VZCZCXRO9933
OO RUEHDBU RUEHFL RUEHKW RUEHLA RUEHROV RUEHSR
DE RUEHPG #0863 2041354
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
O 231354Z JUL 07
FM AMEMBASSY PRAGUE
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 9394
INFO RUEHZL/EUROPEAN POLITICAL COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
RHEHNSC/NSC WASHDC PRIORITY
RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHDC PRIORITY

C O N F I D E N T I A L PRAGUE 000863 
 
SIPDIS 
 
NOFORN 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR EUR/NCE, PM/RSAT, SCA/A 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 07/19/2017 
TAGS: EXIM NATO PARM PREL PTER AF EZ
SUBJECT: CZECH REPUBLIC: FINAL APPROVAL ON AFGHANISTAN PRT 
EXPECTED IN AUGUST 
 
REF: A. IIR 6 824 0245 07 
     ¶B. PRAGUE 683 
     ¶C. PRAGUE 648 
     ¶D. PRAGUE 067 
     ¶E. 06PRAGUE 225 
 
Classified By: CDA Michael Dodman for reasons 1.4 (b) & (d) 
 
¶1. (C) SUMMARY: Czech government approval to deploy a 
Provincial Reconstruction Team (PRT) to a U.S. base in Logar 
Province, Afghanistan is expected by mid-August 2007.  The 
Czech-led PRT of approximately 130-150 personnel will begin 
arriving in Logar in January 2008 with a goal of being fully 
operational in March. The Ministry of Defense (MoD) is 
already identifying units to be deployed and issuing orders 
in advance of formal government approval.  The Czechs are 
requesting to be integrated into the U.S. logistical support 
structure, and will not place any national caveats on the 
mission.  A senior MoD contact said the Czechs would commit 
to the mission for several years.  End summary. 
 
¶2. (C) Senior Czech military officials told DAO 
representatives that deployment of a PRT to Logar Province is 
being taken "very seriously" by members of government (Ref 
A), and that this is considered a major foreign policy 
undertaking in 2008 which will increase the level of 
recognition for the Czech ISAF contribution.  MFA reports 
that the government is planning to take up an MoD-MFA 
proposal establishing the PRT on August 22, its first session 
after the summer break.  Parliamentary approval is also 
necessary, but no opposition has been heard. 
 
¶3. (C) As further evidence of the likely PRT approval, the 
Czech Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) Development 
Assistance Department confirmed that they are in the process 
of reassigning foreign assistance funding to prioritize 
Afghanistan, although this process has not been completed. 
The government is considering allocating 150 million Czech 
crowns (approximately $7.5 million) for the development 
portion of the PRT. 
 
¶4. (C) Although the Czech PRT will be co-located on a U.S. 
forward operating base, composition of the PRT is expected to 
be exclusively Czech.  The proposed PRT composition will be 
considerably larger than U.S. teams, and will include a 
ten-person civilian expert section, including representatives 
from Czech Ministries of Agriculture, Interior, Defense and 
Foreign Affairs and possibly a Czech NGO.  The PRT would also 
contain an integrated medical team, civil affairs section and 
mine-resistant armored vehicles, a first for the province. 
 
¶5. (C) COMMENT: Despite last year's reluctance to lead their 
own PRT (Ref D), MoD appears to have turned the corner.  The 
members of the inter-ministerial working group formed in 
December 2006 to develop the PRT proposal are considered to 
be the best minds in MoD and MFA and they have put together a 
solid, long term plan.  Czechs government officials are now 
apparently competing to get assigned to the PRT; the military 
is aware that NATO ISAF has critical requirements in 
Afghanistan and they are eager to consolidate their ISAF 
operations and take charge of (and get credit for) their own 
mission.  The Czechs and U.S. Department of Defense have been 
in direct contact and planning for the PRT is well-advanced. 
End Comment. 
DODMAN