Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
07USNATO230
2007-04-05 07:11:00
CONFIDENTIAL//NOFORN
Mission USNATO
Cable title:  

NORTH ATLANTIC COUNCIL READOUT APRIL 4, 2007

Tags:  NATO PREL AF 
pdf how-to read a cable
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FM USMISSION USNATO
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 0714
RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHINGTON DC IMMEDIATE
INFO RUEHZG/NATO EU COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
RUCNOSC/ORGANIZATION FOR SECURITY COOPERATION IN EUROPE PRIORITY
RUEHGB/AMEMBASSY BAGHDAD PRIORITY 0263
RUEHRL/AMEMBASSY BERLIN PRIORITY 0537
RUEHSL/AMEMBASSY BRATISLAVA PRIORITY 4416
RUEHBUL/AMEMBASSY KABUL PRIORITY 0569
RUEHKH/AMEMBASSY KHARTOUM PRIORITY 0141
RUEHLO/AMEMBASSY LONDON PRIORITY 0174
RUEHLE/AMEMBASSY LUXEMBOURG PRIORITY 0775
RUEHMD/AMEMBASSY MADRID PRIORITY 0601
RUEHOT/AMEMBASSY OTTAWA PRIORITY 0447
RUEHRO/AMEMBASSY ROME PRIORITY 0514
RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK PRIORITY 0380
C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 USNATO 000230 

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E.O. 12958: DECL: 04/03/2017
TAGS: NATO PREL AF
SUBJECT: NORTH ATLANTIC COUNCIL READOUT APRIL 4, 2007

REF: USNATO 228

Classified By: Charge d'Affaires Ian Kelly for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d)

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 USNATO 000230

SIPDIS

NOFORN
SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 04/03/2017
TAGS: NATO PREL AF
SUBJECT: NORTH ATLANTIC COUNCIL READOUT APRIL 4, 2007

REF: USNATO 228

Classified By: Charge d'Affaires Ian Kelly for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d)


1. (C) SUMMARY:

Note: The April 4 exchange of views on the spring 2007
assessment of Armenia,s Individual Partnership Action Plan
(IPAP) reported reftel.

-- Afghanistan: NAC agrees to task NMAs for advice on how
to support EU police mission. International organizations
meet more regularly in Kabul. LTG Eikenberry takes over as
Deputy Chairman of the Military Committee (D/CMC). SHAPE
DCOS Ops MG Stein, in final NAC brief, points to positive
indicators in-country and urges more effort on ANA training
and mentoring.

-- Kosovo: SHAPE completes Transition Directive for KFOR and
forwards it to the Military Committee. Italy pledges to
maintain its carbinieri unit in KFOR, while offering
additional carbinieri forces for the EU,s rule of law
mission.

END SUMMARY.

Afghanistan
--------------

2. (C) Deputy Secretary General Minuto-Rizzo, chairing,
sought and received NAC consensus to task NMAs for rapid
advice in response to a letter from EU SG/HR Solana that
asked ISAF to assist the future ESDP police mission in
Afghanistan with logistical support, which, according to the
letter, &( may include ( the provision of accommodation,
food, MEDEVAC, CIS, and in extremis security arrangements.8
The UK and Germany encouraged quick, positive action on this
request by NMAs, as well as the NAC when advice comes to
Council. SHAPE DCOS Ops, MG Stein, noted that SHAPE had
already been talking with EU staff and was prepared to move
quickly.


3. (C) The D/SYG welcomed new D/CMC LTG Karl Eikenberry,
former commander of Combined Forces Command ) Afghanistan,
and bade farewell to MG Stein. MG Stein will be replaced by
U.S. General Rudy Wright, formerly DCOS Strategic
Communications in MNF-I in Baghdad. The D/SYG told the NAC
that SCR Everts had intensified dialogue with UNAMA and the
EU in Kabul, and the three actors were now meeting weekly.
ISAF and others in the international community had supported
the Afghan government in flood relief over the past week, the
D/SYG relayed, and he asked NMAs to track the situation

following the April 3 earthquake in eastern Afghanistan,
should the Afghan government ask ISAF for help.


4. (C) MG Stein, in his last brief to the NAC, reminded the
Council that offensive operations under Operation Now Ruz
were aimed to support ongoing development efforts, and
degrade insurgents, ability to conduct operations, thus
increasing the legitimacy and influence of the Afghan
government. He praised joint operations conducted by ISAF
with the ANSF under Now Ruz. Realistic that much remained to
be done, he cited several tactical successes as proof that
ISAF,s efforts were working: positive civilian responses to
the energetic governor of Paktika; a $1.5 million road
complex to ease market access in Nangarhar; and significant
improvements to the power situation in Kandahar already from
the unfinished Kajaki Dam project. Nonetheless, governance
must be improved, and more Afghan security forces developed,
he concluded. He cited the COMISAF &Post Operations
Humanitarian Relief Fund8 as worthwhile, but stated more
Allies should donate to it (only $540,000 are currently in
its coffers),and its mandate should be expanded to include
post-combat quick impact projects. Turning to NATO,s
&Operational Mentor Liaison Teams8 (OMLTs),he noted that
NATO was still short by 26 of the 46 OMLTs it had pledged,
and said that SHAPE would have some proposals to send forward
&in the near future8 on ways to ease requirements for

USNATO 00000230 002 OF 002


fielding OMLTs that could make it more feasible for some
Allies to provide these crucial trainers.


5. (C) Luxembourg announced a 50,000-euro contribution to
NATO,s trust fund for ANA equipment support and that it also
will provide 100,000-euros toward training projects. The
German PermRep informed the NAC that the EU,s Political and
Security Committee (PSC) had approved the CONOPS for the
upcoming ESDP police mission in Afghanistan, and an EU
civilian response team was heading to Kabul soon to take
preparation further following the decision. The UK PermRep
agreed with MG Stein on the importance of governance in
Afghanistan, and noted that both Chancellor of the Exchequer
Brown and MOD Browne recently visited the country. The
Canadian PermRep briefed on continuing high-level travel to
Afghanistan by a range of Canadian officials, underscoring
Canada,s commitment to the mission.

Kosovo
--------------

6. (C) The DSYG noted the importance of the NAC,s April 2
visit to Kosovo, which not only provided a good sense of
things on the ground, but also sent the right message at the
right time about NATO,s continuing commitment. He provided
a brief update on the April 3 meeting of the U.N. Security
Council, which the UK PermRep further elaborated on during
his intervention.


7. (C) The CMC noted that SHAPE has finished drafting the
transition directive that would give COMKFOR the tools
necessary to confront any difficulties during the 120-day
transition phase. It is now with the international military
committee for its consideration. The MC hopes to have the
document ready for NAC consideration by the end of April.
The transition directive would not take effect until after
the adoption of a new UNSCR. The CMC added that
investigation continues into last weekend,s RPG attack on a
Serbian monastery.


8. (C) The Italian Charge informed the NAC that Rome has no
intention of pulling its Carbinieri multi-national support
unit from KFOR and pledged to maintain its current strength
of 120 personnel. Rome is planning to offer an additional
140 Carbinieri personnel as part of the EU,s Rule-of-Law
mission, which would help the EU meet its commitment to have
capable crowd and riot control police.


9. (C) Responding to the Slovenian PermRep,s inquiry, ASYG
Pardew explained that NATO-EU technical agreement drafts now
have been fully coordinated within NATO and said there would
be another NATO-EU staff level meeting dealing with the
technical agreements later in April. He also pointed out
that the technical agreements would not come into effect
until after the 120-day transition period.


KELLY