NEW NATIONAL SECURITY CONCEPT PASSES WITH A NARROW

UNCLAS CHISINAU 000553

SENSITIVE

SIPDIS

STATE FOR EUR/UMB

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PINS PBTS PARM PREL PTER PGOV MD
SUBJECT: NEW NATIONAL SECURITY CONCEPT PASSES WITH A NARROW
MAJORITY

Sensitive But Unclassified. Please Protect Accordingly.


1. (SBU) Summary: Moldova's new National Security Concept (NSC)
passed in Parliament on May 22. The document provides for
neutrality as the cornerstone of Moldova's national security.
Unlike the previous 1995 version, the new document focuses more on
social and economic threats to national security, European
integration efforts and the need to enhance democracy and human
rights. The bill was supported by the Communists and Social
Democrats but criticized by the opposition for its focus on
neutrality and for ruling out future NATO membership. With Russian
insistence upon Moldova's permanent neutrality as a pre-condition
for a Transnistria settlement, adoption of this document could help
facilitate progress in the resolution of the Transnistrian conflict.
End Summary.

NSC Draft Years in Process, Now Updated
--------------


2. (SBU) In December 2005, President Voronin created a governmental
commission to begin drafting the NSC. The draft was submitted to
the Parliament in the summer of 2007. However, the government
recalled its draft from the Parliament a week before the scheduled
parliamentary hearings, and a new document which incorporated
President Voronin's demilitarization proposals was submitted
instead. The current National Security Concept has three chapters:
threats to national security, international security cooperation
(bilateral and multilateral),and Moldovan national security and
security-sector reform.


3. (U) The concept lists the threats to national security as: the
Transnistrian conflict, international terrorism, inter-ethnic
tensions, organized crime, natural disasters, and social, economic
and information-technology threats. The draft mentions the EU,
Russia, the U.S., Romania and Ukraine (in that order) as Moldova's
key partners in the field of security. Bilateral and multilateral
cooperation with international organizations (including the CIS and
NATO) are allowed, but only within the limits of Moldova's neutral
status. The armed forces can be used only to defend the country and
in peace-keeping operations. According to the document, a detailed
National Security Strategy will be developed on the basis of the
NSC.

Neutrality: The Key Issue
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3. (SBU) The draft NSC was criticized by some liberal opposition
leaders, who complained about the Communists' stance on neutrality,
suggesting that according to the Constitution, the people of Moldova
should decide whether or not to join NATO. All parliamentary
groups, however, shared the view that any NSC must enjoy the support
of all parties. The Social Democrats had insisted on paying more
attention to social threats to national security such as poverty and
migration, but supported the bill anyway. Though the Christian
Democrats and the Democratic Party had conditionally supported the
draft in its first reading, these two factions were discontent that
their amendments had been rejected and opposed the bill in the
second reading. Deputies from Our Moldova Alliance even walked out
of the plenary to protest the fact that their amendments were not
included. The bill passed with 58 votes (out of a parliamentary
total of 101).


4. (SBU) Comment: Passage of a National Security Concept was an
objective of Moldova's Individual Partnership Action Plan with NATO.
It is the baseline document needed for developing Moldova's
National Security Strategy. This National Security Concept is
oriented less towards NATO than the previous document, and seems
designed to keep Russia happy with its statements about neutrality.
The NSC limits Moldova's cooperation with NATO to activities within
the scope of the Partnership for Peace program, and declares openly
that Moldova has no desire to join NATO. The substantive core of
the document is its notion of permanent neutrality, while the rest
of its provisions are quite general. If Russia feels the NSC
assuages its concerns about Moldovan neutrality, it may be more
inclined to push the Transnistrians to resolve the conflict.

KIRBY