Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
07USNATO636
2007-12-14 10:48:00
CONFIDENTIAL//NOFORN
Mission USNATO
Cable title:  

NORTH ATLANTIC COUNCIL READOUT - DECEMBER 12, 2007

Tags:  NATO PREL AF 
pdf how-to read a cable
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RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 1479
INFO RUEHZG/NATO EU COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
RUCNOSC/ORG FOR SECURITY CO OP IN EUR COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
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C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 06 USNATO 000636 

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NOFORN
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E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/14/2017
TAGS: NATO PREL AF
SUBJECT: NORTH ATLANTIC COUNCIL READOUT - DECEMBER 12, 2007

REF: USNATO 635

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

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 06 USNATO 000636

SIPDIS

NOFORN
SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/14/2017
TAGS: NATO PREL AF
SUBJECT: NORTH ATLANTIC COUNCIL READOUT - DECEMBER 12, 2007

REF: USNATO 635

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


1. (C/NF) Summary from the NAC Meeting:

-- Afghanistan: Ambassadors congratulated ISAF for excellent
military and media coordination on Operation MAR KARARDAD in
Musa Qala, but expressed concern that follow-up efforts to
hold Musa Qala are implemented across the civil-military
spectrum. Ambassador Nuland briefed Allies on Secretary
Gates' congressional testimony, U.S. redlines on
reconciliation, the Pakmil's effort in the NWFP, and another
successful Afghan-DEA CN law enforcement operation carried
off with support from U.S. ISAF forces in RC-East.

-- Balkans: DSYG Bisogneiro mentioned the unrest in Gorazdec
last week, which demonstrated tensions remain high in Kosovo
in the wake of the Troika report and in advance of the
December 19 UNSC discussions. CMC Henault reported that
formal military planning is going on two tracks, for all
contingencies and for Ahtisaari tasks assigned to NATO.

-- Darfur: The CMC said NATO soon will complete rotation of
AU troops into and out of Darfur.

-- Iraq: The CMC reported that Italian Carabinieri working
for NTM-I continue to provide Gendarmerie-type training to
the Iraqi National Police. An assessment provided by the
NATO Military Advisory and Liaison Team (MALT) indicated that
the Iraqi battalion providing security at the NTM-I facility
at Ar Rustamiyah is able to perform basic tasks adequately,
but leadership at squad and platoon level is inadequate.

-- 2008 Budget Estimates for the International Staff:
Following a briefing by the Civil Budget Committee Chair and
discussion among its members, the NAC noted the CBC report
(C-M(2007)0116) and approved the 2008 civil budget.

-- AOB: The DSYG stated that the Russian MFA website had
posted a comment on CFE, and suggested posting a response on
NATO's website. The NAC approved the Individually Tailored
Package for Japan, in time for the SYG to inform Japanese
officials during his trip to Japan. Ambassador Nuland
reported that U.S. and Russia Missile Defense experts will
meet December 14 in Budapest, and the Slovakian PermRep

reported that Bratislava approved doubling the Slovak ISAF
contribution and a contribution to KFOR.

END SUMMARY.

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


2. (C/NF) CMC Henault commended ISAF for the military
planning and execution that resulted in the retaking of Musa
Qala district center after many months of Taliban control,
with an Afghan face on the operation (Operation MAR
KARARDAD),and great care taken to avoid collateral damage.
He praised the media planning that has thus far resulted in

USNATO 00000636 002 OF 006


fair and balanced media coverage of the operations, with the
Afghans in front of cameras and microphones. He also
highlighted the role of new ISAF spokesman, Portuguese
Brigadier General Carlos Branco, as particularly noteworthy
(Comment: Allies, led by the U.S. and Denmark, had long
advocated for a single, flag officer spokesman for the ISAF
mission, which the Portuguese filled as a voluntary
contribution. End comment.)


3. (C/NF) IMS AD for Operations MG Li Gobbi pointed to the
Pakistani military's ongoing operations, highlighting
Operation MOUNTAIN VIPER in the North West Frontier Province,
which aims to rid the Swat valley of militants by year's end,
and asserting that these operations (along with weather) have
played a role in bringing cross-border attacks in Afghanistan
during November to their lowest level since March 2006 (to
include November 2006). His operational brief focused on
RC-South, where Operation MAR KARARDAD had succeeded in
retaking the district center of Musa Qala, and driving the
Opposing Militant Forces (OMF) from the district. The
operation began on November 28 with a shaping phase designed
to disrupt OMF movement and maneuver capability into, out of,
and around Musa Qala, with the decisive phase of the
operations launching on December 7. (Note: PermReps were
notified prior to the launching of the decisive phase. End
note.) Li Gobbi acknowledged the need for non-kinetic
follow-up: Afghan-led reconciliation, civ-mil engagement, and
reconstruction and development. He reported that military
operations had thus far been successful, with strong
cooperation between U.S. and UK ISAF forces, OEF, and the
Afghan army (201st and 205th Corps). The ANA ultimately led
the way into the district center, placing an Afghan face
squarely on the operation. Li Gobbi stated that though NATO
did not yet know concretely the movements of OMF that had
escaped Musa Qala, the working assumption of the intelligence
branch was that OMF would move toward the tri-borders area of
Helmand, Kandahar and Uruzgan, and Gulestan in Farah
province.


4. (C/NF) NATO Senior Civilian Representative Everts, in his
last NAC brief by VTC from Kabul, commented further on Musa
Qala. He added that Afghans view the victory in Musa Qala as
significant, and have taken pride in this first major
Afghan-led military accomplishment. He mentioned the
strategic and political importance of Musa Qala, which had
developed into the de facto Taliban capital of Helmand
province, and a major node of drug production and
trafficking. Everts stated that key question was "what
next?" He noted that planning by the Afghan government and
international community appeared sound, but the jury was
still out on execution. President Karzai had sent
Independent Directorate of Local Governance head Popal, a
Vice Minister for police from the MOI, and the Deputy of the
NDS to Musa Qala for follow-on direction. Everts said the
international community has planned follow-on civilian
efforts to the greatest degree he had yet seen in Kabul.


5. (C/NF) SCR Everts then turned to reconciliation and
planning for Afghan elections. He urged the Council to
discreetly support Karzai's efforts outside the Strengthening
the Peace (PTS) reconciliation program, as well as to support

USNATO 00000636 003 OF 006


an enhancement of the PTS program. On elections support, he
highlighted the need for the international community to begin
planning quickly. He focused on the massive challenge of
voter registration, and the need for funds and people to
carry out the task. Belgium probed further on this topic in
the follow-on discussion, and Everts said that voter
registration must start no later than summer 2008, and that
the myriad security challenges would need to be addressed, as
well.


6. (C/NF) SCR Everts also reported that in a bold move
Attorney General Sabit had recently indicted Deputy MOI for
Counternarcotics Daud, and commented that the aftermath would
provide insight into Afghan politics. Daud was well
connected, Everts stated, and this indictment could well lead
to Sabit's downfall. Alternatively, it could show the
government,s mettle with regard to rule of law.


7. (C/NF) Responding to questions from the Dutch PermRep,
Everts reasserted his views that PRTs must not become static
entities, but rather adjust their civil and military
composition as Afghan local governance makes strides, as PRTs
are an instrument to use under pressing security conditions.
Everts suggested nations take a close look at PRTs in the
north and west, and highlighted that a shift from those more
stable areas could enable PRTs to be fielded in places like
Dai Kundi, where the need is great.


8. (C/NF) Ambassador Nuland, Canada, Germany, and Romania
asked about follow-on planning for holding Musa Qala now that
the clearing operations seemed to have been successful.
While stressing the challenge in Musa Qala was not over,
Ambassador Nuland also praised the cooperation between the
ANA, ISAF, and OEF, and the manner in which the Afghans had
been given a leading role in public diplomacy, and asked what
sort of quick impact funding was being put to use. She again
laid down U.S. redlines on the reconciliation of OMF with the
Afghan government, drawing on reftel. The Ambassador pointed
to strong Pakistani efforts in Swat, noting that the Pakmil
was conducting large-scale, politically-sensitive operations
at a politically difficult time for them, and asking that
PermReps make their capitals aware of this. She directed
Allies to the House Armed Services Committee testimony of
SecDef Gates and ADM Mullen, highlighting SecDef's cautious
optimism, but stressing the significance of his tough
comments on NATO. Finally, she highlighted for Allies a
late-November Afghan-led, DEA-supported operation that
resulted in the arrest of a significant drug trafficker
allied with the Taliban in Nangarhar. This operation was
supported by U.S. ISAF forces, she stated, and reminded
Allies that the security and rule of law benefits these
operations bring are intertwined with the overall security
and stability that ISAF seeks to establish.


9. (C/NF) Bulgaria reported that 43 tons of mortars and
ammunition destined for the ANA had left Sofia on December
11, and that Bulgaria was still seeking arrangements to ship
a remaining 450 tons of the equipment. Poland asked if the
successful ANA/ISAF/OEF cooperation and media coordination
behind Operation MAR KARARDAD could be replicated elsewhere
in Afghanistan. In response to the Polish question, SCR

USNATO 00000636 004 OF 006


Everts pointed to the groundbreaking work occurring in
RC-East on bringing civilian and military assets jointly to
bear, facilitated by quick impact project monies, and said
that in fact, an earlier operation in central Paktika,
Operation ATTAL, had actually served as a model in planning
MAR KARARDAD.

--------------
Balkans
--------------


10. (C/NF) DSYG Bisogneiro reported unrest in Gorazdec last
week, which showed tensions remain high in Kosovo in the wake
of the Troika report and in advance of the December 19 UNSC
discussions. He added that the task coming out of this
week,s PermReps lunch -- planning for "new tasks" assigned
to NATO under the Ahtisaari process -- is ongoing and a
draft tasker will be circulated this week.


11. (C/NF) Ambassador Nuland responded that the unrest in
Gorazdec last week appears to have been the work of a few
Serb trouble-makers, but the incident was amplified because
it was covered on CNN and YouTube. This event underscored
the importance of KFOR having a rapid PD capability to
respond quickly to such events, she said. CMC Henault
undertook to check with KFOR and JFC Naples on their
capabilities in this area.


12. (C/NF) The Slovenian PermRep asked whether KFOR or Kosovo
police responded to the Gorazdec incident and CMC Henault
responded that it should have been KFOR since the town is a
Serb enclave, but undertook to confirm this.

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


13. (C/NF) The CMC reported that NATO would soon complete the
rotation of AU troops into and out of Darfur. The
NATO-sponsored rotation of the final Nigerian battalion was
due to be completed Wednesday, four days ahead of schedule.
The EU-supported rotation of Senegalese and Gambian personnel
was still scheduled for December 17-30 and would mark the
conclusion of the combined NATO-EU support to the AMIS Autumn
2007 rotation.

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


14. (C/NF) The CMC said that Italian Carabinieri working for
NTM-I continue to provide Gendarmerie-type training to the
Iraqi National Police. There are currently 433 Iraqi police
officers in the program. He added that the NATO Military
Advisory and Liaison Team (MALT) provided an assessment of
the Iraqi Base Defence Battalion (BDB) trained at NTM-I at Ar
Rustamiyah. According to the assessment, individual soldiers
are able to perform tasks properly, but leadership at squad
and platoon level is inadequate. The MALT team is now
conducting a series of exercises focused on leadership.


USNATO 00000636 005 OF 006


-------------- --------------
2008 Budget Estimates for the International Staff
-------------- --------------


15. (U) The Civil Budget Committee Chair briefed the NAC on
the 2008 civil budget. A budget envelope of EUR 191.4
million was agreed in September 2007, along with political
priorities, under the 2008 - 2012 Medium Term Financial Plan
(MTFP). The MTFP included a budget increase of 1.9 percent,
based on projected inflation. The MTFP was agreed before the
Coordinating Committee on Remuneration (CCR) issued its
salary adjustment recommendation for 2008. The CCR
recommendation was only 1.1 percent, resulting in a EUR
800,000 bubble, over what some nations considered appropriate
in keeping with zero real growth principles. In a compromise
with those nations, the EUR 800,000 was "frozen" within the
budget to be used exclusively for strengthening the SCR
Office in Kabul. If EUR 800,000 is not needed for the SCR
office, credits will lapse (i.e. return to nations). If more
than EUR 800,000 is needed, it will have to come from
reprioritization of current budgetary needs.


16. (U) PermReps noted the CBC report and approved the 2008
budget, with an envelope of EUR 191.4 million. Seven nations
commented on the CBC report/presentation: Italy, Poland,
France, UK, Canada, Romania and Hungary. Poland, Romania,
and Hungary agreed with the report, but expressed concerns
about decreases in funding for public diplomacy activities in
Russia and the Ukraine. The Romanians added that while NATO
currently lives in a zero real growth (ZRG) environment, it
-- like any organization -- can only continue doing more
without more resources for so long. At some future point,
the question of additional resources should be discussed.
France, UK and Canada spoke most strongly in favor of ZRG and
the need to reprioritize funding to meet NATO's most
important objectives. Canada reminded nations that all
agreed in the recent Foreign Ministers communique that
Afghanistan is the highest priority. Therefore, the
strengthening of the SCR Office in Kabul should get the
funding it needs.


17. (U) The CBC Chair raised several problems facing the CBC:
(1) not all nations agree on the definition of zero real
growth, thus the Committee will take this up as a topic for
discussion in the new year -- to come up with a commonly
agreed definition; (2) situational changes -- as political
priorities change, the budget process must be nimble enough
to adapt; (3) timely publication of budget documents -- the
Committee will work to improve the timeliness of its
documents, though the Chair noted that this is the first time
in recent years that an agreed budget came before the NAC in
its last meeting before the Christmas break; and (4)
financial impact of new priorities -- the chair agreed with
some delegations that as new initiatives are discussed in
other committees, the CBC should discuss the financial impact
of these initiatives in parallel.

---
AOB
---


USNATO 00000636 006 OF 006



18. (C/NF) The DSYG mentioned that the Russian MFA website
had posted a comment on CFE. With the HLTF meeting
Wednesday, the DSYG suggested they agree on a response to the
Russian comment that can be posted on NATO's website.


19. (C/NF) The DSYG said that the EAPC would meet Wednesday
and he would like it to approve CD(2007)0022 regarding a
tasking to the Military Committee on how best to meet the
objectives of UNSCR 1325 on women's issues. The Turkish
PermRep said he would not object to having the EAPC discuss
the matter today, but in the future such approvals must be
made in the NAC before going to the EAPC. Ambassador Nuland
suggested getting NAC approval at that moment, which was duly
done.


20. (C/NF) The DSYG, stating that the SYG was in Tokyo that
day, asked for NAC approval of the Individually Tailored
Cooperation Program for Japan. The NAC approved the Program.


21. (C/NF) Ambassador Nuland reported that the U.S. and
Russia Missile Defense experts would meet Friday in Budapest.



22. (C/NF) The Slovakian PermRep reported that Bratislava
yesterday approved doubling the Slovak ISAF contribution,
including units going to RC-South. Bratislava also approved
a contribution to KFOR, including two MI-17 helicopters.
NULAND