Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
06VILNIUS1032
2006-11-16 13:57:00
CONFIDENTIAL
Embassy Vilnius
Cable title:  

LITHUANIA LOOKS TOWARDS RIGA SUMMIT

Tags:  PREL MARR LH LT 
pdf how-to read a cable
VZCZCXYZ0001
RR RUEHWEB

DE RUEHVL #1032/01 3201357
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
R 161357Z NOV 06
FM AMEMBASSY VILNIUS
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 0786
INFO RUEHZG/NATO EU COLLECTIVE
C O N F I D E N T I A L VILNIUS 001032 

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/15/2016
TAGS: PREL MARR LH LT
SUBJECT: LITHUANIA LOOKS TOWARDS RIGA SUMMIT

REF: STATE 186256

Classified By: Ambassador John Cloud for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d).

C O N F I D E N T I A L VILNIUS 001032

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/15/2016
TAGS: PREL MARR LH LT
SUBJECT: LITHUANIA LOOKS TOWARDS RIGA SUMMIT

REF: STATE 186256

Classified By: Ambassador John Cloud for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d).


1. (C) Summary. Looking towards the Riga Summit, Lithuania
hopes for encouraging words on Baltic air policing and NATO
enlargement. The GOL remains committed to success in
Afghanistan, where it may redeploy special forces in 2007.
End Summary.

Lithuania considering sending SOF to Afghanistan
-------------- ---


2. (C) Defense Undersecretary Renatas Norkus told Ambassador
November 15 that Lithuania is considering options to send
special operations forces (SOF) to Afghanistan in the second
part of 2007. He said that one option is to send SOF to
Ghor, where Lithuania leads a Provincial Reconstruction Team,
if the situation there deteriorates. Other options include
sending a squadron to the UK's PRTs in Helmand or to
Northwestern Afghanistan. Norkus added that Lithuania may
send a SOF detachment of 12 as a security detail for the
Lithuanian Ambassador in Kabul, although this would be in
addition to another SOF deployment, not an alternative.
Ambassador stressed that Afghanistan will be the U.S.'s top
priority at the Riga Summit, and we hoped Lithuania could
announce its commitment of SOF in Riga.


3. (C) Norkus reiterated that "Afghanistan is priority number
one" among Lithuania's international missions. Lithuania is
set to take on complete financial responsibility for the PRT
in January 2007. "You won't get another letter from our
Minister asking for an extension of U.S. funding," Norkus
said. He expressed hope that the parliament would approve a
rise in the civilian assistance budget for Afghanistan as
well. (PM Kirkilas anticipated such an outcome in a
discussion with the Ambassador on 11/14.) While praising an
overall increase in Lithuania's defense spending, Norkus
commented that Lithuania had financial constraints on its
overseas missions and domestic defense transformation goals.
He added that an eventual reduction of Lithuania's engagement
in Iraq could also have positive effects on the level of its
engagement in Afghanistan.


4. (C) Drawing on reftel points, Ambassador reiterated our
desire to eliminate national caveats on ISAF forces. Norkus

defended Lithuania's two caveats as having no effect on
Lithuania's activities. That the PRT cannot operate outside
Ghor was a question of capacity, not a political caveat, he
said. The caveat excluding counternarcotics operations was
redundant according to Norkus, since the ISAF mission does
not include such operations. Norkus pointed out that when
Lithuania had SOF in Afghanistan, they had no caveats, and
Lithuania would likely keep the same policy for future SOF
deployments.

Riga Summit Communique
--------------


5. (C) Norkus outlined three broad areas of concern about the
Riga Summit Communique. Lithuania wants the Communique to
describe NATO as the "Preeminent Transatlantic Security
Institution," define Article Five as the cornerstone of NATO,
and endorse "open door" principles for enlargement. Norkus
said that the initial draft communique had better language
than subsequent drafts about NATO being the most important
transatlantic security institution. The Article Five
language looked "safe" he said, and Lithuania supports
positive language for MAP countries Croatia, Albania and
Macedonia as well as Georgia in the communique.

Lithuania: "Perhaps don't mention MAP for Ukraine"
-------------- --------------


6. (C) Lithuania's strong support for Ukraine's integration
with NATO notwithstanding, they do not support retaining MAP
language for Ukraine at Riga. Lithuania is a strong advocate
of Ukraine's engagement with NATO: the President and Defense
Minister were in Ukraine November 14-15 encouraging closer
engagement. But they believe that publicly encouraging MAP
for Ukraine during the Riga Summit could precipitate a
Ukrainian referendum on NATO as early as next year, which
would surely result in a rejection. The MFA's NATO Division
Head told us earlier that President Adamkus told NATO
Secretary General Jaap de Hoop Schefffer during the latter's

SIPDIS
November 10 visit to Vilnius that Yanukovych could very well
be the one to ultimately lead Ukraine to NATO, pointing out
that as the unlikely NATO supporter Yanukovych was best
positioned to consolidate opinion in support of NATO
membership.

Lithuania seeks to Extend Air Policing Mission
-------------- -


7. (C) Norkus emphasized the political importance of NATO's
Baltic Air Policing Mission. He acknowledged that in 10-15
years, the political demand for constant air policing would
likely diminish, but said that any change in the 24/7 air
policing mission now would result in calls for Lithuania to
buy its own aircraft. If NATO changes to a threat-based
air-policing policy that does not provide 24/7 coverage of
the Baltic states, "there is a de facto double standard," he
said. He went on to say that, since the mission began, the
nature of air space violations has changed. Recent
violations have been brief intrusions into air space in
border areas, whereas in the past, he said, Russian aircraft
flew across Lithuanian territory. "Removing air-policing
now," he said, "would put the NATO standard back to sending
diplomatic notes (to Russia) once they have already flown
over our territory, as we did before we joined NATO."


8. (C) Norkus pointed out that SYG de Hoop Scheffer made
comments during his Vilnius visit that Baltic air policing
should continue, and Norkus asked if the USG could make a
similar statement of support. The MFA's NATO Division Head
told us the day before that de Hoop Sheffer told President
Adamkus privately that he was committed to the continuation
of the NATO Baltic Air Policing Mission during his term as
Secretary General.

SIPDIS

Lithuania moving cautiously towards long-term solution
-------------- --------------


9. (C) Lithuania is trying to build support for the extension
of NATO's Baltic Air Policing by bilaterally soliciting
contributions to fill future rotations, including from the
United States. Norwegian and Danish Defense Ministers
publicly announced their commitment to fill future rotations
at the November 8 Nordic/Baltic Defense ministerial. Norkus
told us that Lithuania has already lined up 28 months of air
policing for future rotations with contributions from
Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium, Poland, and the Czech
Republic. MFA NATO Division Head told us November 14 that
once Lithuania has filled contributions through 2011, he
said, Lithuania may then choose to push for a decision on
their proposal to extend air-policing through 2018, or may
choose to continue by having periodic force generation
conferences and extending the Interim Solution on a yearly
basis.

Trying to make air policing more comfortable
--------------


10. (C) Norkus added that Lithuania is striving to make air
policing cheaper for allied squadrons. It is considering
using one of its new C-27s to provide transport for
contributors, and is also considering permanent upgrades at
the base to reduce the burden on contributors. The
coordinated Baltic 2018 strategy calls for the development of
air bases in Latvia and Estonia as well, although those
governments still have significant work to do to develop
those bases, he said.

Strategic Air Lift Initiative
--------------


11. (C) Lithuania strongly supports the Strategic Airlift
Initiative and is happy to be part of this initiative that
fills a shortfall in NATO capacity, Norkus told the
Ambassador. He said that language appearing in the
communique about the initiative has "watered down" its tie to
NATO, which is not helpful to the Ministry. He said that
identifying this initiative very clearly as a NATO initiative
was crucial to the Ministry's press strategy in selling the
commitment. He added that of the several payment formulae
now on the table for the project, the thirty-year payment
plan does not appear to be the most popular, although
Lithuania needs those terms. Lithuania cannot afford to pay
off the aircraft in only a few years.
CLOUD