DSACEUR BRIEFS NAC-PSC ON TRANSFER OF SFOR TO

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 BRUSSELS 004688

SIPDIS

DEPARTMENT FOR EUR/RPM AND EUR/ERA
SARAJEVO FOR AMB MCELHANEY

E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/01/2014
TAGS: PREL BK MOPS NATO EUN USEU BRUSSELS
SUBJECT: DSACEUR BRIEFS NAC-PSC ON TRANSFER OF SFOR TO
OPERATION ALTHEA

REF: SARAJEVO 02663

Classified By: USEU polmil officer Jeremy Brenner for reasons 1.4 (b) a
nd (d)


1. (C) Summary: DSACEUR, General Sir John Reith briefed the
NAC-PSC Ambassadors on the progress of the December 2 SFOR
handover to the EU's Operation Althea. Delineation of tasks
has been worked out between commanders on the ground, and
Headquarters staffs are more than 80 percent filled. General
Reith -- and the EU -- are determined to make Althea succeed,
and have addressed concerns over clarity of decision-making
and bureaucratic interference. The EU's entire ESDP
apparatus has worked hard for several months to ensure a
successful post-SFOR mission. End summary.

--------------
DSACEUR
--------------


2. (C) The New Deputy Supreme Allied Commander Europe,
General Sir John Reith briefed the NAC-PSC October 25 on the
state of preparations for the December 2 end of the NATO SFOR
mission and the beginning of the EU's Operation ALTHEA.
Wearing both his NATO and EU hats as operational commander of
the EU mission in Bosnia-Herzegovina, Reith noted that steady
progress was being made. While shortfalls remain in
intelligence and aviation assets, both the NATO Headquarters
and EUFOR HQ were staffed at better than 80 percent. The
commanders on the ground recently agreed to a delineation of
tasks in further evidence of their positive working
relationship. The final confirmation of the agreed
delineation of tasks will be made November 4 during DSACEURs
visit to Sarajevo.


3. (C) General Reith noted that he was the only person in
the room who works for both NATO and the European Union. He
reminded the assembled Ambassadors that he is NATOs Strategic
Coordinator with the EU, and he suggested he would ask the EU
to make him their Strategic Coordinator with NATO.


4. (C) DSACEUR assured the political bodies of the two
organizations that cooperation is going well. He said this
is the case within SHAPE, where the EU OHQ cell is "well
embedded" and is able to draw on full staff support. The EU
Command Element within JFC Naples is working well, and
COMSFOR and COMEUFOR have excellent relations on the ground.


5. (C) General Reith reiterated the need for the force
commander on the ground to have maximum flexibility in
concentrating his forces where they are needed. National
caveats restrict this ability and should be avoided if
possible. Reith urged that in cases where legal
interpretations or logistical limitations made caveats
necessary, nations declare them from the outset so the
commander knows the restrictions under which he must work.

--------------
Common NATO Assets
--------------


6. (C) EU Council HiRep, Javier Solana, said the PSC had
approved a list of assets and capabilities that the EU would
be requesting from NATO to support EUFOR under the auspices
of Berlin Plus. USNATO Ambassador Burns, after thanking
General Reith for his informative brief, announced that the
US has informed the government of Bosnia-Herzegovina that it
would accept its offer to remain in Tuzla at Camp Eagle after
the end of SFOR.

--------------
UNSCR
--------------


7. (C) British Permanent Representative to NATO, Amb. Peter
Ricketts, informed the NAC-PSC that while work continued in
NY on drafting a new UNSCR, it was unlikely that it would be
complete before the British turned over the UNSC presidency
to the US. Several Ambassadors noted the importance of a new
resolution and urged that it be completed and approved
quickly.

--------------
Comment
--------------

8. (C) The EU political leadership is keenly aware of the
pitfalls and historical baggage that face them in
Bosnia-Herzegovina (reftel). EU officials at all levels
stress the robustness of the mission -- an answer to concerns
about IFOR hesitancy. DSACEUR's detailed outline of the
liaisons and the positive working relationships among
commanders should help assuage concerns over crossed lines of
authority or muddled decision-making. EU military officials
have made clear that COMEUFOR will have the necessary
authority -- without micromanagement from Brussels -- to work
out areas of overlapping responsibilities with NATO HQ. The
entire ESDP apparatus within the EU -- political and military
-- from Solana on down has been consumed for months with the
sole focus on ensuring a seamless and successful mission.