servants: future of ex-YU "independent" countries

[Andrej Tisma]

              NATO Beckons
              By Ales Gaube
               January 6, 2003

                  -The Slovenian daily Delo...says the army has already
                  received the informal hint to prepare for the mission
                  even though a final political decision has not been
                  reached.
                  -The ZLSD Youth Forum fears that Slovenian soldiers
                  might be used in combat operations against the
                  remaining Taliban forces that still control part of
                  Afghanistan. Luka Juri, head of the Youth Forum, said
                  on 30 December that the invitation for Slovenian
                  troops to join the ISAF is only the first of many
                  foreign policy and military tests that Slovenia will
                  be subjected to because of its new NATO membership.
                  Juri also said that he was disappointed that the
                  government intends to decide the issue without a
                  public discussion. He said that the public would have
                  no say in whether or not to send troops to
                  Afghanistan, where they would be ?satisfying U.S.
                  interests and acting in contradiction to efforts for
                  international stability and development.?

                  LJUBLJANA, Slovenia--Only a month after Slovenia was
                  invited to join NATO at the alliance?s Prague summit,
                  the country?s willingness to cooperate in
                  international peace missions is being put to the test
                  with Germany?s request that Slovenia take part in the
                  International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) in
                  Afghanistan. Germany will take over the ISAF III
                  mission in mid-February.

                  Though the government has yet to make a final decision

                  on whether or not to send troops to war-torn
                  Afghanistan, the Slovenian Defense Ministry on 28
                  December did confirm that it is still inspecting the
                  possibility of a small-scale contribution to the
                  peacekeeping mission there. The Slovenian daily Delo,
                  however, says the army has already received the
                  informal hint to prepare for the mission even though a

                  final political decision has not been reached.

                  To some degree, Slovenia has already been involved in
                  the mission in Afghanistan--albeit from a safer
                  distance. In 2000 it sent humanitarian aid to
                  Afghanistan, and late last year it sent weapons that
                  the Slovenian army no longer needed, equipping Afghan
                  security forces with 1,800 guns, ammunition, and
                  explosives.

                  ?If a decision to participate is made, only a small
                  unit of the Slovenian armed forces would be sent to
                  Afghanistan, performing its duties under the auspices
                  of a larger contingent,? Defense Ministry
                  representative Uros Krek told TV Slovenia on 28
                  December.

                  The Slovenian unit would probably be used to maintain
                  security in the Afghan capital of Kabul and the
                  surrounding area. The Slovenian soldiers would also
                  likely assist the temporary Afghan government in
                  setting up national security structures, rebuilding
                  the country, and training future security forces, the
                  ministry representative explained.

                  The busy holiday season for the most part kept
                  politicians from commenting on the issue to the local
                  media. Only the youth wing of the Unified List of
                  Social Democrats (ZLSD) coalition party was publicly
                  skeptical about the possibility of Slovenian soldiers
                  heading to Afghanistan. The ZLSD youth wing, however,
                  is known for its staunch opposition to Slovenia?s
                  membership in NATO. The party itself has supported
                  Slovenia?s bid to enter the alliance.

                  The ZLSD Youth Forum fears that Slovenian soldiers
                  might be used in combat operations against the
                  remaining Taliban forces that still control part of
                  Afghanistan. Luka Juri, head of the Youth Forum, said
                  on 30 December that the invitation for Slovenian
                  troops to join the ISAF is only the first of many
                  foreign policy and military tests that Slovenia will
                  be subjected to because of its new NATO membership.

                  Juri also said that he was disappointed that the
                  government intends to decide the issue without a
                  public discussion. He said that the public would have
                  no say in whether or not to send troops to
                  Afghanistan, where they would be ?satisfying U.S.
                  interests and acting in contradiction to efforts for
                  international stability and development.?

                  It would not be the first time the Slovenian army has
                  stepped beyond the Balkans for peacekeeping efforts.
                  Currently, Slovenia is participating in the
                  peacekeeping mission in Bosnia and Herzegovina and in
                  the tense Yugoslav province of Kosovo. Slovenian
                  forces have been sent to join the United Nations
                  peacekeeping forces in Cyprus, as well as to the UN
                  Truce Supervision Organization that is monitoring the
                  cease-fire on the borders of Israel, Syria, and
                  Lebanon. It is also widely believed that Slovenia will

                  be invited to participate in a possible stabilization
                  force following what many fear to be the imminent war
                  in Iraq.