NORTH ATLANTIC COUNCIL READOUT - APRIL 16, 2008

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 USNATO 000138 SIPDIS NOFORN SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 04/16/2018 TAGS: NATO PREL AF SUBJECT: NORTH ATLANTIC COUNCIL READOUT - APRIL 16, 2008 Classified By: A/DCM W. S. Reid III, for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d) ¶1. (C/NF) Summary from the NAC Meeting: -- Afghanistan: United Nations Special Representative of the Secretary General Kai Eide briefed the NAC in ISAF format (to SIPDIS be reported septel). A/SYG Howard laid out initial thoughts on implementing the Bucharest "Comprehensive Strategic Political-Military Plan" for Afghanistan. Chairman of the Military Committee General Henault told the NAC that, per President Karzai's request at the Bucharest Summit, SHAPE has been tasked to provide a baseline assessment by the end of May on the implications of transferring security responsibility for Kabul to Afghanistan. The IMS has SHAPE's input to the spring 2008 ISAF Periodic Mission Review, including an assessment on the status of police training, and whether ISAF could do more to assist international efforts. IMS AD OPS MG LiGobbi cited IEDs as the leading threat to ISAF, ANSF, and local nationals. DCM Olson raised appointing an SCR for Afghanistan, to which the SYG reported that candidates for the position had been put forward and the selection process was underway. -- Balkans: SG(2008)0319 (revision of OpPlan 10501) is open for written comments until COB Wednesday. D/SYG Bisogniero expressed satisfaction that UNMIK had decided last week that Serbia's organization of elections in Serbian regions of Kosovo would be in violation of UNSCR 1244; the question of visits from Belgrade to Kosovo Serb enclaves still had to be addressed. -- Africa ) Support to the AU: No discussion. -- Iraq: PM Maliki will meet the NAC on Thursday. -- AOB: The SYG spoke in farewell to Icelandic Ambassador Gunnar Gunnarsson, Dean of the NAC. END SUMMARY. -------------- Afghanistan -------------- ¶2. (C) UN SRSG Kai Eide gave NATO and ISAF Ambassadors a blunt, yet passionate "tour d'horizon" of the range of challenges confronting him, sharing his impressions after nine days in Kabul. A full report on this meeting will follow septel. ¶3. (C) Assistant Secretary General for Operations Martin Howard laid out his initial thoughts on how NATO will implement the 64 actions called for in the ISAF "Comprehensive Strategic Political Military Plan," which NATO and ISAF Heads of State and Government agreed in Bucharest. A/SYG Howard intends for his Policy Coordination Group (PCG) committee to play a lead role in coordinating HQ-wide input, and told PermReps that while he intends to have the bi-annual, PCG-negotiated "ISAF Periodic Mission Review (PMR)" play a major role in updating progress and modifying the Plan, he hoped for their support in giving him as Chairman wide leeway to allow flexible reporting in advance of Ministerial meetings, and to Council as necessary. Howard hopes to avoid lengthy negotiations prior to each Ministerial, and seeks the ability to highlight particular areas of concern for PermReps to address. He intends to share a draft plan of internal HQ reporting responsibilities with the PCG by the end of April, and to send his first progress report on the Plan to the NAC by the end of May, in time for the Defense Ministers' meeting in June. ¶4. (C) Chairman of the Military Committee General Henault USNATO 00000138 002 OF 003 noted President Karzai's Bucharest remarks, in which Karzai stated his government's intent to assume security responsibility for "Kabul" by August 2008. General Henault said NATO military authorities remain unclear whether Karzai meant Kabul city, Kabul province, or ISAF's RC-Capital. The Military Committee has tasked SHAPE to provide a baseline assessment of the implications of such a transfer by the end of May, and the MC will then pass negotiated, agreed advice to the NAC for deliberation and decision. General Henault highlighted factors in the analysis that will need to be addressed, such as existing security conditions, capabilities of the Afghan National Security Forces, risks, and means to mitigate those risks. He also added that the Military Committee has received SHAPE's input to the spring 2008 ISAF PMR process, which includes a response to the NAC's autumn 2007 request for an assessment on the status of police training in Afghanistan, and whether or not ISAF could do more to assist international efforts. ¶5. (C) IMS AD for Operations MG LiGobbi provided the operations update, noting that IEDs remain the greatest threat to ISAF and ANSF personnel, as well as local nationals. He also noted the onset of the poppy harvest stands to affect the op tempo of Opposing Militant Forces as they harvest or protect their fields, and stated that the government's Poppy Eradication Force had been attacked often in Helmand and elsewhere. He said the MOD and MOI planned to field a special Counternarcotics kandak by June to provide force protection, but some PermReps noted the poppy harvest would be over by then. ¶6. (C) DCM Olson raised the unfinished business of appointing an SCR for Afghanistan. He praised the work of Deputy A/SYG Ambassador Maurits Jochems in an interim capacity and suggested extending his mandate. The UK and Canada seconded the U.S. proposal. The SYG reported that candidates for the position had been put forward and the selection process was underway. -------------- Balkans -------------- ¶7. (C) D/SYG Bisogniero reminded PermReps that SG(2008)0319 (revision of OpPlan 10501) is open for written comments until COB Wednesday. He also pointed to SG(2008)0321 (update on Kosovo developments between Independence and April 10) in lieu of delivering a full oral briefing. ¶8. (C/NF) D/SYG Bisogniero expressed satisfaction that UNMIK had decided last week that Serbia's organization of elections in Serbian regions of Kosovo would be in violation of UNSCR ¶1244. He noted that the question of visits from Belgrade to Kosovo Serb enclaves still had to be addressed. General Eikenberry's staff provided a CMC briefing on Kosovo. ¶9. (C) The UK commented that Kosovar Serbian support for KFOR could not be taken for granted. The UK PermRep reminded the D/SYG that video clips taken of the violence in Mitrovica in February had still not been shown to NNTCs. ¶10. (C) Spain said it had misgivings about some of the analysis contained in the SG reports, but supported resting policy on UNSCR 1244, which Serbia also considered to be the authoritative document on Kosovo's status. -------------- Iraq -------------- ¶11. (U) D/SYG Bisogniero reminded the Council that PM Maliki will meet the NAC Thursday. USNATO 00000138 003 OF 003 --- AOB --- ¶12. (U) AOB: The SYG spoke in farewell to Icelandic Ambassador Gunnar Gunnarsson, Dean of the NAC. NULAND