REQUEST FOR IMMEDIATE GUIDANCE ON WITHDRAWAL OF

C O N F I D E N T I A L USNATO 000342 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 05/30/2017 TAGS: NATO PREL MARR QA SUBJECT: REQUEST FOR IMMEDIATE GUIDANCE ON WITHDRAWAL OF NATO PERSONNEL ASSIGNED TO COMBINED AIR OPERATIONS CENTER IN QATAR REF: A. STATE 49737 ¶B. USNATO-EUR/RPM E-MAILS 05/28-05/29-05/30 Classified By: Ambassador Victoria Nuland for reasons 1.4 (b/d) ¶1. (U) Please see request for guidance by OOB Friday in para ¶3. ¶2. (C) NATO D/ASG Bob Simmons concluded two days of talks with Qatari BG Abdullah Juman Al-Hamad May 30 on the status of NATO personnel assigned to the Combined Air Operations Center (CAOC) at Qatar's Al-Udeid Airbase. Key issues remain unresolved. Abdullah indicated that he would report back to Simmons shortly on a possible extension, but for now Qatar's June 4 deadline for the withdrawing the NATO personnel remains in place. NATO's International Military Staff are prepared to withdraw the personnel from the ISAF Detachment Center CAOC (IDCC) within roughly 48 hours of a decision to pull out. ¶3. (C) REQUEST FOR GUIDANCE: Unless instructed otherwise by opening of business Friday, June 1, USNATO will be prepared to join consensus to withdraw NATO personnel from the CAOC if Qatar has not extended the June 4 deadline. In doing so, we would encourage NATO to withdraw in as amicable a manner as possible so as to maintain normal NATO-Qatar relations on non-IDCC issues. NATO CAOC functions would transfor to HQ ISAF in Afghanistan. Alternatively, we would join consensus to accept a Qatari extension of the negotiating deadline, should Doha offer it. NULAND