RFG: UN-NATO AGREEMENT AND AFGHANISTAN

C O N F I D E N T I A L STATE 001703 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/07/2018 TAGS: AF IO NATO PREL SUBJECT: RFG: UN-NATO AGREEMENT AND AFGHANISTAN REF: USNATO 0009 Classified By: EUR A/S Dan Fried, for Reasons 1.4 (b) and (d) ¶1. (C) Reftel requested Department guidance on UNSYG Ban Ki Moon's suggestion to NATO SYG Jaap de Hoop Scheffer to conclude a "non-binding agreement," on cooperation between ISAF and the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA). ¶2. (C) Department supports the idea of moving forward on an ISAF-UNAMA agreement, separately or in parallel with the broader UN-NATO agreement, as long as neither negotiation impedes progress on the naming of the Afghanistan UN Senior Civilian Representative. Such an agreement may be informal and concluded quickly (we hope to see the UN senior envoy named as soon as possible). It could take the form of separate letters from NATO and the UN describing their understandings of how the two organizations will cooperate. Such an agreement would be beneficial for showing stronger international cooperation and coordination in Afghanistan, and could be a useful step toward finalizing the broader UN-NATO framework agreement which had been stuck until recent Ban-De Hoop Scheffer discussions in 2007 provided new impetus. RICE