NORTH ATLANTIC COUNCIL READOUT MAY 16, 2007

S E C R E T SECTION 01 OF 04 USNATO 000309

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NOFORN
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E.O. 12958: DECL: 05/15/2017
TAGS: NATO PREL AF
SUBJECT: NORTH ATLANTIC COUNCIL READOUT MAY 16, 2007


Classified By: DCM Richard G. Olson for Reasons 1.4 (b) and (d)


1. (S) SUMMARY:

-- Kosovo: During the NAC, the Turks forcefully drew a line
in the sand, linking acceptance of the Transition Directive
to acceptable language on NATO/EU relations and to the
submission of the Technical Arrangements for NAC approval.

-- Afghanistan: Deputy Chairman of the Military Committee
(D/CMC) LTG Eikenberry provided a readout of the May 9-10
CHODs meeting.

-- Afghanistan: In a separate meeting in ISAF Troop
Contributors format, Deputy SACEUR (D/SACEUR) Reith laid out
current NATO efforts on Afghan National Army (ANA) training
and equipping and the need for NATO to do more, particularly
with embedded trainers Operational Mentoring and Liaison
Teams(OMLTs). Canada intends to deploy six OMLTs to Kandahar
soon, Poland will send two teams, and Latvia will send one.
Spain is talking with Iran about Explosively Formed
Penetrator (EFP) weaponry found in RC-West.

-- Iraq: SYG noted that the Military Committee had endorsed
the Gendarmerie training plan, while the Italian Deputy
PermRep confirmed his nation's taking the lead role for the
gendarmerie training mission.

--CMX-08: UK expresses concern about objections to
participation of international organizations in CMX-08, and
observed the negative implications of these objections on
comprehensive approach.

Note: The May 16 NAC began with an exchange of views on the
spring 2007 assessment of Georgia,s IPAP with Minister of
Foreign Affairs Bezhuashvili, State Minister for European and
Euro-Atlantic Integration Baramidze, and Minister of Defense
Kezerashvili. Reporting on this session to follow septel.
End note.

END SUMMARY.

Balkans: Kosovo
--------------

2. (C) The Secretary General (SYG) updated Council on
proposed changes to the SHAPE input to the Strategic
Transition Directive for NATO-KFOR, which came about as a
result of bilateral negotiations with the Turkish delegation.
The proposals were designed to address Turkish concerns
regarding language on NATO cooperation with other
international actors, particularly the EU,s ESDP mission in
Kosovo during the 120-day transition period following the
passage of a new UNSCR. According to the SYG, while two of
the three proposed changes were acceptable to SACEUR, the
latter had reservations about a Turkish-offered change
regarding limiting cooperation with the international
community to &in-theater and at the staff level8 in
relation to the new Kosovo Security Force. The SYG said that
if resolution could not be reached, he intended to call for
another meeting of PermReps later the same day.


3. (C) The Turkish PermRep explained that the proposed
changes were currently being considered in Ankara at the
inter-agency level and that he hoped to have guidance on the
way forward as a result. He then used his intervention to
formally express Turkey's frustrations with the EU, as

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outlined in previous forums, saying that cooperation between
NATO and the EU must be under the Agreed Framework. He again
drew on the argument that the ESDP mission would benefit from
KFOR,s security operations and therefore, the Agreed
Framework should apply, specifically referring to the
&strategic cooperation8 aspects.


4. (C) During the course of further discussion, the Turkish
PermRep repeatedly took issue with the SYG's circulation of
the Technical Arrangements (TAs) on Kosovo &for
information8, insisting that they needed to be considered
for approval by the NAC. The SYG, despite an attempt to
separate the discussion of the TAs from the Transition
Directive, defended his actions, saying that he felt
obligated to distribute the TAs for Alliance members,
information. He stated that he stood by his decision, unless
told otherwise by the Council as a whole. The UK, U.S.,
Germany, and the Czech Republic voiced support for the SYG,s
way forward on both the Transition Directive and the
Technical Arrangements. The UK PermRep said that the urgency
of the situation demands that we fulfill our responsibility
to our troops in the field. Following several sharp and
tense exchanges over the SYG's responsibility and the
importance of consensus, the Turkish PermRep finally declared
that he saw no sense in holding a meeting later the same day,
since it would be impossible to have a constructive
discussion on the Transition Directive if the TAs were not to
be circulated for Allies, consultation and approval. (Note:
The SYG did not hold another meeting on the issue May 16. End
note.)

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

5. (C) SYG de Hoop Scheffer highlighted developments in
Kabul over the political fate of Afghan FM Spanta. D/CMC
Eikenberry gave the NAC a readout of the recent CHODs,
meeting in Brussels. Many CHODs had concerns about the
security situation in Afghanistan, and noted that operational
success is closely linked with good coordination between ISAF
and OEF. A number of CHODs recognized the need to follow
military engagements with Quick Impact Projects and other
rapid assistance. CHODs recognized a need for a more robust
and coherent NATO effort on training the Afghan National
Security Forces (ANSF),expressed concern about NATO,s
inability to fulfill its commitment to provide adequate
numbers of embedded trainers (OMLTs),and discussed the
possibility of easing OMLT requirements, such as more
flexibility in tasks pursued, or regionalizing commitments.
The Dutch PermRep welcomed the potential adjustments to OMLT
requirements (Comment: the Dutch have long grumbled about
CSTC-A OMLT certification requirements they allege discourage
interest because they are too cumbersome and complex. End
comment.) In response to a question from the SYG, D/CMC
Eikenberry briefly described the 14 May incident in Pakistan,
emphasizing that the shooting is still under investigation.


6. (C) In a second NAC the same day, held in expanded format
with the 11 non-NATO ISAF contributors, D/SACEUR Reith
briefed on NATO,s unfulfilled commitment to field 46
embedded trainer Operational Mentor Liaison Teams (OMLT) and
initiatives SHAPE was pursuing to rectify this, other
unfulfilled short term NATO training commitments, longer-term
training possibilities, and the status of NATO,s
longstanding equipment support to the ANA.


7. (C) General Reith stated that SACEUR,s highest ANA

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support priority is fielding all 46 OMLTs that NATO committed
to provide in the short term (only 20 have been provided).
Over time, as the ANA grows, NATO has committed to provide a
total of 103 OMLTs. He reiterated that each OMLT that NATO
provides enables a U.S. embedded training unit to move over
to training Afghan police, a key need in improving the
overall security picture in Afghanistan. He thanked Canada
for announcing at the May 9 CHODs meeting it would soon field
six OMLTs in Kandahar, and the Poles (two teams) and Latvians
(one team),but said NATO needed to do more. OMLTs are
essential to building the type of competent Afghan security
forces that will enable NATO,s military objectives to be
met, he asserted. Reith detailed initiatives SHAPE has been
pursuing to make deployment of OMLTs feasible to more Allies,
including forming multinational OMLTs (which has proven
successful in RC-N at the Corps and Brigade level, but should
not be extended to kandaks and below); regionalizing the
effort by asking &lead nations8 to assist with force
generation and logistical support to smaller Allies;
exploring options for greater common funding of combat
information support and other technology; and increasing
awareness of the OMLT program,s requirements and goals.


8. (C) D/SACEUR reminded Allies that in February 2007, the
NAC had approved short-term training support initiatives for
the ANA, which beyond revalidating the OMLT commitment,
included filling staff billets within the CSTC-A command and
engaging in mobile in-theater niche training, but that no
Allies had come forward with offers. Military advice on
possible longer-term training initiatives would be
forthcoming in advance of the June Defense Ministers,
meeting, he said, to include setting up branch schools,
mentoring existing ANA institutions, and establishing a
train-and-equip directorate within ISAF HQ Kabul, but
pursuing grander objectives made little sense when NATO could
not even fulfill its short term goals.


9. (C) On equipment support, D/SACEUR briefed that CSTC-A
and the Afghan MOD were in the process of revising previous
equipment lists, which will shift equipment needs away from
Soviet-era weaponry toward NATO-standard equipment, and that
list will be provided to NATO once finalized. Training and
maintenance package offers associated with equipment will
also be essential for nations to provide in the future.
Hungarian and Slovenian small arms and ammunition have been
delivered to Afghanistan, as well as 24 Turkish howitzers,
but several other pending donations continue to lack
transport. NATO,s transportation trust fund has 400,000
euros (Denmark, UK, and Luxembourg),but the total cost to
move all pending donations is 4.7 million euros.


10. (C) Ambassador Nuland urged Allies to dig deep to
provide needed OMLTs and equipment. One infantry company
could produce six to ten OMLTs; ten OMLTs provided a return
on investment far beyond their size. Each trained and
equipped Afghan meant one less soldier that NATO had to
deploy. She encouraged Allies to think creatively, and talk
over options with CSTC-A, rather than to rule anything out
preemptively. The Canadian PermRep stated that the six
Canadian OMLTs would deploy within a month, and would work
with the 1st Brigade of the 205 Corps in Kandahar. The UK
supported Ambassador Nuland,s intervention, and asked for
SHAPE to clarify the role and responsibilities of a &lead
nation8 as part of SHAPE thought processes on regionalizing
OMLTs. Croatia and Norway indicated plans to examine
providing more OMLTs, while France detailed past ANA training

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efforts, but remained non-committal on future intentions.


11. (S) In response to a quick side brief by D/CMC that
noted similarities between Iranian-supplied EFP weapons in
Iraq and some found in RC-West, the Spanish PermRep informed
the NAC that Spain was already talking to Iran about this.

Iraq
--------------

12. (SBU) The SYG noted that the Military Committee has
endorsed the Gendarmerie training plan for Iraq in MCM
0062-2007. He further stated that this plan meets the needs
of the Iraqis. He will seek NAC approval by issuing the NMA
advice under silence within the next few days. The Italian
Deputy PermRep confirmed Italy's readiness to assume the role
of lead nation for the Gendarmerie training mission, stating
that this falls in line with Italy's high level of commitment
to NTM-I. He noted that Italy currently runs three of the
four NTM-I courses in-country, and that with the addition of
41 Carabinieri trainers, the total Italian NTM-I force, which
is caveat-free, will be 121 personnel.

AOB - CMX-08
--------------

13. (C) The UK PermRep expressed concern about objections to
the participation of International Organizations in the
planning and conduct of CMX-08. He stated that this also
negatively affects efforts on comprehensive approach. If the
SPC-R (meeting on May 21) cannot resolve the issue, he
suggested it be taken up by PermReps. The SYG noted that he
shares this concern and hopes a way forward can be reached.

NULAND