Cablegate: Estonia Unlikely to Supply Troops For

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OO RUEHAG RUEHDF RUEHIK RUEHLZ
DE RUEHTL #0714 2211402
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
O 091402Z AUG 06
FM AMEMBASSY TALLINN
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 8883
INFO RUCNMEM/EU MEMBER STATES COLLECTIVE IMMEDIATE
RUEHLB/AMEMBASSY BEIRUT IMMEDIATE 0009
RUEHTV/AMEMBASSY TEL AVIV IMMEDIATE 0059
RUEHBS/USEU BRUSSELS IMMEDIATE

UNCLAS TALLINN 000714

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PREL PTER MOPS UN IS EN
SUBJECT: ESTONIA UNLIKELY TO SUPPLY TROOPS FOR
INTERNATIONAL FORCE IN LEBANON

REF: (A) STATE 128442 (B) TALLINN 00689

(U) On August 8 we delivered reftel points (ref A) to Acting
MFA Director General for Political Affairs, Arti Hilpus, and
asked once more the possibility of Estonia contributing to
any eventual international peacekeeping force in Lebanon.
Hilpus reiterated that, as Estonia already has close to ten
percent of its armed forces serving in foreign missions, it
is unlikely that Estonia can contribute any troops for a
mission in Lebanon. In an August 9 meeting with Israeli
Ambassador to Estonia, Shemi Tzur, Foreign Minister Urmas
Paet publicly expressed his support for an international
peace keeping force and that he did not rule out possible
participation of Estonian soldiers at a later date. In the
meantime, the MFA has donated 500,000 EEK ($42,000) in
humanitarian assistance for UN operations in Lebanon. Also,
if a ceasefire is brokered, Estonia has a rapid-reaction
disaster-relief medical team that may be available, although
no serious discussions have yet taken place in the MFA on
deployment. The GOE's preference is for a peacekeeping force
sent under a concrete UN mandate. However, given the fact
that Estonia is not planning to contribute personnel, Hilpus
said the GOE will defer to the preferences of the lead
countries contributing to this force.
WOS

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