This record is a partial extract of the original cable. The full text of the original cable is not available.

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 VILNIUS 000013 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR EUR/NB AND EUR/RPM 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/04/2014 
TAGS: MOPS MARR MCAP PGOV PREL LH
SUBJECT: LITHUANIA REAFFIRMS INTEREST IN AFGHANISTAN PRT 
MISSION 
 
REF: A. ANDERSON-KELLY E-MAIL 1/4/05 AND PREVIOUS (NOTAL) 
     ¶B. 2004 VILNIUS 1196 
 
Classified By: POL/ECON OFFICER TREVOR BOYD 
FOR REASONS 1.4 (B) AND (D) 
 
¶1. (C) Summary.  Lithuania is seriously considering leading a 
Provincial Reconstruction Team mission in Afghanistan.  The 
MFA will brief the Foreign Minister and Defense Minister on 
the issue on January 6.  Following the return of a GOL 
fact-finding team from Kabul and Mazar-i-Sharif on January 
11, President Adamkus will likely discuss GOL participation 
during a meeting of the State Defense Council on January 12. 
Lithuania's two most salient concerns are cost and staffing. 
It will want commitments of personnel and other resources 
from NATO allies before climbing aboard.  End Summary. 
 
Reaction to Prospective USG Support 
----------------------------------- 
 
¶2. (C) Charge met with Kestutis Jankauskas, Director of MFA's 
Security Policy Department, on January 5 regarding 
Lithuania's possible participation in a Provincial 
Reconstruction Team (PRT) mission in Afghanistan.  Noting 
that a GOL team will conclude a fact-finding mission to 
Britain's PRTs in Kabul and Mazar-i-Sharif on January 11, 
Jankauskas requested the meeting to obtain information 
regarding possible USG support for a Lithuanian-led PRT in 
Qala-ye Now or Chaghcharan.  Jankauskas told Charge he will 
brief both Foreign Minister Antanas Valionis and Minister of 
Defense Gediminas Kirkilas on the issue January 6.  President 
Adamkus, he said, would likely call a meeting of the State 
Defense Council to discuss, and possibly decide, Lithuania's 
participation in a PRT on January 12. 
 
¶3. (C) Noting that the GOL should submit a formal request for 
assistance, Charge described the technical, financial, 
personnel, and logistical support the USG might provide to 
the PRT per guidance in ref a.  Jankauskas welcomed the news 
on the potential assistance, especially the prospective offer 
of a USG development aid specialist with access to USAID 
funds (the GOL has virtually no experience in that field). 
 
¶4. (C) The cost, and the January 20 deadline imposed by 
DSACEUR, still concerns the GOL, said Jankauskas.  The GOL's 
2005 defense budget has already been allocated; GOL funds for 
the mission have to come from somewhere else.  For that 
reason, he said, the GOL remains focused on cost.  To that 
end, Jankauskas said the GOL would appreciate additional 
logistical information, particularly related to 
transportation issues within Afghanistan and start-up costs. 
He agreed that some of these issues would clarify once 
Lithuanian fact-finders were on the ground next week. 
 
Looking for a Partner 
--------------------- 
 
¶5. (C) Though the GOL remains hopeful, Jankauskas observed 
that Lithuania's Baltic neighbors appeared reluctant to 
participate in a GOL-led PRT.  He stressed the importance of 
obtaining personnel contributions from other NATO allies. 
The GOL, with 56 troops already detailed to Afghanistan, has 
nearly reached the 70-troop deployment ceiling established by 
the September 2004 international operations bill (ref B). 
While the GOL will shift some of those resources to the PRT 
if it commits, Jankauskas said that the GOL simply must have 
troop contributions from other NATO states if it is to run 
the PRT.  In particular, he said, Lithuania would like to 
have troops from a larger and more experienced NATO ally 
(e.g., the United States, UK, Netherlands, or Denmark) to 
raise the PRT's security comfort level. 
 
Comment 
------- 
 
¶6. (C) NATO needs more countries to lead PRTs.  The GOL 
thinks that, in principal, participating in -- and maybe even 
leading -- a PRT would be a good thing.  But it has concerns 
and questions that need to be answered before a 
political-level decision is made to commit.  To answer these 
questions, the GOL is involved in an intensive 
information-gathering process on what such a Mission 
involves.  Post appreciates the guidance Washington has 
provided already; the quick responses we have been able to 
provide here have improved our chances of enlisting the GOL. 
We'll probably be back with more questions from the 
Lithuanians before they sign on the dotted line. 
KELLY