Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
07USNATO282
2007-05-02 16:45:00
SECRET//NOFORN
Mission USNATO
Cable title:
NORTH ATLANTIC COUNCIL READOUT MAY 2, 2007
how-toVZCZCXRO3500 OO RUEHDBU RUEHFL RUEHLA RUEHMRE RUEHROV DE RUEHNO #0282/01 1221645 ZNY SSSSS ZZH O 021645Z MAY 07 FM USMISSION USNATO TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 0797 RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHINGTON DC IMMEDIATE INFO RUEHZG/NATO EU COLLECTIVE PRIORITY RUCNOSC/ORGANIZATION FOR SECURITY COOPERATION IN EUROPE PRIORITY RUEHAK/AMEMBASSY ANKARA PRIORITY 0350 RUEHGB/AMEMBASSY BAGHDAD PRIORITY 0268 RUEHBW/AMEMBASSY BELGRADE PRIORITY 1353 RUEHRL/AMEMBASSY BERLIN PRIORITY 0545 RUEHIL/AMEMBASSY ISLAMABAD PRIORITY 0306 RUEHBUL/AMEMBASSY KABUL PRIORITY 0575 RUEHKH/AMEMBASSY KHARTOUM PRIORITY 0146 RUEHLI/AMEMBASSY LISBON PRIORITY 0384 RUEHLO/AMEMBASSY LONDON PRIORITY 0180 RUEHMD/AMEMBASSY MADRID PRIORITY 0606 RUEHMO/AMEMBASSY MOSCOW PRIORITY 5676 RUEHFR/AMEMBASSY PARIS PRIORITY 0280 RUEHPG/AMEMBASSY PRAGUE PRIORITY 3943 RUEHTC/AMEMBASSY THE HAGUE PRIORITY 0885 RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK PRIORITY 0386
S E C R E T SECTION 01 OF 03 USNATO 000282
SIPDIS
NOFORN
SIPDIS
E.O. 12958: DECL: 05/01/2017
TAGS: NATO PREL AF
SUBJECT: NORTH ATLANTIC COUNCIL READOUT MAY 2, 2007
Classified By: A/DCM Ian Kelly for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d)
S E C R E T SECTION 01 OF 03 USNATO 000282
SIPDIS
NOFORN
SIPDIS
E.O. 12958: DECL: 05/01/2017
TAGS: NATO PREL AF
SUBJECT: NORTH ATLANTIC COUNCIL READOUT MAY 2, 2007
Classified By: A/DCM Ian Kelly for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d)
1. (S) SUMMARY:
-- Afghanistan: Allegations of civilian deaths near Herat
seized PermReps, attention as the U.S. and Spain push for
NATO to develop a response to such allegations. SHAPE
focused attention on increased enemy suicide attacks and the
need to counter increasing IED attacks, including through
better training and HQ staffing, as well as the heightened
enemy interest and build-up in Kabul and environs.
Ambassador Nuland urged Allies to focus greater effort on
countering IEDs, to do more to train Afghan forces, and to
follow U.S. leadership in staffing HQ ISAF. Portuguese Quick
Reaction Force (QRF) to deploy to RC-S later in May.
-- Kosovo: Deputy Secretary General (D/SYG) Minuto-Rizzo
called for continued Alliance unity and noted that last
week,s UNSC visit to Kosovo was successful due to KFOR,s
logistical support and vigilance. D/SYG informed NAC that
SYG will hold a Balkans discussion with PermReps sometime
after May 8.
-- Iraq: Spain announced contribution of 400K euros for NTM-I.
-- AOB: Pakistan and NATO Office of Resources: D/SYG told
PermReps that SYG will ask Senior Resource Board (SRB) for
advice on eligibility of Pakistani military officers for
financial support for NATO training. The NATO Office of
Resources stands up on May 1.
END SUMMARY.
Afghanistan
--------------
2. (S) D/SYG Minuto-Rizzo, chairing, said that following
Ambassadors, post-Oslo discussions earlier this week, it
appeared key themes emerging from the Ministerial meeting on
Afghanistan are: delivering on NATO,s comprehensive
approach; enhancing support to the Afghan National Army
(ANA); and advancing strategic engagement with Pakistan. The
D/SYG noted that COMISAF, NATO SCR Everts, UNAMA, the EU, and
U.S. had met with President Karzai, who was forming a
commission to investigate allegations of civilian casualties
during &Coalition8 operations near Herat.
3. (C) Referencing the Herat allegations, Chairman of the
Military Committee (CMC) Henault told the NAC that he had
spoken with SACEUR and COMISAF, and initial indications were
that Coalition special forces elements were involved in the
fight, but that NATO provided resupply and close air support.
The Spanish PermRep called for a statement of regret by
NATO, SHAPE, or ISAF. Ambassador Nuland supported this call,
noting that NATO needed to be prepared in the future to
respond to allegations of civilian casualties within minutes,
as the Taliban was increasingly using civilians as shields.
The standard ISAF response should be similar to U.S. response
times and messaging, which typically regrets any civilian
losses, pledges (and conducts) investigation and outreach to
families, notes the context of military operations, and
highlights the Taliban's tactic of using civilians as human
shields.
4. (S) SHAPE Deputy Chief of Staff for Plans and Policy BG
Porter briefed the NAC on threats, current operations, a
reconstruction success, and Afghan security force training.
BG Porter said that although Opposing Militant Forces (OMF)
are not capable of large scale activity, they have increased
their op tempo this spring; there were 50% more suicide
attacks in March than February 2007, and a 100% increase in
attacks (20 to 40) over the comparable period in 2006. BG
Porter expected more activity in mid-May, following the poppy
harvest. Though OMF efforts remain focused on RC-South,
USNATO 00000282 002 OF 003
Porter briefed that intelligence reporting had picked up
signs of an OMF build-up in and around Kabul province, with
Logar province as a key base. BG Porter stated that
Operation Achilles would wind down in mid-May and be replaced
by Operation Adalat (&Justice8),which would focus on
northern Kandahar province. The Portuguese QRF company in
RC-Capital would go south for this operation, he said. ISAF
efforts in the Sangin valley enabling work on the Kajaki Dam
to go forward were great examples for future work, BG Porter
cited, adding that 100,000 euros of the ISAF Post-Operations
Humanitarian Relief Fund had been disbursed in the area. He
urged nations to fill NATO,s embedded training team (OMLT)
obligations, and pointed to a May 16 brief to the NAC by
SHAPE on ANSF training. BG Porter also thanked the U.S. for
recently filling 96 ISAF HQ billets.
5. (C) Both CMC and BG Porter highlighted ISAF counter-IED
shortcomings, of crucial importance as the OMF increasingly
turns to IEDs as a primary means of asymmetrical operations.
Porter stated that in March 2007, of 120 known possible
events, there were 60 detonations (50 of those were
&hits8),ten were turned in, and 50 were found prior to
detonation thanks to help from locals. There had been 69 IED
events from April 1-21, with 14 ISAF KIA. Despite these
concerns, ISAF HQ counter-IED branch billets remained
unfilled, and nations continued to send soldiers to
Afghanistan without crucial IED training (a national
responsibility).
6. (C) During discussion, Ambassador Nuland urged Allies who
could not provide military support to the south to provide
reconstruction aid instead. In advance of upcoming meetings
of NATO CHODs and Defense Ministers, she urged Allies to dig
deep and fill counter-IED billets, provide required OMLT
teams, and fill a crucial looming helicopter shortfall later
this summer. She asked CMC if ISAF is doing enough work on
the IED issue in RC-South and whether ISAF had come across
solid evidence of Iranian EFP (Explosively Formed
Penetrators) weaponry in Afghanistan. (Answer: No
definitive evidence yet or confirmation of use against ISAF,
but recent IED attacks have been effective against both
soft-skin and hard-skin ISAF vehicles.) In response to a
Dutch intervention that strict validation requirements by
CSTC-A (the Coalition Command that oversees the training and
equipping of Afghan forces) were limiting Allies, ability to
fill OMLT requirements and should be reexamined, Ambassador
Nuland urged Allies who wanted to do more but were possibly
daunted by what they perceived as overwhelming CSTC-A
requirements to begin a dialogue at senior levels with the
CSTC-A command.
7. (C) The Czech PermRep thanked ISAF, particularly U.S.
forces, for rescuing the Czech Charge (who had only been
in-country two weeks, when the new Czech embassy was opened)
from an OMF attack on his convoy in Logar. The Spanish
PermRep worried that a permanent Taliban presence was
developing in RC-West, stating that NATO could not allow this
to happen, and highlighting the importance of ANSF training.
(Comment: The current ISAF CJSOR calls for additional ISAF
forces in RC-W, precisely to counter this potential
difficulty. End comment.) The Turkish PermRep told the NAC
that Presidents Karzai and Musharraf had met in Ankara over
the course of April 29 and 30, in a &constructive
atmosphere,8 and he hoped to be able to share a more
thorough readout from Ankara with colleagues soon.
Kosovo
--------------
8. (C) The DSYG called for unity in the Alliance on Kosovo
during this critical period and noted the importance of a
unified NATO for its internal planning and coordination with
the EU. He told the NAC that last week,s visit to Kosovo by
the UN Security Council representatives was a success due in
USNATO 00000282 003 OF 003
large part to KFOR,s logistical support and vigilance. He
informed the Council that the SYG will have a separate
discussion on the Balkans following his May 7-8 trip to
Pakistan. Lastly, he noted that there will be another
meeting of the Contact Group at the Political Directors,
level in London on May 3, with NATO participation. The CMC
provided an operational update from last week,s UNSC visit,
remarking that the Serb-led demonstrations on the
administrative boundary were peaceful and that KFOR increased
its tempo of operations, including patrolling and air
scanning, in support of UNMIK. The Spanish PermRep informed
the NAC that Spain will contribute 300 thousand euros to the
NATO Southeast Europe Trust Fund initiative.
Iraq
--------------
9. (U) The D/SYG noted Ambassador Pardew, the D/ASG for
Operations, is in Tampa representing NATO at the CENTCOM
Coalition Conference for Iraq. Pardew will brief PermReps
upon his return. Spain announced a contribution of 400,000
euros for the NTM-I trust fund.
Terrorism
--------------
10. (U) The UK Deputy PermRep noted the April 30 conclusion
of a UK trial against a terrorist network that was planning
to detonate a fertilizer bomb in a crowded public area. He
said this had been an ongoing investigation since 2003. Five
people were convicted and sentenced to life in prison. He
said this case should serve as a reminder to all of the
reality of the threat that NATO Allies face.
Any Other Business
--------------
11. (U) Pakistan: The DSYG said that, based on PermReps,
April 30 discussion, the SYG will ask NATO,s Senior Resource
Board to provide Council with advice on the eligibility for
financial support of Pakistani officials taking part in
NATO-sponsored training programs. He added his hope that
NATO can show flexibility and come to a conclusion soon on
the transit agreement with Pakistan.
12. (U) NATO Office of Resources: The DSYG announced the
standing up of the NATO Office of Resources as of May 1. The
office will have full operating capability by September. He
said the new office will be responsible for supporting
committees and ensuring best practices are put into place in
terms of operating efficiently and effectively.
NULAND
SIPDIS
NOFORN
SIPDIS
E.O. 12958: DECL: 05/01/2017
TAGS: NATO PREL AF
SUBJECT: NORTH ATLANTIC COUNCIL READOUT MAY 2, 2007
Classified By: A/DCM Ian Kelly for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d)
1. (S) SUMMARY:
-- Afghanistan: Allegations of civilian deaths near Herat
seized PermReps, attention as the U.S. and Spain push for
NATO to develop a response to such allegations. SHAPE
focused attention on increased enemy suicide attacks and the
need to counter increasing IED attacks, including through
better training and HQ staffing, as well as the heightened
enemy interest and build-up in Kabul and environs.
Ambassador Nuland urged Allies to focus greater effort on
countering IEDs, to do more to train Afghan forces, and to
follow U.S. leadership in staffing HQ ISAF. Portuguese Quick
Reaction Force (QRF) to deploy to RC-S later in May.
-- Kosovo: Deputy Secretary General (D/SYG) Minuto-Rizzo
called for continued Alliance unity and noted that last
week,s UNSC visit to Kosovo was successful due to KFOR,s
logistical support and vigilance. D/SYG informed NAC that
SYG will hold a Balkans discussion with PermReps sometime
after May 8.
-- Iraq: Spain announced contribution of 400K euros for NTM-I.
-- AOB: Pakistan and NATO Office of Resources: D/SYG told
PermReps that SYG will ask Senior Resource Board (SRB) for
advice on eligibility of Pakistani military officers for
financial support for NATO training. The NATO Office of
Resources stands up on May 1.
END SUMMARY.
Afghanistan
--------------
2. (S) D/SYG Minuto-Rizzo, chairing, said that following
Ambassadors, post-Oslo discussions earlier this week, it
appeared key themes emerging from the Ministerial meeting on
Afghanistan are: delivering on NATO,s comprehensive
approach; enhancing support to the Afghan National Army
(ANA); and advancing strategic engagement with Pakistan. The
D/SYG noted that COMISAF, NATO SCR Everts, UNAMA, the EU, and
U.S. had met with President Karzai, who was forming a
commission to investigate allegations of civilian casualties
during &Coalition8 operations near Herat.
3. (C) Referencing the Herat allegations, Chairman of the
Military Committee (CMC) Henault told the NAC that he had
spoken with SACEUR and COMISAF, and initial indications were
that Coalition special forces elements were involved in the
fight, but that NATO provided resupply and close air support.
The Spanish PermRep called for a statement of regret by
NATO, SHAPE, or ISAF. Ambassador Nuland supported this call,
noting that NATO needed to be prepared in the future to
respond to allegations of civilian casualties within minutes,
as the Taliban was increasingly using civilians as shields.
The standard ISAF response should be similar to U.S. response
times and messaging, which typically regrets any civilian
losses, pledges (and conducts) investigation and outreach to
families, notes the context of military operations, and
highlights the Taliban's tactic of using civilians as human
shields.
4. (S) SHAPE Deputy Chief of Staff for Plans and Policy BG
Porter briefed the NAC on threats, current operations, a
reconstruction success, and Afghan security force training.
BG Porter said that although Opposing Militant Forces (OMF)
are not capable of large scale activity, they have increased
their op tempo this spring; there were 50% more suicide
attacks in March than February 2007, and a 100% increase in
attacks (20 to 40) over the comparable period in 2006. BG
Porter expected more activity in mid-May, following the poppy
harvest. Though OMF efforts remain focused on RC-South,
USNATO 00000282 002 OF 003
Porter briefed that intelligence reporting had picked up
signs of an OMF build-up in and around Kabul province, with
Logar province as a key base. BG Porter stated that
Operation Achilles would wind down in mid-May and be replaced
by Operation Adalat (&Justice8),which would focus on
northern Kandahar province. The Portuguese QRF company in
RC-Capital would go south for this operation, he said. ISAF
efforts in the Sangin valley enabling work on the Kajaki Dam
to go forward were great examples for future work, BG Porter
cited, adding that 100,000 euros of the ISAF Post-Operations
Humanitarian Relief Fund had been disbursed in the area. He
urged nations to fill NATO,s embedded training team (OMLT)
obligations, and pointed to a May 16 brief to the NAC by
SHAPE on ANSF training. BG Porter also thanked the U.S. for
recently filling 96 ISAF HQ billets.
5. (C) Both CMC and BG Porter highlighted ISAF counter-IED
shortcomings, of crucial importance as the OMF increasingly
turns to IEDs as a primary means of asymmetrical operations.
Porter stated that in March 2007, of 120 known possible
events, there were 60 detonations (50 of those were
&hits8),ten were turned in, and 50 were found prior to
detonation thanks to help from locals. There had been 69 IED
events from April 1-21, with 14 ISAF KIA. Despite these
concerns, ISAF HQ counter-IED branch billets remained
unfilled, and nations continued to send soldiers to
Afghanistan without crucial IED training (a national
responsibility).
6. (C) During discussion, Ambassador Nuland urged Allies who
could not provide military support to the south to provide
reconstruction aid instead. In advance of upcoming meetings
of NATO CHODs and Defense Ministers, she urged Allies to dig
deep and fill counter-IED billets, provide required OMLT
teams, and fill a crucial looming helicopter shortfall later
this summer. She asked CMC if ISAF is doing enough work on
the IED issue in RC-South and whether ISAF had come across
solid evidence of Iranian EFP (Explosively Formed
Penetrators) weaponry in Afghanistan. (Answer: No
definitive evidence yet or confirmation of use against ISAF,
but recent IED attacks have been effective against both
soft-skin and hard-skin ISAF vehicles.) In response to a
Dutch intervention that strict validation requirements by
CSTC-A (the Coalition Command that oversees the training and
equipping of Afghan forces) were limiting Allies, ability to
fill OMLT requirements and should be reexamined, Ambassador
Nuland urged Allies who wanted to do more but were possibly
daunted by what they perceived as overwhelming CSTC-A
requirements to begin a dialogue at senior levels with the
CSTC-A command.
7. (C) The Czech PermRep thanked ISAF, particularly U.S.
forces, for rescuing the Czech Charge (who had only been
in-country two weeks, when the new Czech embassy was opened)
from an OMF attack on his convoy in Logar. The Spanish
PermRep worried that a permanent Taliban presence was
developing in RC-West, stating that NATO could not allow this
to happen, and highlighting the importance of ANSF training.
(Comment: The current ISAF CJSOR calls for additional ISAF
forces in RC-W, precisely to counter this potential
difficulty. End comment.) The Turkish PermRep told the NAC
that Presidents Karzai and Musharraf had met in Ankara over
the course of April 29 and 30, in a &constructive
atmosphere,8 and he hoped to be able to share a more
thorough readout from Ankara with colleagues soon.
Kosovo
--------------
8. (C) The DSYG called for unity in the Alliance on Kosovo
during this critical period and noted the importance of a
unified NATO for its internal planning and coordination with
the EU. He told the NAC that last week,s visit to Kosovo by
the UN Security Council representatives was a success due in
USNATO 00000282 003 OF 003
large part to KFOR,s logistical support and vigilance. He
informed the Council that the SYG will have a separate
discussion on the Balkans following his May 7-8 trip to
Pakistan. Lastly, he noted that there will be another
meeting of the Contact Group at the Political Directors,
level in London on May 3, with NATO participation. The CMC
provided an operational update from last week,s UNSC visit,
remarking that the Serb-led demonstrations on the
administrative boundary were peaceful and that KFOR increased
its tempo of operations, including patrolling and air
scanning, in support of UNMIK. The Spanish PermRep informed
the NAC that Spain will contribute 300 thousand euros to the
NATO Southeast Europe Trust Fund initiative.
Iraq
--------------
9. (U) The D/SYG noted Ambassador Pardew, the D/ASG for
Operations, is in Tampa representing NATO at the CENTCOM
Coalition Conference for Iraq. Pardew will brief PermReps
upon his return. Spain announced a contribution of 400,000
euros for the NTM-I trust fund.
Terrorism
--------------
10. (U) The UK Deputy PermRep noted the April 30 conclusion
of a UK trial against a terrorist network that was planning
to detonate a fertilizer bomb in a crowded public area. He
said this had been an ongoing investigation since 2003. Five
people were convicted and sentenced to life in prison. He
said this case should serve as a reminder to all of the
reality of the threat that NATO Allies face.
Any Other Business
--------------
11. (U) Pakistan: The DSYG said that, based on PermReps,
April 30 discussion, the SYG will ask NATO,s Senior Resource
Board to provide Council with advice on the eligibility for
financial support of Pakistani officials taking part in
NATO-sponsored training programs. He added his hope that
NATO can show flexibility and come to a conclusion soon on
the transit agreement with Pakistan.
12. (U) NATO Office of Resources: The DSYG announced the
standing up of the NATO Office of Resources as of May 1. The
office will have full operating capability by September. He
said the new office will be responsible for supporting
committees and ensuring best practices are put into place in
terms of operating efficiently and effectively.
NULAND