O 010929Z APR 09
FM AMEMBASSY BRUSSELS
TO SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 8782
INFO AFGHANISTAN COLLECTIVE IMMEDIATE
USMISSION USNATO IMMEDIATE 
NSC WASHDC IMMEDIATE
CDR USEUCOM ALT SHAPE BE IMMEDIATE
HQ USEUCOM VAIHINGEN GE IMMEDIATE

C O N F I D E N T I A L BRUSSELS 000468 
 
 
NOFORN 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 04/01/2029 
TAGS: NATO PREL MOPS MARR BE
SUBJECT: DEF MIN. CONFIRMS NEW BELGIAN MILITARY 
CONTRIBUTIONS IN AFGHANISTAN 
 
REF: A. (A) STATE 31102 
     ¶B. (B)BRUSSELS 412 
 
Classified By: CDA WAYNE BUSH FOR REASONS 1.4 (B) AND (D) 
 
¶1. (C)  Defense Minister Pieter De Crem telephoned charge 
April 1 to confirm that the Belgian cabinet has agreed to 
continue all current Belgian contributions in Afghanistan 
(see details ref (b)) through the end of 2010.  In addition, 
in 2010 Belgium willl deploy two additional F-16s to Kandahar 
and provide a second Operational Mentoring and Liaison Team. 
De Crem said that the cabinet has also reached internal 
agreement on supporting a second Provincial Reconstruction 
Team (PRT), although this would not be immediately announced. 
 De Crem said that he would continue to coordinate with 
Foreign Minister Karel De Gucht on whether Belgium would 
reinforce an existing PRT or send a separate team to Konduz. 
De Crem said that he had heard that a C-130 that Belgium had 
considered making available for election support was no 
longer needed, and so he did not push that further with the 
cabinet.  De Crem did not mention whether or not Belgium 
would go ahead with its ideas of providing engineering and 
logistical training for the Afghan National Army.  Asked 
specifically whether the cabinet had decided on additional 
civilian/development assistance, De Crem said FM De Gucht and 
Development Cooperation Minister Michel were "fighting" over 
what should be done.  De Crem himself strongly advocated 
within the cabinet additional development efforts to balance 
the military contributions Belgium is making and will make. 
De Crem said that the new Belgian efforts would be made 
public in the course of parliamentary committee meeetings on 
the afternoon of April 1, and at the NATO summit. 
Separately, Development Cooperation Minister Michel abruptly 
cancelled a meeting that had been scheduled for April 1 with 
the visiting USAID Acting Administrator to discuss 
development assistance efforts in Afghanistan.