Looking back at 2003, what were the highlights for the Slovenian Armed Forces the international audience would most care to know about?

The support voters have expressed for joining NATO and the EU undoubtedly represents one important milestone. A second one would be the abolition of compulsory conscription in peacetime, which brought us one step closer towards a professional all-volunteer army. What I would like to stress here is, that as important as these highlights are for the Ministry of Defence and the Slovenian Armed Forces, they are equally significant for all the citizens of Slovenia. It is Slovenia that is joining NATO and it is also Slovenia that will have a fully professional army.

Abolishing conscription also means that the Slovenian Armed Forces are for the first time entering the labour market as a potential employer. How are you prepared for this kind of competition?

I believe we are well prepared. The project for establishing a fully professional army and a voluntary reserve is up and running. We have studied the experiences of other countries on their way to all-volunteer forces very carefully. Nonetheless, we are aware that the whole project needs to be professionally accomplished and all challenges and problems effectively resolved. Current plans envisage the employment of 830 career soldiers for the year 2003, and an additional 600 soldiers and 30 officers in the next year. We are also introducing a three-month voluntary military service for candidates who would like to become familiar with the Slovenian Armed Forces and who show interest in becoming professional soldiers later on. By 2010 the wartime structure of the SAF will amount to 14,000 personnel, of which 8000 will be regular active duty personnel and the remaining 6000 will belong to the voluntary reserve. The gradual increase of defence expenditures, which should reach 2 per cent of GDP in 2008, gives us the necessary financial framework for fulfilling this task. The bottom line is that I think the Slovenian Army, although a new employer on the labour market, is increasingly seen as a reliable one, strengthening the trust in the Armed Forces altogether.

Slovenia will be the first country of the former Yugoslavia to enter both the EU and NATO. Regarding the specific history of South Eastern Europe, what role can the Slovenian Armed Forces play in contributing to peace and security of the region?

Slovenia will indeed be the first one to join the EU and NATO, but it will by no means be the last one in this region, and we have to keep this in mind. It has always been one of Slovenia's key interests to fully cooperate with the EU and NATO during their engagement in the region, and it is equally important to support the aspirations of other countries towards a full integration into the Euro-Atlantic institutions. Slovenia's military has played its role in bringing peace and security to the region, and will continue to do so in the future. Yet, we have to be aware that this is only one part of the stabilization efforts, along with economic cooperation and institution-building, for example, being other ones. I am convinced however, that by fulfilling their mandate,our men and women are not only building peace and security in the region in general, they are also actively contributing to the necessary environment for these countries to eventually join the Euro-Atlantic institutions.

How do you see the role of the EU and NATO in South Eastern Europe? Do you believe their approach in the security and defence field is sufficiently coordinated?

The entire region has been, and still is, one of the primary destinations of enormous investments by the international community at all stages of conflicts. Multilateral organizations operating in the region have learned lessons, which have already had far-reaching and innovative implications for their structure, operations and missions. It was in this region that the EU started Concordia, its first military operation, which also represents a landmark in EU - NATO relations. The concerted approach of these two institutions, based on the Berlin Plus agreement, has demonstrated that understanding security as indivisible, greatly diminishes the possibility of a repeated outbreak of ethnic tensions, or even violence.

The process of improving the overall security situation by deploying an international military and civil presence in the region of Southeastern Europe has been a successful one. One of Slovenia's primary interests is to maintain and improve the security of the region, and we believe that the key to achieving this is through these countries meeting the standards of integration into European and Euro-Atlantic organizations.

In the wake of building up a professional army, fears that the political elite will be less reluctant to send the troops abroad are being raised. Do you think they are justified?

I do not think this is a question of justification, people have every right to express their doubts and fears-- after all, having an all-volunteer army is a novelty. But, this fact will not make it any easier, or more difficult to decide whether to send troops abroad. Participation in international operations is not based on whether a country has a professional army or not, it is based in the wider framework of a country's foreign policy and is influenced by many factors; national interest being, for example, one of them. In Slovenia this decision has always been taken by the government.

Talking in numbers, how many troops are currently deployed in SE Europe?

Our largest contingent, 176 men and women, is currently part of the SFOR Joint Forge mission in Bosnia-Herzegovina, while one officer is working with the Office of the High Representative. Thirteen members of our Armed Forces are also taking part in the Kosovo Force, and one officer is currently deployed to the EU-led Concordia mission in Macedonia. Outside the European framework, two military observers are part of the United Nations Truce Supervision Organization. Altogether, nearly 200 members of our Armed Forces are taking part in international peace operations.

Will Slovenia then participate in the International Stabilization Force in Afghanistan?

The decision to participate in the NATO-led ISAF peace support operation was taken by the government in July of this year, and we are looking at a possible deployment in spring 2004. Alongside these efforts, Slovenia has already shipped armaments to Afghanistan for the equipping and training of three battalions of the Afghan Armed Forces.

The security in Iraq is also of major concern. How does Slovenia intend to contribute to the stabilization process?

The overall situation in Iraq is of major concern, not only for regional, but also for wider international security. Electoral assistance, law-enforcement and the development of democratic institutions require a broad international framework. Based on the experience gained after the Balkan wars in post-conflict reconstruction of the region, Slovenia is sincerely convinced that this is a process that requires the cooperation of the entire international community. Therefore, when we feel we can contribute to improving the security situation and help meet the needs and aspirations of the Iraqi people, we will do so without hesitation. At the moment, our available resources are already in operations, but we are constantly considering all possible forms of cooperation.