P 270737Z JUN 08
FM AMEMBASSY CANBERRA
TO SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 9766
INFO AMEMBASSY BERLIN PRIORITY 
AMEMBASSY KABUL PRIORITY 
AMEMBASSY OTTAWA PRIORITY 
AMEMBASSY PARIS PRIORITY 
AMEMBASSY ROME PRIORITY 
AMEMBASSY TOKYO PRIORITY 
SECDEF WASHINGTON DC PRIORITY
USMISSION USNATO PRIORITY

C O N F I D E N T I A L CANBERRA 000647 
 
NOFORN 
 
STATE FOR EAP/ANP 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/26/2018 
TAGS: PREL MARR MOPS AS
SUBJECT: CORRECTED COPY: AUSTRALIA SUPPORTS EXPANDED 
JAPANESE ENGAGEMENT IN AFGHANISTAN 
 
REF: STATE 68003 
 
 
Classified By: Acting Political Counselor, John W. Crowley for reasons 
1.4 (b) and (d) 
 
CORRECTED COPY:  Reasons for Classification Provided. 
 
¶1.  (C/NF) Poloff confirmed Australia's support for current 
and incremental Japanese engagement in Afghanistan in the 
reftel demarche with Paul Robilliard, Assistant Secretary, 
Afghanistan and Iraq Branch, Department of Foreign Affairs 
(DFAT).  Robilliard stated that the GOA welcomes and supports 
Japan in taking a more active role in regional security 
issues, including military and non-military activities in 
Afghanistan. 
 
¶2. (C/NF) DFAT was already aware of the reftel request, which 
was delivered by the Pentagon earlier in the week to Steve 
Merchant, Deputy Secretary Intelligence and Security Group, 
Australian Defence Force, during his visit to Washington. 
Robilliard said that Merchant agreed to review the USG points 
and provide appropriate additional encouragement to the 
Japanese upon his return to Australia.  Robilliard 
acknowledged that the GOA is sensitive to the GOJ's possible 
domestic political resistance to providing additional 
military engagement in Afghanistan. 
 
¶3.  (C/NF) Robilliard advised that he had been briefed 
earlier in the week by the Japanese Embassy on the results of 
their recent Afghan study of an expanded role.  According to 
Robilliard, the Japanese had examined a wider range of 
possible contributions than were identified in reftel.  He 
did not comment on whether the Japanese Embassy had indicated 
a preference.  In that meeting, Robilliard advised the 
Japanese Embassy that FM Smith would welcome existing and 
additional contributions of engagement at this week's TSD 
meetings in Japan, if the issue were raised. 
 
¶4.  (C/NF) Robilliard volunteered that he had also advised 
the Japanese Embassy, and reiterated to Poloff, that current 
GOA policy limits any further contributions by Australia in 
Afghanistan.  He specifically eliminated the possibility of 
providing additional support in concert with any incremental 
Japanese activities, as was done in Iraq for Japan's PRT. 
Robilliard agreed to review the specific additional support 
as laid out by the USG and to continue discussions with the 
Japanese following the TSD to encourage their additional 
engagement in Afghanistan. 
 
MCCALLUM