NORTH ATLANTIC COUNCIL READOUT MAY 30 2007

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 05 USNATO 000348 SIPDIS NOFORN SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 05/30/2017 TAGS: NATO PREL AF SUBJECT: NORTH ATLANTIC COUNCIL READOUT MAY 30 2007 REF: SECSTATE 73696 Classified By: DCM Richard G. Olson for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d) ¶1. (C) SUMMARY: -- Afghanistan: The Deputy Chairman of the Military Committee (D/CMC) reported that Operation &Adalat8 in northern Kandahar has been delayed and that the Theater Task Force has been redeployed to Operation Achilles to maintain security in the Sangin area. Ambassador Nuland pointed out this was a consequence of continued troop shortfalls in RC-S; D/CMC concurred. The Spanish PermRep called for a debate on ISAF strategy at the upcoming Defense Ministerial. D/CMC highlighted the recent PRT conference in Kabul and made note of a number of Afghanistan National Police (ANP) issues. -- Balkans: D/CMC provided an update on the security situation. The Turkish PermRep informed the NAC that Turkey had assumed command of Multi-National Task Force South for the next year. -- Somalia: African Union (AU) officially requests NATO airlift support for its mission in Somalia. Several PermReps asked for rapid provision of military advice, with some supporting a quick, positive response to the AU. The French PermRep opposed a NATO role in coordinating airlift, while the German PermRep expressed concerns about the security situation in Somalia and noted that, unlike AMIS, this was not a joint NATO-EU mission. -- Darfur: Ambassador Nuland briefed the NAC on the new U.S. sanctions against Sudan. -- Response to Terrorism: D/CMC reported that a Ukrainian ship is currently deployed in Operation Active Endeavor. Turkish PermRep pointed to instability in Iraq as contributing to terrorist attacks in Turkey and calls for NATO states solidarity in combating terrorism. -- NATO Public Diplomacy Strategy: ASG for PD Jean Fournet briefed the NAC on the PD Division,s strategy for 2007. Ambassador Nuland urged PDD to redouble its efforts to rebrand the Alliance as a global security provider and also encouraged more PD support for operations, especially ISAF. -- CNAD and NC3B Meetings: The Assistant Secretary General (A/SYG) for Defense Investment Peter Flory briefed the NAC on the CNAD Meeting held on 25 April and the NC3B Meeting held on 23 May. -- AOB: The SYG noted on-going negotiations on the status of NATO personnel at the Combined Air Operations Center. The Slovenian PermRep detailed the Proliferation Security Initiative. END SUMMARY. Afghanistan -------------- ¶2. (C) D/CMC LTG Eikenberry stated that PermReps will receive detailed briefings at SHAPE on June 4 on Afghanistan operations and ISAF-OEF coordination. He also said that the decisive phase of Operation Adalat in northern Kandahar province has been delayed until at least June 2 (ground conditions dependent),and that the Theater Task Force (TTF) has been redeployed in support of Operation Achilles, specifically to maintain security in the Sangin area. USNATO 00000348 002 OF 005 ¶3. (C) D/CMC noted the recent PRT conference in Kabul had included representatives from all 25 PRTs, as well as the GoA and the international community. The conference focused on implementing the Afghan National Development Plan, and more specifically on the areas of health, education and agriculture. The Tripartite Commission also met in Kabul, and focused on increasing coordination between Pakistan and Afghanistan along their border. The Pakistan military continues to investigate the incident in Kurram Agency that resulted in the death of an ISAF soldier. D/CMC noted that more than 60,000 Afghan police have been trained to date, and that, over the last year, 320 have been killed in action. He said much of the Afghan populace continues to mistrust the ANP; however, the quality and quantity of the force is increasing. ¶4. (C) The Spanish PermRep suggested the need for a debate on ISAF strategy at the upcoming Defense Ministerial. He urged that the position of UN representative to Afghanistan be strengthened, in part to improve coordination between the international actors, and also called for better coordination between ISAF and OEF. ¶5. (C) Ambassador Nuland noted that the Afghan delegation to the NATO Parliamentary Assembly, in a meeting with U.S. counterparts, was very supportive of the ISAF presence. The Afghans suggested that ISAF carry out more operations in coordination with the ANA, and expressed concern that, rather than staying too long in Afghanistan, ISAF might leave too soon. Ambassador Nuland asked whether the Operation Adalat delay, because the Theater Task Force was still needed for Op Achilles, indicated that insufficient forces are deployed in RC-S. D/CMC said it was clear that increased maneuver forces in RC-S would increase the likelihood of success for Achilles, while also allowing Adalat to proceed. Balkans -------------- ¶6. (C) Kosovo: SYG noted the intense diplomatic activity in the U.N. Security Council on Kosovo. D/CMC provided an update on the security situation in Kosovo, reporting that the frequency of inter-ethnic tensions has decreased, but that COMKFOR continues to review contingency planning. The Turkish PermRep informed the NAC that Turkey has taken command of Multi-National Task Force South for a period of one year. He noted that the Turkish contingent would increase its complement of personnel by 300 troops (to 750 total) and assign three additional UH-1 helicopters to MNTF-S. Somalia -------------- ¶7. (C) The SYG noted the AU,s May 22 Note Verbale request to NATO for airlift support for its mission in Somalia (AMISOM). He pointed out that NATO has considerable relevant experience through its support to AMIS over the previous two years, and that no NATO troops would need to be on the ground in Mogadishu in order to carry out this mission. He stressed that NATO needed to act quickly in order to support Burundi troop and equipment movements soon (as requested in the Note Verbale). ¶8. (SBU) D/CMC said the proposed airlift would require minimal resources from the NATO command structure. He suggested as a possible arrangement that the Air Mobility Coordination Center in SHAPE first solicit support from nations, after which air movements could be coordinated USNATO 00000348 003 OF 005 through the NATO liaison team in Addis Ababa. From a military perspective, he said, there would be no need for a new mission order. ¶9. (C) The Danish PermRep called for a &swift, positive8 response to the AU request. The UK and Canada supported the Danish position. The German PermRep expressed concern about the security situation in Somalia, adding that the AU request differs from the AMIS arrangement in that it would not be a joint action with the EU. He said military advice was needed, concluding that Germany was not yet able to commit to this mission. The French PermRep said France has &no objection to allies providing strategic support8 and said that France intends to provide 500,000 euros bilaterally to Burundi to transport all or part of its contingent. He suggested that the AU prefers that assistance be provided directly to troop contributors, rather than thorough AU HQ; therefore, he concluded that any coordinating structure in NATO would ¬ be useful.8 ¶10. (C) The UK PermRep said that despite the lack of clarity in the AU,s request, the need on the ground was &clear and urgent.8 He called for military advice to be provided quickly and be focused solely on the needs of the potential mission, rather than a broad assessment of the situation in Somalia. Ambassador Nuland agreed that the AU,s request was important, and urged PermReps to first seek military advice before prejudging what NATO might coordinate. The SYG pointed out that the Note Verbale was addressed to NATO, not to individual countries, and therefore required a NATO response. He urged military authorities to provide advice rapidly. Darfur -------------- ¶11. (SBU) Ambassador Nuland briefed on new U.S. sanctions against Sudan outlined May 29 by President Bush (reftel). She explained these sanctions were in response to Sudanese intransigence on allowing the AU-UN &hybrid8 force to deploy, as well as Government of Sudan attacks in Darfur and support for the janjaweed militias. She said the U.S. will seek to &multilateralize8 these sanctions in the UNSC, beginning later this week, and that the U.S. would distribute details of the sanctions to delegations. Terrorism -------------- ¶12. (C) D/CMC noted that the Ukrainian ship was fully certified and has been operating under NATO command in Operation Active Endeavor since May 25. The next Russian ship will deploy August 1 for training and certification, and the next Ukrainian ship will deploy in the October-November timeframe. ¶13. (C) The Turkish PermRep thanked the SYG once again for the May 22 statement condemning the terrorist attack in Ankara. He provided further details of the investigation, including alleged PKK links of the suicide bomber. More generally, he stated that terrorists in Turkey were benefiting from instability in Iraq, including in particular the ability to more easily obtain explosives and small arms. He called on NATO states to demonstrate solidarity in fighting terrorism that goes beyond statements made after a terrorist attack; for example, in implementing UNSCRs on combating financial and logistical support for terrorism. Public Diplomacy Strategy -------------- ¶14. (SBU) ASG for PD Jean Fournet briefed the NAC on the PD USNATO 00000348 004 OF 005 Division,s strategy for 2007. Fournet highlighted the division,s three main priorities for 2007: NATO,s mission in Afghanistan, the western Balkans, and Russia. Providing few details, he touched lightly on a number of ongoing programs, including visitor programs (nearly 12,000 visitors to HQ),flagship events at the Riga summit, programs to reach opinion makers in the MedD/ICI and EAPC countries. He also highlighted the division,s trend to move from old technologies to new, moving resources from printed products to on-line, providing media with more video materials (he mentioned a video team in Afghanistan that would emphasize &NATO as a security enabler8),and updating the NATO,s internet website to carry more video streaming. ¶15. (SBU) A lively discussion followed, with 20 PermReps intervening. Most thanked Fournet for his 4 years of service (he leaves in Sept.),and supported the division,s move from old media to new. The Polish and Hungarian PermReps called for making Ukraine a higher priority in the strategy. Several PermReps, (Lithuania, The Netherlands, Canada, UK), called for PDD to come up with an action plan to provide NATO and ISAF with a strategic communications capability. PermReps from Belgium, Lithuania, and Portugal chided PDD for not doing enough with NATO,s main NGO partners, the Atlantic Treaty Associations (ATA) in alliance states. The Netherlands PermRep, supported by several other ambassadors, also questioned the focus of efforts in non-Alliance states, rather than in NATO countries themselves, saying that, &...survival of our Alliance depends not on what Omanis and Algerians think, but on what our own publics think.8 ¶16. (SBU) In her intervention, Ambassador Nuland thanked Fournet for putting NATO,s public diplomacy priorities on a better track, but added that PDD must redouble its efforts to rebrand the Alliance as a global security provider and to bring NATO issues &from the summit table to the kitchen table.8 She also stressed increased support for operations, especially ISAF, and urged PDD to provide a funding plan for a strategic communications effort, particularly a satellite uplink capability, a more interactive, real-time website, and a 24/7 Media Ops Center. She agreed that HQ should do more with ATAs and their youth branches (YATA). Finally, she called on PDD to be more transparent with nations on its budget plans, and called for a top-to-bottom review of PDD,s budget to ensure that its programs reflected the changing political priorities of the Alliance. CNAD and NC3B Meetings -------------- ¶17. (SBU) Assistant Secretary General Peter Flory briefed the NAC on the outcome of recent meetings of the Conference of National Armaments Directors (CNAD) and the NATO Consultation, Command and Control Board (NC3B). He highlighted principal focus areas of both committees, including their contributions to NATO military operations, particularly ISAF, and their support for military transformation through Defense Against Terrorism (DAT) initiatives and the development of a NATO Network Enabled Capability (NNEC). Other key CNAD and NC3B work addressed by Flory includes efforts to resolve missile defense technology issues; defense of NATO and national information systems against cyber attack; and key issues of concern to NATO regarding military radio frequency allocations, which will be addressed at the upcoming World Radiocommunication Conference 2007 (WRC-07). Flory urged nations to continue their active involvement in these important CNAD and NC3B activities. AOB USNATO 00000348 005 OF 005 --- ¶18. (C) The SYG noted that DASG Bob Simmons was currently in Qatar to carry out negotiations on the status of NATO personnel at the Combined Air Operations Center. The Slovenian PermRep reported that a Proliferation Security Initiative exercise took place off the coast of Slovenia. In addition to eleven Allies, Bosnia, Croatia and Montenegro participated. OLSON