(C) SECOND REQUEST ON LATVIAN REQUEST FOR U.S. AIR

C O N F I D E N T I A L RIGA 000732

SIPDIS

NOFORN
SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 09/12/2016
TAGS: MOPS PREL ASEC KTIA NATO LG
SUBJECT: (C) SECOND REQUEST ON LATVIAN REQUEST FOR U.S. AIR
SECURITY ASSIATANCE FOR NATO SUMMIT

REF: A) RIGA 496 B) 05 RIGA 373 AND PREVIOUS

Classified By: Ambassador Catherine Todd Bailey. Reason: 1.4 (a & d)


1. (U) This is an action request. See para 4.


2. (C/NOFORN) Ref A relayed request from Latvian MOD
Slakteris, on behalf of GOL, for USG to provide air security
assistance for the NATO Summit to be held in Riga November 28
- 29. To date, post has received no formal response from
Washington. However, we understand that SecDef Rumsfeld told
Slakteris at their July 31 meeting in Washington that the
request was approved. We further understand that planning is
proceeding and forces have been allocated to the mission.
COMUSAFE, General Hobbins, visited Riga September 11 for
discussions with GOL officials on the mission. We also
understand that consideration is being given to a mission
that would cover the time that President Bush is in Estonia
on a bilateral visit prior to the NATO summit. However, we
still have not provided anything to the GOL acknowledging our
preparedness to take on the mission for the summit nor have
we received any guidance that spells out any limitations to
the mission.


3. (C/NOFORN) As further noted in ref A, we will need to
conclude an agreement with the GOL on the terms under which
such an air security mission would operate, to include
authorization to use force, status of forces, command and
control arrangements, preparations for a renegade aircraft
and other matters. Ref B provides the model from President
Bush's May 2005 visit to Latvia and, with only small
modifications to acknowledge the fact of the summit and,
possibly, support for the Tallinn stop, we would think very
similar language should suffice. USAFE has produced a
suggested draft (e-mailed to EUR/RPM). With parliamentary
elections scheduled for October 7, the government will go in
to caretaker mode until a government can be formed, which may
be delayed until after the summit. General Hobbins heard on
his visit for MOD State Secretary Rinkevics that getting such
an agreement through cabinet prior to elections would be the
best course of action and provide the least opportunity for
surprises or unexpected difficulties. We agree and note
that, in addition to the political desire to move forward,
there is a practical desire on both sides to conduct
exercises of the arrangements beginning in mid-October, which
would require the agreement to be in place


4. (C/REL Latvia) Action request: Post repeats its ref A
request that Washington provide language for Ambassador
Bailey to respond to Minister Slakteris' request and that we
be provided soonest with text for an exchange of dip notes to
cover the operations of the air security mission in Latvia.
Antweiler