIP
OVIP
OPIC
OPCW
OAS
OREP
OSCE
OSCI
OES
OFDP
OECD
OCS
OIC
OPAD
OVP
OHUM
OFFICIALS
OIE
OTR
OMIG
OSAC
OBSP
OFDA
ON
OCII
PREL
PGOV
PARM
PINR
PTER
PHUM
PK
PREF
PM
PHSA
PA
PINS
PE
PBTS
PCI
PO
PL
POGOV
PAK
PEL
PGIV
PROP
PP
PBIO
POL
POLITICS
POLICY
PINL
PBT
PMIL
POV
PTBS
PG
POSTS
PALESTINIAN
PROV
PNAT
PINF
PRL
PAS
PDOV
PRAM
PREO
PAHO
PHUMPGOV
PAO
PREFA
PSI
POLITICAL
PAIGH
PARMS
PROG
PTERE
PRGOV
PORG
PS
PGOF
PKFK
PSOE
PEPR
PPA
PINT
PMAR
PRELP
PNG
PFOR
PUNE
PGOVLO
PHUMBA
PSEPC
PNR
POLINT
PGOVE
PHALANAGE
PARTY
PDEM
PECON
PGOC
PY
PLN
PHUH
PF
PHUS
PU
PARTIES
PCUL
PGGV
PSA
PGOVSMIGKCRMKWMNPHUMCVISKFRDCA
PHUMPREL
RS
RU
RW
REACTION
RCMP
RSO
RO
RP
ROOD
RM
ROBERT
RICE
REGION
RSP
RF
RIGHTS
RIGHTSPOLMIL
RUPREL
RELATIONS
RFE
REPORT
SY
SP
SOCI
SMIG
SNAR
SCUL
SC
SU
SO
SI
SENV
SZ
SW
SA
SR
SF
SEVN
SN
STEINBERG
SEN
SG
SYR
SWE
SK
SH
SNARCS
SAARC
SNARIZ
SPCE
SARS
SNARN
SCRS
SYRIA
SL
SENVKGHG
SAN
ST
SIPDIS
SSA
SPCVIS
SOFA
SANC
SHI
SHUM
SIPRS
TSPA
TSPL
TU
TBIO
TRGY
TPHY
TS
TP
TW
TBID
TI
TF
TZ
TD
TT
TN
TNGD
TC
TX
TH
TL
TIP
THPY
TV
TK
TERRORISM
TO
TRSY
TURKEY
TINT
TFIN
TAGS
TR
US
UNSC
UNGA
UK
UP
UNCHC
UN
UNMIK
UNCSD
UY
USTR
USOAS
UNHRC
UNFCYP
UG
UNAUS
UNESCO
UNIDROIT
UNO
UV
UNHCR
USUN
UZ
USNC
UNCHR
UNCND
UNEP
USEU
USPS
USAID
UE
UNVIE
UAE
UNDP
UNODC
UNCHS
UNFICYP
UNDESCO
UNC
UNPUOS
UNDC
UNICEF
Browse by classification
Community resources
courage is contagious
Viewing cable 06REYKJAVIK431, ICELAND: PEACEKEEPING POLICY AT A CROSSROADS
If you are new to these pages, please read an introduction on the structure of a cable as well as how to discuss them with others. See also the FAQs
Understanding cables
Every cable message consists of three parts:
- The top box shows each cables unique reference number, when and by whom it originally was sent, and what its initial classification was.
- The middle box contains the header information that is associated with the cable. It includes information about the receiver(s) as well as a general subject.
- The bottom box presents the body of the cable. The opening can contain a more specific subject, references to other cables (browse by origin to find them) or additional comment. This is followed by the main contents of the cable: a summary, a collection of specific topics and a comment section.
Discussing cables
If you find meaningful or important information in a cable, please link directly to its unique reference number. Linking to a specific paragraph in the body of a cable is also possible by copying the appropriate link (to be found at theparagraph symbol). Please mark messages for social networking services like Twitter with the hash tags #cablegate and a hash containing the reference ID e.g. #06REYKJAVIK431.
Reference ID | Created | Released | Classification | Origin |
---|---|---|---|---|
06REYKJAVIK431 | 2006-11-27 11:49 | 2011-01-13 05:37 | UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY | Embassy Reykjavik |
VZCZCXRO8954
PP RUEHBC RUEHDA RUEHDE RUEHIHL RUEHIK RUEHKUK RUEHYG
DE RUEHRK #0431/01 3311149
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 271149Z NOV 06
FM AMEMBASSY REYKJAVIK
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 3068
INFO RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHDC
RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK 0071
RHMFISS/HQ USEUCOM VAIHINGEN GE 0043
RUEHZG/NATO EU COLLECTIVE
RUCNRAQ/IRAQ COLLECTIVE
RUEHBUL/AMEMBASSY KABUL 0007
RHMFIUU/HQ USCENTCOM MACDILL AFB FL
UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 REYKJAVIK 000431
SIPDIS
SIPDIS
SENSITIVE
STATE FOR P (BAME) EUR/NB EUR/RPM IO/PSC SCA/INS SCA/A
OSLO FOR DATT
OSD/P FOR J. HURSCH, J. KELSO
EUCOM FOR COL FRANKLIN and LTC GREEN
CENTCOM FOR COALITION COORDINATION CELL (KURDIAN)
E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PREL KPKO EAID NATO IC
SUBJECT: ICELAND: PEACEKEEPING POLICY AT A CROSSROADS
REFTEL: REYKJAVIK 294
¶1. (SBU) SUMMARY: Iceland's Foreign Minister has announced that
Iceland will increase the number of peacekeepers sent abroad with
the Icelandic Crisis Response Unit(ICRU), while focusing on civilian
projects where Iceland has particular expertise and restricting
behavior (e.g. wearing battle dress, carrying automatic weapons)
that has dismayed the public. The decision reflects an ongoing
debate in Iceland - which has no military - about where to draw the
line between being a peacekeeper and being a warrior. Post believes
that the GOI's "softer" peacekeeping policy is a sensible response
to public anxiety, but risks offering unrealistic assurances that
peacekeeping can be made safe rather than simply safer. End
summary.
--------------------------------------------- -
A softer, less ad hoc approach to peacekeeping
--------------------------------------------- -
¶2. (U) Icelandic Foreign Minister Valgerdur Sverrisdottir announced
on October 19 that the Ministry for Foreign Affairs is revising its
policy on involvement in peacekeeping, with the goal of focusing
more on "softer" civil affairs missions where Iceland has expertise
- such as midwife training and airport management, the latter
proposal reflecting Iceland's experience running airports in Kosovo
and Afghanistan. The FM amplified these comments in her report to
the Althingi (parliament) on Foreign Affairs on November 16, where
she announced an MFA study of ways in which Iceland can increase its
contribution to NATO's Afghanistan mission, pointing to the need for
"experts in the fields of health, law enforcement, and judicial
matters." She further requested the Althingi's support for draft
legislation to formalize the legal framework for the Icelandic
Crisis Response Unit (ICRU), an MFA department overseeing Icelandic
peacekeeping efforts.
----------------------------------
Icelandic peacekeeping on the rise
----------------------------------
¶3. (SBU) According to the MFA, Iceland currently has 25 personnel
deployed abroad under the ICRU aegis:
--13 in Afghanistan (NATO/ISAF management of Kabul
International Airport and training of local Afghan
managers);
--10 in Sri Lanka (Sri Lankan Monitoring Mission,
monitoring cease-fire implementation - ref A);
-- 1 in Iraq (NATO Training Mission-Iraq's Public
Affairs Officer); and
-- 1 in Serbia (assigned to UNIFEM's Belgrade office)
Current plans are to increase this number to 34 by the end of 2006
through the deployment of additional personnel to Sri Lanka (1) and
Serbia (5; 2 to UNIFEM and 3 under a new agreement with UNICEF) and
a new deployment to Lebanon of Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD)
personnel from the Icelandic Coast Guard (2 EOD experts and 1
medic). The ICRU's stated goal is 50 deployed personnel by the end
of 2008. Funding continues to trend upward; the ICRU will receive
roughly ISK 600 million ($8.6 million) in 2007, up from ISK 573
million ($8.1 million) this year and ISK 463 million ($6.6 million)
in 2005.
---------------------------------
Crossing the line in Afghanistan?
---------------------------------
¶4. (SBU) Icelandic peacekeeping is already weighted towards "softer"
tasks, a logical result of the fact that Iceland does not have a
military. Iceland's participation in foreign peacekeeping efforts
began with the deployment of police officers and medical personnel
to Bosnia and Kosovo; according to ICRU figures, roughly 50
Icelanders have served in the Balkans since 1994. The optics of
Icelandic participation changed markedly in 2003 when Iceland
assumed the role of lead NATO nation at Kosovo's Pristina Airport.
Iceland chose to provide its civilian peacekeepers with uniforms,
even ranks and rank insignia - with the aim of improving credibility
with NATO partners. Two armed Icelandic Coast Guard EOD specialists
deployed to Iraq in 2003 as part of a Danish unit.
¶5. (SBU) This "paramilitarization" took place largely out of public
view until 2004, when the ICRU took on the running of Kabul
REYKJAVIK 00000431 002 OF 003
International Airport. In line with the more severe threat
environment in Afghanistan, the ICRU personnel took to wearing
helmets and body armor and carrying automatic weapons while
patrolling their perimeter - a far cry from most Icelanders' idea of
civilian peacekeeping. Icelandic media reports helped to create an
image of Icelandic peacekeepers as overgrown teenagers playing
soldier, with some questioning whether an Icelandic Army of had been
created without citizens' knowledge.
¶6. (SBU) These questions turned to dismay (and a certain amount of
"I told you so") in October 2004 when three uniformed Icelanders
were injured (and an Afghan and an American civilian killed) in a
grenade/suicide bomb attack when the ICRU members lingered in
Kabul's dangerous Chicken Street market. Press and public concern
mounted when the Icelandic unit's commander in Kabul as well as the
Icelandic victims cavalierly shrugged off press inquiries about
their judgment: "[Stuff] happens."
---------------------------------
No guns, please - we're Icelandic
---------------------------------
¶7. (SBU) After the "Chicken Street Incident," the MFA became
increasingly sensitive to accusations it was putting Icelanders at
excessive risk. Iceland handed the Kabul Airport mission over to
another ISAF nation in February 2005, four months early. Iceland
fulfilled a commitment to deploy armed mobile observation teams
("jeep gangs" in Icelandic parlance) to two Provincial
Reconstruction Teams (PRTs) in Afghanistan in 2005 and 2006, but in
both cases withdrew its personnel when security worsened.
Similarly, when Iceland agreed in January 2006 to resume the Kabul
Airport mission, it did so with the caveat that Icelanders' roles be
limited to airport operations and training, with other peacekeepers
pulling guard duty.
¶8. (SBU) The discussion continued when in August 2006 Iceland agreed
to boost its share of the workload in the Sri Lankan Monitoring
Mission (Ref A). Commentators asked whether Icelanders had the
experience to deal with armed conflict, and argued that "we should
confine ourselves to those fields where we have relevant
expertise."
-----------------------------
Midwives yes, "Rat Patrol" no
-----------------------------
¶9. (SBU) Given this backdrop, most local commentators welcomed the
Foreign Minister's announcement of a more "civilian-oriented" ICRU;
with most media headlining her comment that the new policy
represented "midwives in place of jeep patrols." Opposition
lawmakers on the parliamentary Foreign Affairs Committee declared
approval; one Social Democratic Alliance MP expressed hope that
henceforth "we'll choose the projects we take part in, rather than
the projects choosing us."
¶10. (SBU) The GOI is keen to remain active in peacekeeping. ICRU
Director Anna Johannsdottir emphasized to Poloff November 2 that
Iceland intended to live up to its commitments to NATO and would not
bring home its Afghanistan contingent early. Asked to explain the
distinction between "more civilian" ICRU missions and work carried
out by the Icelandic International Development Agency (ICEIDA),
Johannsdottir allowed that the two entities - both under the Foreign
Minister's authority - will now have more in common than previously,
but that the ICRU would focus on post-conflict response and ICEIDA
on long-term development and poverty alleviation.
--------------------------------
An inherently dangerous endeavor
--------------------------------
¶11. (SBU) MFA officials have confided to post that they do not
believe the public is ready for the death of an Icelandic
peacekeeper, which would raise questions "about the value of the
mission and whether we should be doing these things," according to
one. A senior MFA official expressed unhappiness with the way the
Chicken Street Incident was handled, noting to the Ambassador that
those in charge had tried to "sweep the problem under the rug."
This made the MFA and ICRU look amateurish when the full story
emerged. The official acknowledged the MFA's need to learn to be
more frank to ensure the public understands the inherent risks of
peacekeeping in case something unfortunate occurs.
REYKJAVIK 00000431 003 OF 003
-------
Comment
-------
¶12. (SBU) The Icelandic Government's desire to codify its policy on
peacekeeping brings needed clarity to what has been a largely ad hoc
exercise, and should strengthen support across the political
spectrum for the idea of Icelanders serving abroad. That said, the
move carries with it some downsides for the GOI and its
international partners. It will become harder to encourage the GOI
to assist in areas it has not deemed within its area of competence.
So long as the GOI remains willing to include within its definition
of acceptable operations such high-value ops as airport management
(as in Kosovo and Afghanistan), peace monitoring (as in Sri Lanka),
and EOD (albeit increasingly in relatively permissive environments
such as Lebanon but no longer in hot spots like Iraq), we should
remain satisfied with Iceland's contribution.
¶13. (SBU) The larger risk is posed by the apparently widespread
public conception - which the MFA has not addressed head on - that
by assigning its personnel only to civil affairs projects, Iceland
can largely eliminate the risk of casualties. Post has cautioned
host officials of the importance of presenting the public with a
realistic assessment of the inherent dangers of all peacekeeping,
lest the next casualty leave the public and opposition too rattled
to continue.
VAN VOORST