SECOND FRENCH PAPER ON PROPOSALS FOR STRENTHENING

C O N F I D E N T I A L USNATO 000561

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/16/2017
TAGS: NATO PREL EU FR XG XT
SUBJECT: SECOND FRENCH PAPER ON PROPOSALS FOR STRENTHENING
NATO-EU RELATIONS

REF: A. USNATO 506

B. STATE 541

Classified By: DCM Richard Olson, reasons 1.4 (b) and (d)


1. (C) Summary: Norway's deputy PermRep provided USNATO with
a draft of a French paper on improving EU-NATO cooperation
that was circulated at the EU on 1 October. This paper
follows an earlier French paper on NATO-EU relations
presented at NATO and provides more detail on French ideas.
USNATO is informed by USEU that EU PSC Ambassadors were to
discuss this paper on 16 October. The Greek Mission to NATO
informed us that the French had already amended this new
paper to address Greek and Cypriot objections. End Summary.


2. (C) Following is the French paper (in informal
translation).

BEGIN TEXT:

EU/NATO relations: French proposals to improve relations
between EU member states and European Allies who are not
members of the European Union.

1) Proposals for a deepening and broadening the accepted
framework.

-- PSC meetings with non-EU member European Allies, modeled
on the recent 6 September meeting or in any other ad hoc
operational format.

-- Establishment of regular consultations of political
directors with Turkey in Troika format which could also
include directors of strategic affairs, along the model of
the first meeting of this type which took place on 18
September.

-- Participation of non-member European Allied contributors
in discussions leading to the constitution of a contributors
committee, and invitation to the Crisis Management Exercises
(CME) as participants when the scenario includes a possible
contribution on their part. When the scenario does not
include such a possibility, they should be invited as
observers.

-- During exercises, establishment of working consultations
with the PSC and the Secretary General of the Council.

-- PSC consultations with non-member European Allies during
the pre-operational phase, especially when an EU operation is
to be conducted in the proximity of the territory of a
non-member European Ally or in a zone of strategic interest.

-- Ad-hoc contacts with the Secretariat during mission
planning, notably during crisis management review at EU
headquarters.

-- Improving meetings and the effectiveness of the
contributors committee, notably by regular interaction with
the operational commander, and if the case arises, with the
force commander, to permit direct exchange of information at
the high level with non-member European Allies contributing
to an EU operation.

-- Invitation to non-member European Allies to contribute to
the headquarters of an autonomous EU operation.

2) General steps for non-member European Allies to have
better cooperation with ESDP structures and activities.

-- Invitations to non-member European Allies to the SHAPE
Cell at the EU Military Headquarters.

-- Launching joint efforts with Cyprus and Turkey to achieve
a solution to the question of administrative arrangements
between the European Defense Agency and Turkey, and security
agreements between the EU and Turkey on the one hand, and
Cyprus, Malta, and NATO on the other.

-- Launching joint efforts with Cyprus and Turkey to achieve
a solution to the question of administrative arrangements
between the European Defense Agency and Turkey, and security
agreements between the EU and Turkey on the one hand, and
Cyprus, Malta, and NATO on the other.

-- More direct association for non-member European Allies in

activities of Strategic Studies Institutes (development of
partnerships between the European Strategic Studies Institute
and institutes outside of the EU, sharing of work programs
after their adoption and partnering with researchers of
countries not belonging to the EU.

-- Participation in the Mediterranean activities of common
European Security and Defense Policy.

END TEXT


3. (C) Greece's First Secretary at NATO Spiro Lambridis told
USNATO that France's Mission to the EU issued a subsequent
revision to this paper after corridor discussions between EU
diplomats revealed that two points were unacceptable to a
number of delegations; including Greece and Cyprus.

The two deleted points are:

-- Invitations to non-member European Allies to the SHAPE
Cell (NATO Permanent Liaison Team) at the EU Military
Headquarters.

-- Launching joint efforts with Cyprus and Turkey to achieve
a solution to the question of administrative arrangements
between the European Defense Agency and Turkey, and security
agreements between the EU and Turkey on the one hand, and
Cyprus, Malta, and NATO on the other.


4. (C) Lambridis said Greece's EU delegation had objected to
"a French attempt to de-veto Cyprus." He also said the
second point was withdrawn by France because Greece and
Cyprus objected that exercising security agreements
(information) with NATO would be sovereign decisions of
Cyprus and Malta and could not be linked to fixing
administrative arrangements for Turkey at the European
Defense Agency. Lambridis said the rest of the French
proposals were not very new, but they were a good start.


5. (U) USEU will provide further reporting on the PSC
Ambassador's discussion of the French short paper.
NULAND