GUIDANCE: CEPMO BOARD OF DIRECTORS (BOD)

C O N F I D E N T I A L STATE 007926 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/25/2018 TAGS: MARR NATO PREL SUBJECT: GUIDANCE: CEPMO BOARD OF DIRECTORS (BOD) CHAIRMANSHIP REF: A. USNATO 000629 ¶B. USNATO 000018 ¶C. AC/120(CEPMO)N(2007)0005 Classified By: EUR/RPM Office Director Gary Robbins for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d) ¶1. (U) Washington appreciates useful background information concerning selection of chairman for the NATO Central European Pipeline Organization (CEPMO) Board of Directors (BoD) provided at Refs A and B. ¶2. (C) While Washington could accept either way ahead for resolving the chairmanship issue proposed in reference B, we wish to avoid disagreements with leading Allies in the run up to the Vilnius Ministerial and the Bucharest Summit. We therefore direct Mission to accept the co-chairmanship arrangement proposed by the former Chairman at Ref C., but with conditions recommended by Mission at para 13 of Ref B. With regard to the source of the chairman after the one year co-chairman period, we prefer to have a chairman from the NMAs or IS vice a national chairman appointed under a standing rotational arrangement. However, Washington can accept the latter arrangement, if Mission deems it essential to securing agreement with other CEPMO Nations. RICE