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RR RUEHWEB

DE RUEHTL #0922/01 2841350
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 111350Z OCT 06
FM AMEMBASSY TALLINN
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 9111
INFO RUEHHE/AMEMBASSY HELSINKI 5094
RUEHRA/AMEMBASSY RIGA 2785
RUEHVL/AMEMBASSY VILNIUS 6549
RUEHMO/AMEMBASSY MOSCOW 2440

UNCLAS TALLINN 000922 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
SENSITIVE 
 
DEPARTMENT FOR EUR/NB KAYE LEE 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: OTRA PREL CVIS IZ AF EN RU
SUBJECT: DAS PEKALA VISITS ESTONIA, OCTOBER 3-4 
 
 
¶1. (U) SUMMARY: Estonian government and political 
leaders told visiting EUR DAS Pekala October 3-4 that 
the GOE is committed to extending the mandate of 
Estonia's troops in Iraq but that upcoming parliamentary 
elections will complicate the debate in parliament. 
They also expressed deep concern over Russia's actions 
in Georgia.  GOE officials committed to further 
increases in the military budget and continued 
transparency in the MOD's tender for a short range 
missile system and stressed the need for NATO to 
continue air policing in the Baltics until 2018.  All 
sides hailed the strong bilateral relationship and 
expressed a desire to move toward visa-free travel for 
Estonians.  DAS Pekala echoed the themes of his visit 
publicly at a press conference that received widespread 
media coverage from both Estonian and Russian language 
media outlets.  END SUMMARY 
 
IRAQ 
---- 
 
¶2.  (U) DAS Pekala thanked and praised Estonia for its 
contributions to the war in Iraq and made clear that its 
efforts have not gone unnoticed in Washington.  Lauri 
Almann, Permanent Undersecretary for the Ministry of 
Defense (MOD), told Pekala that the GOE takes these 
missions very seriously.  The GOE has already approved a 
bill extending the mission of Estonian troops in Iraq 
for a further 12 months.  However, the GOE is waiting to 
submit the bill to Parliament until there is a UN 
Security Council Resolution (UNSCR), as this is a red 
line for the Parliament.  Pekala informed Almann and MOD 
Deputy Undersecretary Tumm of the UNSCR's likely 
timetable.  MOD interlocutors and FM Urmas Paet both 
said that the earlier the UNSCR's adoption the better, 
so Parliament could pass the bill before the winter 
recess. 
 
¶3.  (SBU) Barring further fatalities, GOE officials and 
politicians agreed that Iraq will not influence the 
upcoming parliamentary elections in March 2007. 
However, Almann said that "the elections will influence 
the Iraq mandate extension vote."  In a roundtable with 
Parliamentarians, MP Eiki Nestor informed Pekala that 
his own party, the Social Democrats, was still deeply 
divided by Iraq, and he could not predict how his party 
would vote.  Juhan Parts, former Prime Minister and Res 
Publica MP, stressed that people in Washington should 
know that his party's support for the Iraq mission is 
not popular with the public.  He suggested that 
President Bush, during his visit to Estonia, should 
thank Estonia for its contributions in both Iraq and 
Afghanistan so that the public knows that Estonia's 
efforts are not taken for granted and are appreciated by 
the global community. 
 
RUSSIA AND THE NEIGHBORHOOD 
--------------------------- 
 
¶4.  (U) DAS Pekala praised the Estonians for their 
active role in promoting democracy and freedom within 
the region, especially Georgia, Moldova, Ukraine, and 
the western Balkans.  He said that Washington deeply 
appreciates Estonia's role, especially since it 
experienced the same challenges and hurdles inherited 
from the Soviet days and has proven that market and 
political reforms are not only possible but can be 
successful.  Estonia's positive role as a model to the 
"neighborhood" was the principal theme of Pekala's 
meeting with outgoing President Arnold Ruutel, who said 
that he intends to use his personal relationship with 
other Eastern European, Caucasus and Central Asian 
leaders to continue promoting democratic transformation 
after he leaves office.  Pekala said he thought the idea 
was a good one and asked that Ruutel remain in close 
contact with Embassy Tallinn on the issue. 
 
¶5.  (SBU) There is a great deal of concern within the 
GOE and the Parliament on the recent dispute between 
Russia and Georgia.  Pekala categorically refuted 
accounts that the U.S. coordinated anything in advance 
with Georgian President Saakashvili.  Pro Patria MP Mart 
Laar, a former Prime Minister and current advisor to 
Georgian President Saakashvili, called the Russian 
behavior "unacceptable."  Social Democratic MP Erki 
Nestor said that he visited Georgia the previous winter 
and was "almost reduced to tears by the hardship caused 
by the Russians when they stopped the oil."  All the MPs 
agreed that Estonia needed to continue and increase its 
aid and support to Georgia, especially in light of the 
Russian economic and transport embargo on Georgia. 
Almann was concerned that the Russians would try to link 
this turbulence with Georgia's aspirations for 
Intensified Dialogue on NATO membership, which Estonia 
continues to support. 
 
¶6.  (SBU)  As far as bilateral Estonian-Russian 
relations are concerned, FM Paet and Ambassador Wos 
expressed mutual disappointment at their separate 
meetings with the newly arrived Russian ambassador in 
Tallinn.  His accusatory rhetoric seems a throwback to a 
time of worse relations between the two countries, and 
out of step with ongoing Estonian efforts to cooperate 
with Russia across the broad range of issues in which 
both are engaged. 
 
MILITARY ISSUES 
--------------- 
 
¶7.  (SBU) Pekala had a frank discussion with Almann and 
Tumm on air policing.  Almann said that the GOE was 
working on a permanent solution in concert with Latvia 
and Lithuania.  They will request that NATO air policing 
continue until 2018, at which time the Baltics will take 
on the financial and material responsibility for air 
policing.  Almann stated that if NATO did not provide 
air policing until 2018, there would likely be a direct 
effect on Estonia's contribution in Afghanistan and 
other NATO operations (as it would have to transfer 
funding from operations).  He noted that no decisions 
had been made on whether Estonia would assume air 
policing responsibility on its own or regionally with 
the other Baltics in some cost sharing fashion after 
¶2018.  FM Paet also touched on this issue, noting that 
the Russian airbase at Pskov is only 300km from Estonia, 
while the NATO base in Lithuania is 600km away. 
 
¶8.  (U) Pekala praised the MOD and Estonian Defense 
Forces (EDF)'s efforts in modernizing and transforming 
the military per Estonia's NATO commitments.  Almann 
said that while there are still challenges ahead, there 
is real satisfaction with the accomplishments and 
progress Estonia has made.  Hardware upgrades to improve 
air surveillance, mine countering ships for the navy, 
and strategic lift are moving ahead.  Due to the booming 
economy and the GOE's commitment to reaching the NATO 
objective of spending 2% of GDP on defense spending, 
Tumm said that the EDF's budget will increase by 33% 
this fiscal year alone.  This has created a unique 
situation for the military: it can raise salaries for 
its soldiers (especially the enlisted soldiers and NCOs) 
without diverting funds from hardware procurement. 
 
¶9.  (SBU) Pekala thanked Almann and Tumm for the 
transparency to date in the MOD's tender process for a 
short-range ground based air defense system (SHORAD). 
He stressed the importance of a fair process where the 
final determinant is based on performance and price. 
Pekala reminded Almann and Tumm that the Raytheon bid 
represented proven and battle-tested equipment and 
service.  Almann said that the MOD understood the 
importance of this tender and the precedent it will set. 
"That is why we are even going above our legal 
requirements to be seen as fair and transparent," he 
commented.  Almann added that he is extremely happy with 
all three bids and the process so far. 
 
INVESTMENT AND VISA WAIVER 
-------------------------- 
 
¶10.  (U)  Throughout his visit, and especially during a 
final meeting on the subject of attracting more 
investment to Estonia, DAS Pekala expressed the clear 
recognition in Washington that Estonian membership in 
the Visa Waiver Program (VWP) would increase business 
travel and other types of exchanges between the two 
countries.  Though impossible to predict how the U.S. 
Congress will handle immigration issues, he said the USG 
is committed to progress on this one difficult issue in 
what is an otherwise outstanding bilateral relationship. 
 
PRESS CONFERENCE 
---------------- 
¶11. (U)  At the conclusion of his visit, DAS Pekala 
held a press conference in which he echoed the themes of 
his meetings.  In particular, he commented on the 
excellent state of the U.S.-Estonian relationship and 
praised Estonia for its contribution of military 
resources to promote freedom in Iraq and Afghanistan and 
its efforts to promote democracy in the region through 
its work in Georgia, the Ukraine, and elsewhere.  He 
also expressed his hope that U.S. investment in Estonia 
will increase.  DAS Pekala fielded questions regarding 
Estonia's status in the VWP and emphasized that the USG 
is working closely with the Estonian government to help 
Estonia qualify under the terms of the Roadmap. 
Coverage of the press conference was extensive, and DAS 
Pekala's comments were featured in the Estonian and 
Russian-language newspapers as well as Estonia's leading 
nightly news program. 
 
¶12.  (U)  DAS Pekala has cleared this cable. 
 
WOS