Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
07USNATO522
2007-09-21 16:26:00
CONFIDENTIAL
Mission USNATO
Cable title:  

NATO PERMREPS' SEPTEMBER 18 AWAY DAY

Tags:  PREL MARR NATO 
pdf how-to read a cable
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INFO RUEHZG/NATO EU COLLECTIVE IMMEDIATE
RUEHMO/AMEMBASSY MOSCOW IMMEDIATE 5758
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C O N F I D E N T I A L USNATO 000522 

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 09/19/2017
TAGS: PREL MARR NATO
SUBJECT: NATO PERMREPS' SEPTEMBER 18 AWAY DAY

Classified By: Ambassador Victoria Nuland for reasons 1.4 (b/d)

C O N F I D E N T I A L USNATO 000522

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 09/19/2017
TAGS: PREL MARR NATO
SUBJECT: NATO PERMREPS' SEPTEMBER 18 AWAY DAY

Classified By: Ambassador Victoria Nuland for reasons 1.4 (b/d)


1. (C) Summary: NATO PermReps and the Secretary General (SYG)
brainstormed about goals for the April 2008 NATO Summit in
Bucharest and NATO headquarters reform at an all-day offsite
on September 18. PermReps expressed no objection to the idea
of a missile defense deliverable at Bucharest, although some
Allies called for pairing missile defense with a renewed NATO
focus on arms control. Most new Allies declared a readiness
to invite all three countries in the Membership Action Plan
(MAP) to join NATO in 2008, with many others signaling
support for a "regional approach" if performance warrants.
Perm Reps generally favored the SYG's proposed timeline to
begin work in 2009 on a new NATO Strategic Concept. While
most Allies supported a vision of Bucharest consistent with
ours, a small core of nations (Germany, Greece, Spain, the
Netherlands, and Luxembourg) clearly signaled a minimal level
of ambition on various subjects. France was notably not
among them. End Summary.


2. (C) NATO PermReps gathered September 18 with the SYG for a
full-day of consultation on the agenda for the 2008 Bucharest
Summit, NATO reform, and management challenges.

Proposals for Bucharest 2008
--------------

3. (C) The SYG proposed three baskets of issues that are
largely in line with U.S. thinking:

A) &NATO Serving Global Security8 (Including current
operations in Afghanistan, possible development of a future
NATO-Afghan relationship resembling PfP, and Global
Partnerships).

B) &Enlargement and Integration8 (Including possible
invitations for the countries in MAP, and a possible move for
Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, and Serbia from PfP to
Intensified Dialogue, plus MAP for Georgia).

C) &Capabilities8 (Focusing on what the SYG described as
&21st Century security tools8 such as cyber defense,
missile defense and energy security).


4. (C) Regarding events to be held at the Summit itself, the
SYG suggested the Summit not include a meeting of the
Euro-Atlantic Partnership Council (EAPC),Mediterranean
Dialogue, or Istanbul Cooperation Initiative (ICI). No
PermRep objected, although the French PermRep said his

authorities might want some participation of Mediterranean
countries.


5. (C) The SYG proposed opening the Summit with a 1 1 dinner.
The following day would commence with a formal meeting of
the NAC to take enlargement decisions and a "26 n" meeting on
Afghanistan. A NATO Ukraine Commission meeting, and finally
a meeting of the NATO-Russia Council should also be
considered.

Enlargement
--------------

6. (C) The PermReps, discussion on enlargement showed
growing support for membership for the three MAP countries in

2008. Countries thinking admission for all three is likely
included: Belgium (whose PermRep said he would try to
convince his next government this was the right outcome),
Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Italy,
Norway, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, and the UK.
Turkey and France also made positive noises, though they were
non-committal. Greece was alone in suggesting that none of
the three might be ready. The Czech Republic, Hungary, Italy,
and Norway also all supported Intensified Dialogue for Bosnia
and Herzegovina, Montenegro and Serbia in 2008. There was no
evidence of movement on the issue of MAP for Georgia, with
the issue split along previous lines.

Missile Defense
--------------

7. (C) Without defining the specifics, both Ambassador Nuland
and the SYG said missile defense must be a deliverable at the
2008 summit. None of the PermReps objected to this, though
Belgium, Germany, Norway, Iceland, and Spain said the issue
of missile defense needs to be paired with a visible NATO
commitment to arms-control. Ambassador Nuland questioned
what, concretely, those Allies were seeking on arms control,
noting most arms control issues are handled in other fora.
She left the door open to further discussion of where NATO
could add value but rejected an explicit linkage to moving
forward with missile defense. The Czechs, Dutch and Danes
expressed themselves happy to consider an arms-control
context for missile defense, but said such a component is not
essential, and should not hinder progress. (Meanwhile
Germany is shopping a paper to some Allies calling for the
Bucharest communique to say that MD makes sense in a
framework where NATO energizes global non-proliferation (like
NPT, PSI and MTCR),talks nuclear posture in the NRC,
develops new CSBMs to bolster the CFE process, and more
vocally encourages the ongoing strategic and conventional
arms control agenda.)

New Strategic Concept
--------------

8. (C) The SYG expressed his view that a new Strategic
Concept for NATO would be a very considerable undertaking for
the United States at a time when it would be changing
Administrations. He suggested tasking a new Strategic
Concept at the 2009 German summit for adoption in 2010.
France, Spain, Germany, Belgium, Portugal and the Czech
Republic supported a tasking in 2009. Belgium and the Czech
Republic made the argument that this timeline would allow the
process to take place at the same time as the EU,s own
revised security strategy. Denmark and Poland were flexible
and Canada, Germany, Norway, and Turkey were non-committal.
Slovenia alone called for a 2008 tasking with work completed
by 2009.

Headquarters Reform
--------------

9. (C) PermReps reacted strongly to the 1.5 million Euro cost
estimate in the SYG,s proposal to collocate the IS and IMS
as part of headquarters reform (outlined in two papers
distributed by the SYG prior to the meeting). Most thought
the co-location of the IS and IMS would be welcome, but the
only affordable way forward would be for the budget-neutral
&virtual collocation8 option also offered by the SYG.
Ambassador Nuland and UK PermRep questioned the cost estimate
to collocate the staff, asking whether collocation could not
be achieved for far less money.


10. (C) Most of the PermReps were in favor of the SYG,s
reform proposals, suggesting he could implement his proposals
under his existing authority. The Secretary General asked
that PermReps keep this instruction in mind in the future and
refrain from impeding reform every time one of their
national's employment prospects is imperiled by this
restructuring.

NATO Budget
--------------


11. (C) Many PermReps stressed the importance of zero real
growth in the budget. Ambassador Nuland made the case to
look again at the elements of the science budget. Many
PermReps seemed surprised when she mentioned that 20 percent
of the science budget goes to Russia.

Revival of the Group of Deputies
--------------

12. (C) PermReps generally agreed with the proposal to
re-launch the Group of Deputies (a gathering of Deputy
PermReps chaired by the Deputy SYG to enhance strategic
planning). Bulgaria, France, Germany, and Spain all
expressed reservations, but said they would not block
consensus. All agreed that the Group would not do the work
of the Senior Political Committee, nor would it take
decisions more appropriate for consideration by the NAC.
Instead the Group of Deputies would focus on planning the
NAC,s work, time management and pushing issues out of
committees and up for decision by the NAC.
NULAND