VZCZCXRO8664
PP RUEHAG RUEHAST RUEHDA RUEHDF RUEHFL RUEHIK RUEHKW RUEHLA RUEHLN
RUEHLZ RUEHPOD RUEHROV RUEHSR RUEHVK RUEHYG
DE RUEHSQ #0157 0581410
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 271410Z FEB 08 ZDK
FM AMEMBASSY SKOPJE
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 7116
INFO RUEHZL/EUROPEAN POLITICAL COLLECTIVE 0219
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHINGTON DC
RUEKDIA/DIA WASHINGTON DC
RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHINGTON DC
RUEKJCS/JOINT STAFF WASHINGTON DC
RUESEN/SKOPJE BETA
RUEHSQ/USDAO SKOPJE MK
RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK 2205
RHEHNSC/WHITE HOUSE NATIONAL SECURITY COUNCIL
UNCLAS SKOPJE 000157
SIPDIS
SENSITIVE
SIPDIS
STATE FOR EUR/SCE, EUR/RPM
E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: NATO PREL MOPS MARR AF MK
SUBJECT: MACEDONIA COMMITTED SUPPORTING ISAF
REF: SECSTATE 19516
(SBU) The Government of Macedonia (GOM) is committed to
supporting NATO's ISAF mission in Afghanistan. Macedonia has
pledged to send an Operational Mentoring and Liaison Team
(OMLT) to Afghanistan, and recently doubled its ISAF
deployments to over 130 troops. The Macedonian company
currently providing ISAF HQs protection also includes a UK
platoon under its command, a reflection of the high regard
other Allies have for Macedonian troops and their leaders.
In addition to its increased contributions in Afghanistan,
Macedonia recently doubled its troop commitments to Iraq,
adding another Special Forces platoon to operations there in
response to a direct USG request. These generous commitments
place Macedonia at the upper limit of its current
contributing capacity, although the government is planning to
increase its overseas troop commitments in the future, with a
full battalion prepared for deployment by 2010. As PM
Gruevski recently assured a visiting U.S. House NATO
Parliamentary Delegation visiting Skopje, "Macedonia can be
counted on for current and future missions" such as ISAF in
Afghanistan.
MILOVANOVIC