S E C R E T SECTION 01 OF 03 USNATO 000380

SIPDIS

NOFORN
SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/19/2017
TAGS: NATO PREL AF
SUBJECT: NORTH ATLANTIC COUNCIL READOUT JUNE 20 2007


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


1. (S) SUMMARY:

-- Afghanistan: Deputy Secretary General (D/SYG) Minuto Rizzo
reviewed the June 14-15 Defense Ministerial. Allies
expressed deep concerns over continuing civilian casualties,
including the Spanish PermRep,s insinuation that ISAF,s
targeting policy was not being adhered to. Ambassador Nuland
directly refuted the Spanish position and urged Allies to
stand firm and be proactive in highlighting Taliban
responsibility for putting civilians at risk.

-- Kosovo: D/SYG updated the NAC on developments in the UN
Security Council and Deputy Chairman of the Military
Committee (D/CMC) outlined the status of the additional
reserve forces that COMKFOR can call on as needed.

-- SAC C-17: D/SYG noted that the Strategic Airlift charter
passed silence.

-- Iraq: D/CMC stated that the memo tasking SHAPE to provide
the Autumn Periodic Mission Review (PMR) input by 14
September 2007 was approved by nations on June 18.

-- Darfur: D/SYG noted that the Sudanese government recently
accepted, unconditionally, the AU/UN &hybrid8 force for
Darfur. An official request from the AU is expected in the
next few days requesting that NATO extend its current support
for AMIS.

-- Conventional Armed Forces in Europe Treaty: The Hungarian
PermRep remarked that Russia had turned down a Hungarian CFE
inspection notification. Ambassador Nuland noted the U.S.
would notify Russia of a U.S. and Allied guest CFE inspection
for June 25, the same day the NRC would be meeting in St.
Petersburg.

END SUMMARY.

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

2. (C) D/SYG Minuto-Rizzo chaired the NAC, (the SYG is on a
visit to Canada), and began the meeting by reviewing the June
14-15 Defense Ministerial. While encouraged by positive
pledges of forces, trainers, and capabilities, he reminded
Allies that more needed to be done. He highlighted a
continuing lack of embedded trainers (OMLTs) and the need to
replace the U.S. RC-South helicopter bridging force in

January 2008. On equipping the ANA, he stated that NMAs have
received a revised, prioritized equipment list from the GOA
and CSTC-A, which focused on western, NATO-standard
equipment. He also highlighted the continuing lack of
transport for several current NATO donations to the ANA.


3. (C) D/CMC LTG Eikenberry noted that Allied Command
Transformation and Allied Command Operations are continuing
to look at select aspects of NATO,s long-term training
support to the ANA, in light of a CSTC-A command review
scheduled for November 2007, and the continued unwillingness
of NATO nations to resource short-term training initiatives
that were agreed to in February 2007.


4. (C) IMS AD for Operations, MG Fenton told the NAC during
his operations brief that OMF activity throughout Afghanistan
was consistent with years past for this summer time period,
despite the spikes witnessed recently in Uruzgan. He cited
intelligence reports that indicated large groups of OMF in
RC-West, to include foreign fighters, and stated that their
concern will likely remain on Farah. Operation Adalat in
northern Kandahar remains the main tactical effort in RC-S.
He pointed to the continued success in RC-East of Operation
Maiwan, led by the 203rd ANA Corps, which has also allowed
ISAF to better assess ANSF capabilities.

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5. (C) The ensuing discussion revealed deep concerns among
the PermReps for the near-daily news from theater about
civilian casualties. The Spanish PermRep questioned military
adherence to ISAF,s agreed targeting policy, which among
several considerations notes concern for collateral damage
incommensurate with expected gains, as well as media/public
reaction, (Comment: other consideration includes the
prevention of damage to ISAF forces. End Comment.) When
pressed by Ambassador Nuland for specific examples ) "facts
matter if we are serious about providing advice," she
commented ) the Spaniard refused to discuss specifics,
citing &all of them.8 Noting the effect on domestic public
opinion, as well as strategic risk to the mission should
Afghan support lag, he called for wide-ranging informal
discussions at NATO on civilian casualties, to include an
examination of what constituted "in extremis" support.


6. (C) Ambassador Nuland expressed support for quick
investigations by ISAF of incidents involving alleged
civilian casualties, and quick reporting to the NAC, but drew
a deep line in the sand against the Spanish insinuations.
She said the recent event involving the tragic deaths of
seven children in Paktika was an OEF operation, based on
intelligence and surveillance that indicated the presence of
a high-value target, and that subsequent investigation showed
the Taliban had forcefully kept civilians as human shields.
This is the type of enemy we confront, she noted. She urged
Heads of State and Government and ministers to engage publics
by explaining ISAF,s mission and the tactics of the enemy.
The Ambassador also reinforced SecDef Gates' ministerial
message following the decision to extend the U.S. helicopter
bridging force in RC-South for another six months: Allies
needed to dig deep to come up with replacements when U.S.
helos leave in January 2008. She foreshadowed that in the
run-up to the October 2007 Defense Ministerial we would ask
the Alliance to take a look at a more systemic approach to
the Alliance,s chronic helicopter shortfall in Afghanistan.


7. (C) The UK strongly supported Ambassador Nuland,s
intervention on ISAF, and defended the OEF mandate, which was
valid, he stated, in countering the endemic terrorist threat
that exists in Afghanistan. He cautioned the Spanish not to
confuse strategy with operational military decision-making.
The Italian ambassador supported Ambassador Nuland,s call
for quick investigations of civilian casualties, noting that
his government was trying to shape public opinion and needed
information to do it. Norway supported the Italians in this
regard, as well as the Spanish in calling for a closer
examination of the nature of "in extremis" support, and
ramifications for ISAF/OEF coordination. He stated that ISAF
needed to be cautious and not lean too far toward "explaining
away" civilian casualties by blaming solely the nature of the
enemy. Germany alluded to the negative effects reports of
civilian casualties could have on October 2007 discussions in
the Bundestag on mandate renewals. The French ambassador
supported the call for quick investigations into incidents
with alleged civilian casualties. He noted that public
opinions don't make a distinction between ISAF and OEF, urged
better risk assessments in mission planning, and defining
better "in extremis" support. When challenged by Ambassador
Nuland, he clarified he was not criticizing OEF planning or
asking for operational oversight by the NAC, but rather
asking for more discussion of ISAF strategy within the NAC.

Kosovo
--------------

8. (C) D/SYG reiterated the ongoing efforts in the United
Nations to reach agreement on a new Security Council
Resolution on Kosovo. He noted the expanded Contact Group
Meeting in Sarajevo at the Deputy Political Directors level.
The D/CMC provided an update on the security situation in
Kosovo saying that the apparent delay in status process may
incite a reaction from the Kosovo Albanians, with the

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potential for violence. He also outlined the status of the
additional reserve forces that COMKFOR can call on as needed.
The German PermRep noted for Council the results of the
EU,s recent meeting of the GAERC saying that Foreign
Ministers expressed their continued support for Ahtisaari and
his proposals serving as the basis for a new resolution.
They stressed the importance of a new resolution as a
precondition for the EU mission to Kosovo and welcomed the
resumption of the Stabilization and Accession talks with
Serbia. He expected the discussion on Kosovo to continue at
the upcoming EU summit in Brussels.

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

9. (C) D/CMC stated that the memo tasking SHAPE to provide
the Autumn Periodic Mission Review (PMR) input by 14
September 2007 was approved by nations on June 18. The
Autumn 07 PMR will include an assessment of progress made in
transitioning NTM-I activity to a mentoring role, an update
of the Resource Development Plan, a status update on the
Gendarmerie-Type Training, and an assessment of the NTM-I
Force Protection.

Darfur
--------------

10. (C) D/SYG Minuto Rizzo noted that the Sudanese government
recently accepted, unconditionally, the AU/UN "hybrid" force
for Darfur. The UN will have overall control of the mission.
He added that the UNSC is expected to recommend funding the
mission, and will propose deploying the force without delay.
Separately, the D/SYG said an official request from the AU is
expected in the next few days, requesting that NATO extend
its support for AMIS.

C-17
--------------

11. (C) D/SYG noted that final agreement had been reached on
the language of the NATO Airlift Management Organization
(NAMO) Charter, (SG(2007)0419 passed silence on June 20,
2007). It will be made public upon finalization, allowing
countries to proceed on this Riga commitment. Norway
announced that they will increase their hours from 100 to

400.

CFE
---

12. (S/NF) Hungary's PermRep stated that, in response to
Hungarian notification of a CFE inspection, the Russian
Federation replied that it was "withholding the arrival of
the team," a response Hungary did not think was permitted by
the treaty but which meant, in effect, the inspection would
not happen. Hungary stated the response was similar to the
Russian response to Bulgaria's recent inspection
notification. Ambassador Nuland reported the U.S. would
inform Russia of a U.S. and Allied CFE inspection for June
25, when the NAC would be visiting Russia. She expected the
U.S. might receive a similar reply as Hungary. She also
noted the possibility that Russia could announce a more
formal moratorium on the CFE Treaty while the NAC was in
Russia next week. If that happened, it would be essential
that Allies sent a unified response. The Turkish PermRep
expressed that a CFE Treaty without the Flank regime, if that
is what Russia is seeking, would be unimaginable to Turkey.
The French PermRep suggested a continued discussion over this
topic, in another forum, later in the week. The D/SYG noted
that the planned call between the SYG and FM Lavrov had not
yet happened.

NULAND