VZCZCXRO9861
RR RUEHAG RUEHAST RUEHDA RUEHDBU RUEHDF RUEHFL RUEHIK RUEHKW RUEHLA
RUEHLN RUEHLZ RUEHPOD RUEHROV RUEHSR RUEHVK RUEHYG
DE RUEHSQ #0601 2041351
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 231351Z JUL 07
FM AMEMBASSY SKOPJE
TO RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHINGTON DC
RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 6321
INFO RUEHZL/EUROPEAN POLITICAL COLLECTIVE
RUEHGB/AMEMBASSY BAGHDAD 0030
RUEHBUL/AMEMBASSY KABUL 0012
RUEHSQ/USDAO SKOPJE MK
RUESEN/SKOPJE BETA
RHEHNSC/WHITE HOUSE NATIONAL SECURITY COUNCIL
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHINGTON DC

UNCLAS SKOPJE 000601 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPT FOR EUR/SCE AND NEA/I 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV PHUM PREL MK
SUBJECT: MACEDONIA COMMITTED TO STAYING THE COURSE IN IRAQ 
 
 
USG INTERAGENCY DELEGATION ON IRAQ VISITS SKOPJE 
 
¶1. (U) NEA DAS Butler, together with OSD and JCS 
representatives, was in Skopje July 15-16 to thank the GOM 
for its troop contributions to missions in Iraq and 
Afghanistan.  DATT and POLOFF (notetaker) accompanied the 
delegation.  DAS Butler thanked GOM officials for their 
strong support for coalition operations, urged them to stay 
the course in Iraq, and explored other potential tasks for 
Macedonia.  He also briefed them on ongoing operations in 
Iraq. 
 
UNWAVERING SUPPORT FROM EXECUTIVE BRANCH, PARLIAMENT 
 
¶2. (SBU) GOM interlocutors, including FM Milososki and MOD 
Elenovski, expressed the GOM's unwavering support for 
coalition efforts in Iraq and Afghanistan.  (NOTE: The Army 
of the Republic of Macedonia (ARM) has contributed troops to 
Iraq and Afghanistan since 2003, and currently contributes 40 
troops to coalition operations in Iraq and 130 troops to 
NATO's ISAF mission in Afghanistan.  Troop deployments 
require parliamentary approval, which has been unanimous in 
every case. END NOTE.)  MP Vladimr Gjorcev, Chair of the 
Parliamentary Committee on Defense and Security, and MP 
Ruzhdi Matoshi, Deputy Chair of the Parliamentary Committee 
on Foreign Policy, pledged parliamentary support for the 
current number of Macedonian troops serving in operations in 
Iraq and Afghanistan.  Gjorcev noted the ARM's ethnically 
diverse and multi-confessional characteristics, which he said 
reflected the effective functioning of Macedonia's 
multi-ethnic state. 
 
¶3. (U) In addition to official meetings, the USG delegation 
members met in an informal setting with more than twenty ARM 
officers and NCOs who have served in Iraq and Afghanistan. 
The officers and NCOs shared with DAS Butler and other 
members of the delegation their personal experiences from 
serving in Iraq and Afghanistan, providing a first-hand look 
at the challenges of serving alongside U.S. troops in those 
operations. 
 
PROMOTING INTEROPERABILITY FOR NATO CANDIDACY 
 
¶4. (SBU) DAS Butler stressed that, although Macedonia 
contributes only a relatively small number of troops to 
coalition operations, their presence in Iraq is vital because 
they operate as a deployable unit.  That allows the ARM 
soldiers to showcase their capabilities and their 
inter-operability with U.S. and NATO troops.  CHOD LTG 
Stojanovski noted that the readiness of ARM troops to deploy 
and operate alongside international forces has been achieved 
because of significant reforms implemented within the ARM and 
Ministry of Defense (MOD) in recent years.  Although GOM 
interlocutors said that ARM troop contributions abroad will 
continue at the current level, they noted that the number of 
troops deployed has reached the maximum level possible.  In 
discussions on possible future tasks, as events develop, they 
stressed that additional deployments would negatively impact 
ongoing domestic reform efforts.  (NOTE: In addition to Iraq 
and Afghanistan, the ARM contributes 20 troops to EUFOR in 
Bosnia-Herzegovina, and 2 soldiers to UNIFIL in Lebanon -- 
with overall deployments constituting approximately 3% of the 
total number of ARM forces. END NOTE) 
MILOVANOVIC