TEXT OF MONTENEGRIN PM DJUKANOVIC'S LETTER TO NATO SECGEN

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 PODGORICA 000281 SIPDIS FOR EUR/SCE AND EUR/RPM E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PREL MARR MW SUBJECT: TEXT OF MONTENEGRIN PM DJUKANOVIC'S LETTER TO NATO SECGEN REF: PODGORICA 278 PODGORICA 00000281 001.2 OF 003 ¶1. Post received an official copy of the letter from H.E. Milo Djukanovic, Prime Minister of Montenegro, which was delivered to NATO Secretary General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer on November 5 in Brussels. Original will be hand delivered to EUR/SCE. Begin Text Podgorica, 4 November 2008 Jaap de Hoop Scheffer Secretary General NATO Belgium Brussels Dear Secretary General, I wish to assure you that my government is fully committed to its course toward NATO, a policy that was endorsed by the Montenegrin Parliament on 3 October 2008 in its resolution on accelerating the process of European and Euro-Atlantic integration. I believe that our closer association with the Alliance, and eventual membership in it, will not only benefit Montenegro, but will also promote NATO's strategic goal of bringing stability to southeast Europe. As you know, Montenegro began an Intensified Dialogue with NATO on Membership Issues after the NATO Summit in Bucharest in April. This dialogue has been extremely valuable to us, and we can now envision that our Ministry of Defense and the NATO International Staff will have an agreed view on what Montenegro might undertake within the Membership Action Plan. For this reason, I am writing to formally submit our application to join NATO's Membership Action Plan as soon as NATO has had an opportunity to review the results of the Intensified Dialogue but not later than the April 2009 NATO Summit. Let me say at the outset that the Government of Montenegro recognizes that the Membership Action Plan will be a multi-year commitment. We have learned a great deal from our neighbors in the Adriatic Charter: Albania, Croatia, and Macedonia. We understand the challenges and the commitment of time and resources required in the action plan. But we also understand that for a small democracy in the Balkans the most important thing is to get started. As a result of the Intensified Dialogue and bilateral discussions with NATO allies, we have identified our priorities for the initial years in the MAP. Montenegro will continue to ;implement the goals of IPAP. We are developing plans to realize the goals of our partnership with NATO, among them permanent communication with the Allies. At the same time, we plan to continue to take part in PfP exercises and to complete the preparations of units capable of deploying alongside NATO forces in international peacekeeping. We will continue to invest in equipment interoperable with NATO equipment, to destroy excess weapons, to fulfill the agreement between Montenegro and NATO on the Security of Information, and to increase public support for membership in the Alliance. (1) Military Organization and Modernization: Montenegro's Ministry of Defense was formed upon our independence in 2006, almost two years ago. Since then, with the help of NATO partners, we have made steady progress in defining the organization, equipment and overall reform of the armed forces. The fact that the Montenegrin military is not significantly burdened by an antiquated Yugoslav or Warsaw Pact PODGORICA 00000281 002.2 OF 003 military structure offers us a great opportunity to adopt the best practices of the NATO allies from the beginning. (2) Strategic Concept: The strategic concept of the Army of Montenegro is to be included in the collective security system of NATO. Montenegro's goal is to build an integrated and functional security system that enables prevention, management and resolution of potential crisis, conflicts and disputes regardless of their character and level, in accordance with international standards and principles. We have been very impressed by the successes of the Baltic states, Slovakia, Slovenia as well as Albania, Croatia and Macedonia in building small, agile forces which meet NATO standards and fulfill roles needed by the Alliance. We hope to draw on their experiences to ensure that our military is the right size and has the right capabilities to contribute to NATO's missions. (3) Niche Capabilities: We have identified several niche capabilities, including, inter alia, underwater demining, medical personnel, and light infantry. On 8 October 2008 the Parliament passed the Law on Participation of the Members of the Army of Montenegro in Peace Missions and other Activities abroad. By the end of this year we expect to have prepared a medical team for participation in peace missions, in accordance with the partnership goals. Next year, we expect to have a unit ready to deploy to NATO missions. We are examining the capacity of our forces to determine what support we might provide for stabilization efforts in frozen conflict regions. (4) Regional Cooperation: We are keenly aware of the need for even greater defense and political cooperation throughout the Western Balkans. Montenegro is proud to have good relations with all states in the region, not to have unresolved issues with neighboring states, to stand as a constructive partner and a source of stability in the region, and to be prepared to participate in all efforts to strengthen regional cooperation and coordination. In the two years since independence, we have joined all regional initiatives and organizations. We remain fully committed to regional cooperation and the concept of regional ownership, as an important contribution to stability and to Euro Atlantic integration. Having been invited to join the Adriatic Charter we are prepared to actively participate in initiatives to build regional defense and security cooperation. We hope that our future membership in SEDM will allow Montenegro to play an even more important role in maintaining peace, stability, and prosperity in our region. (5) NATO Information: Since independence in 2006, we believe that strong public support has emerged for integration with European institutions, and that support for NATO will increase as Montenegrin citizens better understand the Alliance and its benefits. The Government of Montenegro has put in place a wide-ranging communications strategy, working with NATO Allies to develop a campaign to build broad public support. We are hopeful that a NATO office will open in Podgorica by the end of 2008, to enable us to strengthen practical cooperation with the Alliance. My Government is prepared to contribute substantial material and technical support to the establishment of this Office. (6) Norms, Capacity and Political Values: We realize that technical capabilities and defense reforms alone are insufficient for NATO membership. In the course of the Membership Action Plan, we expect to continue working to bring this country into accord with the European standards to which the Government of Montenegro aspires. This dialogue is welcome, and we are ready to invest the effort and resources needed to become a valued NATO partner and ally. Through our foreign and defense policies, we have demonstrated our willingness to be a trustworthy partner to the Euro Atlantic community in maintaining regional stability. We have also supported NATO operations by donating surplus arms to the Government of Afghanistan. We will continue to support the goals and values of NATO, by demonstrating that we understand our responsibilities as Europeans and as future members of NATO. In the same way, we hope to progress in integrating into the European Union, building upon the Stabilization and Association Agreement signed last year. We have begun implementation of the Interim Agreement, and we are preparing to apply for membership in the EU in the near future. In this parallel process, Montenegro is conducting comprehensive reforms in strengthening the rule of PODGORICA 00000281 003.2 OF 003 law, democratic institutions, and creating conditions for a functioning market economy. Mr. Secretary General, I want to thank you for your support over the years for peace in the Balkans and for the continuing integration of democracies in Southeast Europe into European institutions. You understand as well as anyone how far Montenegro and our neighbors have come since the beginning of the 1990's. Now that Slovenia has successfully served as EU Presidency and our friends in Albania and Croatia have reached the threshold of NATO membership, it is time for the next generation of European democracies, including Montenegro, to follow the same path. I look forward to working closely with you in coming months on our entry into the Membership Action Plan. I would like to take this opportunity to invite you and the NATO Permanent Representatives to Podgorica before the April Summit to have a first-hand look at our preparations for MAP. Sincerely yours, Milo Pukanovic End text MOORE