CANADA ON PROPOSED NATO CFE STATEMENT

C O N F I D E N T I A L OTTAWA 000420 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/26/2018 TAGS: PREL NATO KCFE MARR RS GG MD CA SUBJECT: CANADA ON PROPOSED NATO CFE STATEMENT REF: STATE 30484 Classified By: PolMinCouns Scott Bellard, reasons 1.4 (b) and (d) ¶1. (C) In a meeting with Charge on March 25, Assistant Deputy Minister for International Security and Political Director of the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade Colleen Swords expressed appreciation for reftel points on the CFE statement, explaining that she had not yet received a copy due to the closure of DFAIT and the Canadian Mission to NATO on March 21 and 24 in observance of Easter holidays. She promised to review the materials immediately, but offered no substantive comments. ¶2. (C) Swords noted considerable anxiety among NATO members about how to make President Putin's upcoming appearance at the Bucharest Summit as constructive as possible. She noted past practice with some countries - notably France - had been to include both the president and prime minister on key meetings, and opined that this might be a useful tactic now with Russia as well. ¶3. (C) Swords confirmed Canada's expectation that NATO will extend membership to Albania, Croatia, and Macedonia (assuming a positive resolution of the name issue),but less confidence about the prospects in the near future for the Ukraine and Georgia. Canada, she said, strongly supports Ukraine's bid for a Membership Action Plan. Visit Canada,s Economy and Environment Forum at http://www.intelink.gov/communities/state/can ada BREESE