NORTH ATLANTIC COUNCIL READOUT JANUARY 17, 2007

S E C R E T SECTION 01 OF 04 USNATO 000029 SIPDIS NOFORN SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/17/2017 TAGS: NATO PREL AF SUBJECT: NORTH ATLANTIC COUNCIL READOUT JANUARY 17, 2007 Classified By: DCM Richard G. Olson for Reasons 1.4 (b) and (d) ¶1. (S) SUMMARY: -- Afghanistan: The NAC agreed to invite UN, EU, World Bank, Japan, and South Korea to January 26 Foreign Ministerial session on Afghanistan with troop contributors and Afghan Foreign Minister Spanta. The SYG will invite Afghan Minister of Defense Wardak to Seville meeting of NATO Defense Ministers. The Chairman of the Military Committee (CMC) detailed the recent heavy fighting on the Pakistan border, highlighting the cooperation of the Pakistani military liaison to ISAF. -- Kosovo: SYG met with Kosovo President Sejdiu on January 15, and reiterated NATO,s commitment to Kosovo and the Ahtisaari-led process. The SYG announced that the Contact Group will meet on January 26, in Vienna. KFOR increases operational tempo in five polling areas ahead of elections. -- UNSYG visit to NATO: UN SYG Ban Ki Moon to visit Brussels January 24; address to NAC or meeting with PermReps under consideration. -- Darfur: NATO awaits clarification of how AU-UN "heavy8 and &hybrid8 packages will be deployed, and how NATO may assist. -- Iraq: Joint JFC-Naples and Italy police training assessment mission underway in Iraq; Hungary to take over MALT leadership in July 2007. -- SACT Briefs NAC: SACT General Smith briefed the NAC on &SACT Key Issues and Priorities for 2007.8 -- NATO Special Committee: The Special Committee's outgoing German Chairman presented the 2006 annual report and the incoming Greek Chairman presented the work program for 2007. -- AOB: U.S. shares Middle East news with NAC as USNATO POLAD hands out January 16 Gulf Cooperation Council-Plus-Two Ministerial joint statement. End Summary. Afghanistan -------------- ¶2. (C) SYG de Hoop Scheffer sought NAC consensus to invite representatives from the UN, EU, World Bank, Japan, and South Korea to a Ministerial meeting with ISAF non-NATO troop contributors and Afghan FM Spanta on January 26. France, on instructions, did not object to inviting Japan or the ROK, but noted that given the participation of international organizations and nations not in ISAF, the meeting could neither be labeled an ad hoc partners meeting (&26 N8), as defined at Riga, nor an ISAF meeting. France proposed calling the meeting simply &A Meeting on Afghanistan.8 Ambassador Nuland thanked France for the decision, expressed some bafflement at the theological underpinnings of the French intervention, and suggested &NAC plus Partners and Partner Organizations8 as an alternative. The SYG said he would issue invitations, and find an acceptable title. PermReps also agreed to invite Afghan MOD Wardak to the Seville informal Defense Ministerial; the SYG will issue an invitation shortly. ¶3. (C) The SYG told PermReps he was looking forward to a report from NMAs on last week's Tripartite Commission (TPC) meeting, a &crucial forum for high-level military-military relations and confidence building.8 He noted his &useful discussion8 January 15 with SecDef Gates. He thanked Iceland for its work in enabling the handover of operations at Kabul airport to the Afghan government, including the stationing of Icelandic advisors since February 2006. He USNATO 00000029 002 OF 004 told Council that both SCR Everts and General Craddock would attend the PermReps, coffee on January 23. In response to a Belgian question on Afghan refugees in Pakistan later in the meeting, the SYG noted that a NATO-Pakistan political dialogue should discuss such topics, and proposed returning to the idea of establishing this dialogue at a later date. ¶4. (C) CMC Henault told the NAC that, while ISAF had initially discovered the cross-border movement of a large body of enemy fighters into Paktika province from Pakistan on January 10, the ISAF ground and air operation that killed an estimated 150 fighters was coordinated from start to finish with the Pakistani military liaison to ISAF. While noting that the end result was a positive one, Henault observed this operation is further evidence that enemy operations are emanating from Pakistan, and that the enemy views the border area as a sanctuary. Henault also noted good progress by ISAF in Kandahar repatriating internally displaced persons after Operation Medusa. IMS AD for OPS Fenton told the NAC that NATO had filled 20 of 46 Operational Mentor Liaison Teams, (OMLTs),and urged nations to fill remaining shortfalls. ¶5. (C) Ambassador Nuland asked NMAs for military thinking on options to address the PAK-AFG border challenges, and to include a stocktaking report on progress thus far that NATO has made in its equipment support to the ANA. She briefed elements of Secretary of Defense Gates, travel to Afghanistan, noting she hoped to be able to provide a more detailed briefing the following week. Italian Ambassador Moreno relayed that during the recent visit of Italian MFA Under Secretary Vernetti to Kabul, he had found President Karzai &relaxed, optimistic, and confident,8 and that Karzai had agreed to a judicial reform and rule of law conference in Rome in April, co-sponsored by Italy, Afghanistan, and the UN, with the active participation of the EU. Moreno said that Karzai would be in Europe in mid-February, and suggested inviting him to the NAC. Belgium and Spain asked if the TPC had discussed Pakistani proposals to mine the border, of particular relevance given the upcoming January 30 meeting of Pakistani PM Aziz with the NAC. Norway criticized an ISAF press release following the January 10 Paktika operation that contained body counts of enemy fighters killed. Both Ambassador Nuland and CMC Henault pushed back hard, noting that ISAF needed to stay ahead of the Taliban in PD efforts, and that Allies and Afghans needed to know about ISAF successes. Kosovo -------------- ¶6. (SBU) The SYG reported on his meeting with Kosovo President Fatmir Sejdiu on 15 January. He reiterated NATO,s undiminished commitment to Kosovo and support for the Ahtisaari-led process. The SYG told Sejdiu that Pristina,s leadership needed to continue to act with restraint and moderation during the upcoming Serbian election period and conclusion of the status process. President Sejdiu insisted on full independence as the only acceptable outcome for regional stability and stressed the need for guarantees on Kosovo,s territorial integrity. The SYG informed the NAC that technical discussions between NATO and the EU are continuing, following the most recent meeting held on 11 January, and that the NAC will continue to receive updates. He announced that the Contact Group will meet on 26 January in Vienna, at which time Ahtisaari will share his status resolution proposal. ¶7. (C) CMC briefed the NAC on KFOR operations in the run up to the Serbian elections on 21 January. He said that KFOR has increased its operational tempo in five polling areas, including the Mitrovica area, to gain situational awareness, deter violence, and remain ready to support UNMIK and the Kosovo police. During the elections, KFOR will work to ensure freedom of movement and prevent any violent reaction USNATO 00000029 003 OF 004 following the elections. Lastly, the SYG expressed his hope for discussions on Kosovo during the joint NATO-EU Transatlantic lunch to be held on 26 January. Darfur -------------- ¶8. (SBU) The SYG noted the upcoming AU summit will address the AU-UN &hybrid8 option, which may have relevance for future NATO involvement in Darfur. He expressed concern that the Sudanese may link support for the &hybrid8 force to Sudan's candidacy for the AU Chairmanship. The SYG said he would discuss the issue of NATO support today by telephone with UNSYG Ban Ki Moon. ¶9. (SBU) CMC Henault noted part of the UN &light8 force was now in Darfur, but increasing force levels was contingent on locating accommodations. He noted that NATO had provided more than 100 flights lifting 17,000 troops from 8 countries. The CMC mentioned a delay in airlifting of Rwandan soldiers, allegedly because of delays on the part of the U.S.; Ambassador Nuland said we would seek clarification. ¶10. (SBU) The SYG said UNSYG Ban Ki Moon will be in Brussels January 24 and suggested a meeting with PermReps. Ambassador Nuland suggested the UNSYG formally address the NAC, with a fallback of an informal lunch. French Ambassador Duqu said he would need instructions from Paris on this issue. The SYG responded that if France cannot agree to this &normal8 procedure it would create a &new and unique situation.8 Iraq -------------- ¶11. (C) The CMC reported the assessment of police training in Iraq, a joint JFC- Naples and Italy mission, was currently underway in Iraq. The initial report on results of the assessment is due to SHAPE by 31 January. The Hungarian PermRep informed the NAC that Hungary will take over leadership of the MALT from Poland in July 2007. SACT Briefs NAC -------------- ¶12. (SBU) Supreme Allied Commander for Transformation (SACT) General Smith briefed the NAC on &SACT Key Issues and Priorities for 2007,8 outlining the Command,s process for translating political guidance into useful outputs for the Alliance. SACT,s three top priorities are: improving the preparation of Forces; improving Alliance and Partner defense planning, interoperability and capabilities; and utilizing NRF and ISAF as tools for transformation. ¶13. (SBU) In response to several questions on how SACT is supporting Alliance efforts to implement the Comprehensive Approach to operations and missions as outlined at Riga, General Smith noted that it would support the development of pragmatic proposals and has been developing thoughts on the Effects Based Approach to Operations (EBAO). (Note: The French PermRep intervened to state there is no consensus on the EBAO concept as the way forward on Comprehensive Approach.) The General also noted that ACT is already sharing PRT lessons learned and best practices through PRT training courses at Oberammergau. ¶14. (SBU) Ambassador Nuland inquired about how ACT efforts on the NATO Training Initiative are developing. SACT noted the first step will be the training needs assessment, which he will present as soon as possible to the Council. The next step will then be building the capacity in the NATO training schools, and then finally a training center would be established. NATO Special Committee Activities -------------- ¶15. (S) The Special Committee's outgoing German Chairman presented the 2006 annual report and the incoming Greek USNATO 00000029 004 OF 004 Chairman presented the work program for 2007. Both emphasized the need for greater integration with external intelligence services and enhanced cooperation with partner services. To promote the external service interface, the German external intelligence chief presented a Special Committee threat analysis on "Current Developments in the Balkans and Possible Effects on the Security Situation of the Region." All twelve interventions praised the analysis and the incoming Chairman's commitment to provide analysis updates within 30 days of the NAC's request. AOB: U.S. Shares Middle East News with NAC -------------- ¶16. (SBU) U.S. Political Advisor noted that Secretary Rice will share her impressions of her recent trip to the Middle East at the Transatlantic Lunch during the January 26 Informal Ministerial. He also provided the NAC with copies of the January 16 Gulf Cooperation Council-Plus-Two Ministerial joint statement. ¶17. (SBU) Schedule Note: The Chairman of the OSCE plans to address the NAC in May. NULAND