Slovenia sending up to 15 inspectors to Iraq
In the first phase, six members of the armed forces will be deployed to Iraqi Kurdistan.
Speaking after the government session, Defence Minister Andreja Katič said Slovenian instructors would be stationed at the joint coalition coordination centre in the capital of Iraqi Kurdistan, Erbil.
If all goes according to plan, the first group of six soldiers could leave for Iraq in the second half of 2016, while one officer will be deployed to the headquarters of the United States Central Command "in the near future", according to the minister.
The Slovenian officer will help coordinate Slovenia's actions and donations in the command of the global coalition in Tampa, US.
Slovenian troops at the centre in Erbil, which is led by several European countries at the helm of which are Germany and Italy, are expected to work in the base and the near-by training area, with the focus of their work being on infantry tactics, military police, medical assistance and handling of explosive devices.
Slovenia's participation in the mission will be determined in more detail in early March in talks with Germany.
Katič said that the level of risk at the coordination centre was currently low but that the situation was changing quickly, as the security situation in Iraq was very unstable.
Apart from offering instructors, Slovenia will also donate EUR 260,000 worth of weapons and other equipment, which is of no particular use to the Slovenian Armed Forces, according to the minister.
Together with the transport the value of the donation is estimated at EUR 650,000, but the minister said the army would use its transport quota, so no "additional costs" for the Slovenian defence budget were envisaged.
Foreign Minister Karl Erjavec explained Slovenia had been participating in the international campaign against IS since 2014. The coalition includes over 60 countries, including Arab countries and all EU members, he noted.
"We have been participating in different areas, but we are not and will not be taking part in military operations but only in the training of the peshmerga," he said in reference to the military forces of Iraqi Kurdistan.
Asked whether Slovenia's deployment of instructors to Iraqi Kurdistan would increase security risk for the country, the minister said there would be "no mayor change".
Erjavec noted that the activities of the anti-IS campaign were covered by five UN Security Council's resolutions and that the Iraqi authorities had requested and approved the aid.
Thus, Slovenia is proving it is "committed to the fight against terrorism", especially IS, which poses a security threat to the EU and Slovenia, Erjavec said. IS is also one of the main causes for the migration wave, which hit Slovenia as well, he added.
Both Katič and Erjavec consistently used Daesh when referring to IS, which Erjavec said was in line with an EU agreement.
Meanwhile, the opposition United Left (ZL) denied the claim by Matjaž Han, the leader of the deputy faction of the coalition Social Democrats (SD), that parliamentary parties had unanimously supported Slovenia's participation in the fight against terrorism.
Although supporting the fight against IS, the ZL does not support the government's proposal, because it envisages participation in a coalition which includes countries that are using the fight against terrorism to their own benefit at the expense of the Syrian and Iraqi people, the party said.
The US, UK and France have been blocking the negotiating process since the start of the civil war in Syria, because they want the regime change, Turkey is using the military operations to fight Kurdish organisations and destabilize the neighbouring country, and Saudi Arabia is supporting Sunni terrorist groups in Syria and the region, the ZL said.
Until coordinated action against IS is agreed on under the auspices of the UN Security Council, Slovenia should not take part in any military operations but should merely offer humanitarian aid, the party pointed out.