FRANCE STANDS BY ITS RIGA COMMITMENTS; NO NEW

C O N F I D E N T I A L PARIS 000285 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/23/2017 TAGS: PREL MARR MOPS NATO AF FR SUBJECT: FRANCE STANDS BY ITS RIGA COMMITMENTS; NO NEW CONTRIBUTIONS PLANNED FOR INFORMAL MINISTERIAL REF: A) STATE 4834 B) STATE 7434 C) PARIS 257 Classified By: Political Minister-Counselor Josiah Rosenblatt, Reason 1 .4 b/d ¶1. (C) On January 22, the Ambassador raised our agenda for the Informal NATO Foreign Ministerial with Elysee NSA-equivalent Maurice Gourdault-Montagne (MGM). Per ref C, MGM expressed satisfaction with the outcome of the NATO Summit at Riga, and, looking ahead to the Informal Ministerial on January 26, observed that no EU country was likely to commit additional troops to Afghanistan at this time. He noted, however, a general willingness to undertake further consultation on how to combine civil/military objectives in Afghanistan, for example on counternarcotics. MGM alluded to but did not press France's "Contact group" proposal. ¶2. (C) We discussed in greater detail our goals and objectives on January 23 with MFA DAS-equivalent director for NATO issues Nicolas Niemtchinow. Niemtchinow repeated MGM's message that France would not be making any new commitments at the Informal Ministerial. Nonetheless, he welcomed our approach for the Ministerial, adding that France is in the process of implementing the commitments it made at Riga. Specifically, he said that on the military side, the French will reinforce their troop contributions in Kabul to favor combat forces over support troops, although the overall ceiling of some 1,100 troops will remain the same. With these forces, France will be better able to respond, on a case by case basis, to allied requests for assistance in other parts of Afghanistan. French aircraft will continue to operate out of neighboring Dushanbe and additional aircraft will be made available for the mission from the newly-deployed aircraft carrier "Charles de Gaulle." Lastly, Niemtchinow observed that two helicopters with medevac capabilities have been assigned to Kabul. ¶3. (C) Turning to the situation on the ground in Afghanistan, Niemtchinow agreed that a spring Taliban offensive could be expected, and that the Allied response should draw on both military and civilian resources. The Afghans need to see that we are making a positive contribution to the reconstruction of their country, he emphasized. France is looking at how better to improve the coordination of reconstruction and security needs. Expanding on MGM's comments to the Ambassador, Niemtchinow emphasized that France is not tied to its "Contact Group" proposal, as long as allies find a way to more effectively coordinate assistance efforts. ¶4. (C) Niemtchinow also agreed on the need for greater public diplomacy and expressed the wish that ISAF statements to the press highlight more the positives of reconstruction than the outcomes of military actions. Please visit Paris' Classified Website at: http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/eur/paris/index.c fm STAPLETON