VZCZCXRO7988
OO RUEHFL RUEHKW RUEHLA RUEHROV RUEHSR
DE RUEHSM #0051/01 0221556
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
O 221556Z JAN 08
FM AMEMBASSY STOCKHOLM
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 3080
INFO RUEHZL/EUROPEAN POLITICAL COLLECTIVE
RUEHBUL/AMEMBASSY KABUL 0068

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 STOCKHOLM 000051 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/12/2017 
TAGS: PREL MOPS PGOV YI AF SW
SUBJECT: SWEDISH PARLIAMENT'S FOREIGN AFFAIRS LEADERS ON 
AFGHANISTAN, KOSOVO 
 
REF: LJUBLJANA 20 
 
Classified By: DCM Robert Silverman for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d). 
 
Summary 
------- 
¶1. (C) Charge discussed Sweden's role in Afghanistan and 
Kosovo in separate meetings January 16 and 17 with Goran 
Lennmarker and Urban Ahlin, the government and the opposition 
leaders in the Parliament's Foreign Affairs Committee. 
Lennmarker and Ahlin both saw room for increases in the 
number of Swedish troops in Afghanistan.  The Swedish 
deployment to Afghanistan comes up for extension in late 
2008, and Ahlin asked us to help in telling the story of the 
humanitarian role Sweden's troops play.  Ahlin lamented the 
government's go-slow policy on Kosovo recognition and asked 
for legal points on the Kosovo independence issue and UNSCR 
¶1244.  See action requests at para 8.  End Summary. 
 
Afghanistan 
----------- 
¶2.  (C) Charge d'Affaires met January 16 with Goran 
Lennmarker, Chairman of Parliament's Foreign Affairs 
Committee, and January 17 with Urban Ahlin, vice-Chairman of 
the Committee and Foreign Policy Spokesman for the opposition 
Social Democrats.  On Afghanistan, both noted that Sweden had 
authority to increase deployments to the Sweden-led PRT in 
Mazar-e Sharif from current levels of 365 to as many as 600. 
Ahlin emphasized that Parliament granted the government this 
flexibility in order to enable it to respond to unforeseen 
difficulties.  As the price extracted by the Social Democrats 
for their consensus support of this Government-proposed 
increase in May 2007, the term of authorization had been 
shortened, and will expire in December 2008.  This will mean 
that the deployment and authorized levels will come up for 
review and re-authorization in the Fall of 2008.  As before, 
the proposed authorization would be limited to the Mazar-e 
Sharif PRT area and to peace-keeping rather than peacemaking 
activities. 
 
¶3.  (C) In anticipation of the debate on this extension, 
Ahlin emphasized it would be necessary for the Social 
Democrats to be able to explain why they are supporting the 
UN's and NATO's efforts in Afghanistan.  This story could 
best be told by Afghanis.  Ahlin asked for our help in 
getting a senior Afghanistan government official to come to 
Sweden to relate humanitarian stories such as how the Swedish 
and NATO efforts are allowing girls to go to school, keeping 
the country from being taken over by drug lords, and keeping 
the Taliban from oppressing the people. Ahlin suggested it 
would be useful for NATO to distribute at its Bucharest 
summit a sheet telling the story of NATO's humanitarian role 
in Afghanistan. 
 
¶4.  (C) Regarding the possibility of Sweden sending JAS 
Gripen fighters to Afghanistan, Ahlin said the Social 
Democrats had told the Moderate-led Alliance government they 
would not agree to this mission.  Afghanis would not be able 
to distinguish Swedish planes from those of countries engaged 
in combat operations in Iraq, per Ahlin.  (Note:  The Swedish 
military continues to argue for a Gripen mission to 
Afghanistan,) 
 
Kosovo and the Balkans 
---------------------- 
¶5.  (C) Ahlin said he disagreed with the go-slow approach 
that Foreign Minister Bildt and the MFA are taking on the 
recognition of Kosovo (reftel).  At the same time, it was 
important for the government to be able to justify legally 
the position it takes on Kosovo's independence.  Sweden is a 
legalistic society, and gives great deference to the UN, he 
continued.  Swedish concerns about provisions in UNSCR 1244 
regarding the independence of Kosovo and the sovereignty of 
Serbia need to be addressed.  Ahlin asked us to provide 
information on the U.S. legal interpretation of these 
provisions of UNSCR 1244. 
 
Concerns about Russia 
--------------------- 
¶6.  (C) Both Lennmarker and Ahlin said Sweden has serious 
concerns about the direction Russia is taking.  Lennmarker, 
referring to his role as the head of the OSCE Parliamentary 
Assembly, underscored the importance of keeping the West's 
doors opened for Russia's neighbors.  NATO needed to provide 
an opening and hope for Georgia and Ukraine, and he 
recommended that NATO unveil "creative thinking" in its April 
Summit in Bucharest.  He recalled the important signal the 
Baltic Charter played in the 1990's as a model.  Lennmarker 
added that he was meeting with Solana and would push for the 
EU to intensify it engagement in Georgia and Ukraine. 
 
 
STOCKHOLM 00000051  002 OF 002 
 
 
Comment 
------- 
¶7.  (C) Ahlin noted that he is perceived as being on the 
right wing of his party on security issues and relations with 
the U.S.  He is well-wired across the spectrum in Stockholm, 
and is willing to play a useful role regarding Afghanistan 
and Kosovo.  Lennmarker defers to FM Bildt, as does the rest 
of the government's foreign policy apparatus. 
 
Action Request 
-------------- 
¶8.  (C) We request assistance to respond to Ahlin's two 
requests for our help on Afghanistan and Kosovo: 
 
-- On Afghanistan, to help arrange for the testimony of a 
senior Afghan government official before the Swedish 
Parliament in order to explain the humanitarian contribution 
of the Swedish-led PRT.  Per Ahlin, this would help the 
Swedish Parliament in extending the mandate of the 
Swedish-led PRT; 
 
-- On Kosovo, to provide information on the U.S. legal 
interpretation of the provisions of UNSCR 1244 dealing with 
the sovereignty of Serbia and independence of Kosovo. 
WOOD