NORTH ATLANTIC COUNCIL READOUT - MAY 21, 2008

S E C R E T SECTION 01 OF 05 USNATO 000181

NOFORN
SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 05/21/2018
TAGS: NATO PREL AF
SUBJECT: NORTH ATLANTIC COUNCIL READOUT - MAY 21, 2008

Classified By: DCM Richard G. Olson, Jr. for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d)


1. (S/NF) Summary from the NAC Meeting:

-- Afghanistan: The SYG noted that a draft report by UN Human
Rights Rapporteur Alston was critical of international forces
and ISAF in Afghanistan, but NATO was providing Alston with
more information to make the final report more balanced. The
SHAPE Operational update noted negotiations between the
government of Pakistan and militants could result in the FATA
becoming a new sanctuary for Opposing Militant Forces (OMF).
The last week had been the most active of the year for ISAF,
primarily due to the activities of the 24th MEU in Helmand
Province. Recent coordinated rocket attacks on three
airfields did not represent a new OMF capability and caused
limited damage. Several PermReps, led by Canada, urged
greater political and military engagement with Pakistan and
suggested the SYG visit Pakistan soon. The SYG announced
that D/ASYG Pardew will travel to Pakistan in two weeks.

-- Balkans: The SYG said he hoped to reschedule his meeting
with the UN SYG, which had been canceled when UNSYG Ban
traveled to Burma. NATO military authorities briefed the NAC
on the status of UNMIK police forces.

-- Africa - Support to the AU: Ambassador Nuland asked for
more information on the AU request to NATO to provide airlift
for the Burundi AU peacekeeping battalion to Somalia. She
urged any nation responding to the request to do so through
NATO.

-- Iraq: No discussion.

-- Response to Terrorism: Outgoing Commander of Operation
Active Endeavor (OAE) Vice Admiral Cesaretti (Italy) briefed
on the OAE Article 5 operation in the Mediterranean, which is
expanding network-centric capabilities to decrease
permanently deployed units.

-- Statements on Political Subjects: Ambassador Nuland
shared additional U.S. information on Russian military
activity related to Georgia.

-- AOB: No discussion.

END SUMMARY.

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Afghanistan
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2. (C/NF) The SYG noted that a draft report of UN Special
Rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions
Philip Alston was critical of international forces and ISAF
in Afghanistan. NATO has publicly rebutted this report.
Alston's final report will be produced in two months; the SYG
said NATO would work with Alston to make the final report
more balanced and fair.


3. (C/NF) The SYG said he will attend the Afghanistan Support
Conference in Paris on June 12.


4. (C/NF) The SYG reported the ISAF Spring Periodic Mission
Review (PMR) is out and the Policy Coordination Group (PCG)

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will discuss it with the goal of having it approved by the
NAC before the NATO Defense Ministerial in June. He said he
will also provide Defense Ministers with an update on the
implementation of the Comprehensive Strategic Political
Military Plan (CSPMP) for Afghanistan approved at the
Bucharest Summit.


5. (C/NF) Deputy Chairman of the Military Committee (D/CMC)
General Eikenberry reported on last week's meeting of NATO
and ISAF Chiefs of Defense (CHODs),who confirmed the
importance of filling ISAF shortfalls and noted that national
caveats hamper ISAF efforts. The International Military
Staff (IMS) will forward SHAPE's most recent report on
caveats, noting COMISAF's particular concern about
geographical caveats. The D/CMC noted that the ANA is
increasingly effective, but is limited by the shortfall in
Operational Mentoring and Liaison Teams (OMLTs). He said the
last two ANA battalions to complete training are without
mentoring teams.


6. (C/NF) IMS Assistant Director for Operations Major General
Li Gobbi provided the SHAPE Operational Update, commenting
that the Pakistan military is adjusting its positions in
South Waziristan and exchanging POWs with the Taliban. There
are localized peace agreements in the Pakistan border areas,
and the FATA may now become a new sanctuary for the Taliban.


7. (C/NF) MG Li Gobbi reported there were simultaneous rocket
attacks on the airfields in Herat, Kabul and Kandahar, which
were apparently coordinated but caused no real damage and had
only limited operational impact. COMISAF is concerned about
the repeated attacks on helicopters as a new trend in
Opposing Militant Forces (OMF) activity. With the poppy
harvest ending, fighters who were working in the fields will
soon become available, and the OMF and criminal organizations
will seek to keep their smuggling routes open, which may lead
to increased contacts with ISAF and the ANA. This week has
been the most active of the year for ISAF, mostly because of
the activities of the 24th MEU in Helmand. In RC-Capital
there is infighting among OMF factions in Sarobi district.
In RC-North, there is a concern about linkages between OMF
and local criminals. In RC-West, OMF activities have focused
on Farah province, and may increase as OMF seek to keep their
drug smuggling routes open to Iran and Turkmenistan. In
RC-South, there is an increase in OMF activity, particularly
in Helmand in the Musa Qala area. The 24th MEU in Garmsir
district is seriously disrupting OMF and the ANA will
establish a permanent post in the area. This activity has
caused the temporary displacement of about 3,000-4,000 local
civilians. In RC-East, there is a growing concern about
infiltration of fighters from Pakistan and ISAF will focus on
interdiction.


8. (C/NF) Ambassador Nuland reported on U.S. public
statements critical of the Pakistani government's dealing
with militants and asked Allies to remind the Pakistanis that
a similar deal with militants failed last year.


9. (C/NF) In response to questions from PermReps, Li Gobbi
said the coordinated attacks on the airfields did not
represent a new enemy capability and could have been arranged
by a simple phone call. The attacks did not disrupt ISAF
operations, but the underlying notion of greater cooperation
among regional OMF leaders would be monitored. He also said

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that despite recent attacks on ISAF helicopters, the
long-term trend of such attacks was unchanged. In two recent
attacks, light weapons were used and neither helicopter was
seriously damaged.


10. (C/NF) Canadian PermRep McRae asked for more details
about the concept of "partnering" with ANA units and
commented that more needs to be done to address border
issues, since the Tri-Partite Commission is reportedly
dysfunctional. He urged (supported by Belgium, Turkey and
others) finding a new mechanism for political and military
engagement with Pakistan that brought in regional and local
actors. He also urged the SYG to visit Pakistan soon and to
invite Afghan FM Spanta to brief the NAC. General Eikenberry
noted that "partnering" is distinct from providing OMLTs.
OMLTs are for newly-trained ANA units, but over time ANA
units become more proficient and rely less on OMLTs, and
benefit more from "partnering" with ISAF units. Ambassador
Nuland added that the U.S. has taken this approach in
RC-East, but it is made possible by the longer (12-15 month)
tours of U.S. combat units. Partnering also allows the OMLTs
to shrink over time until they are only providing key
enablers.


11. (C/NF) Norwegian PermRep Traavik asked about the status
of ANSF assuming security responsibility for Kabul and
General Eikenberry responded that SACEUR will issue a report
by the end of May.


12. (C/NF) UK PermRep Eldon welcomed the CHODs' commitment to
lift caveats, but General Eikenberry responded that while the
CHODs agreed caveats were detrimental to the ISAF operation,
only capitals could lift them. Eldon urged that the
International Staff brief the NAC periodically on political
developments in Afghanistan and Pakistan. Eldon also
commented on the food shortages and price rises in
Afghanistan, adding that the UK has contributed 3 million
Pounds in assistance.


13. (C/NF) The SYG noted that the Afghan-Pakistan border is a
real concern. NATO's engagement should be within the context
of cooperation with other international actors, including UN
SRSG Kai Eide. He added that D/ASYG Pardew will travel to
Pakistan in two weeks and the SYG may then make his own visit
when he is sure he has Pakistani interlocutors in place. The
SYG stated that the June Defense Ministerial could usefully
review the status of the Tri-Partite Commission, and that he
will prepare an update on implementation of the CSPMP. The
Turkish PermRep offered to provide a briefing on Pakistan by
the Turkish Ambassador in Islamabad.

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Balkans
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14. (C/NF) The SYG announced that his planned May 21 meeting
with UNSYG Ban to discuss Kosovo had been postponed due to
Ban's decision to visit Burma. The SYG said he hoped the
meeting would be rescheduled for next week. The D/CMC gave a
readout of last week's meeting of NATO CHODs, in which they
reaffirmed NATO's commitment to Kosovo, but expressed concern
over the uncertainty regarding the UNMIK transition to EULEX
after the new Kosovo constitution takes effect on June 15.
The CHODs also endorsed prudent planning for all scenarios,

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including worst case scenarios that might necessitate
adjustments to KFOR's force posture. The D/CMC also updated
the Council on the status of Revision 3 of the Balkans OPLAN,
saying that the Military Committee would meet Thursday, May
22, to discuss the 130 comments that nations have provided.
He noted approximately 30 of the comments were political in
nature. The UK PermRep stressed the importance of having an
agreed or almost agreed Balkans OPLAN by the June Defense
Ministerial. He then asked for a timetable for completing
the OPLAN and suggested NATO political authorities should
begin work to resolve some of the political issues. The SYG
agreed with the UK on the need for having either a fully
agreed or almost agreed OPLAN for the ministerial. He urged
the Military Committee not to get bogged down in political
issues that should be left to the NAC to decide and said he
would discuss the issue with the Chairman of the Military
Committee.


15. (C/NF) MG Li Gobbi provided the operational update on
Kosovo, reporting that Kosovo remains generally calm, but
that should Kosovo Serbs establish parallel governmental
structures in the wake of the May 11 elections, Kosovo
Albanians may respond violently. MG Li Gobbi said the UK's
operational reserve battalion would be ready in theater by
May 31, replacing the German battalion that is there now. In
response to an earlier request, MG Li Gobbi also provided
information on the strength of UNMIK's police force, saying
that currently there are approximately 1,917 UNMIK police
serving in Kosovo. Of these, 420 personnel were deployed
north of the Ibar River, of which 220 are in formed police
units (riot control). He said that the figures represent
slightly more than what the EULEX mission is planning to
deploy to Kosovo.


16. (C/NF) Ambassador Nuland, citing her meeting with UNMIK
Deputy SRSG Rossin, noted the importance that the UN was
placing on soliciting offers of formed police units from
European countries as part of the transition to EULEX. She
also announced that President Bush has nominated current
Charge d'Affaires Tina Kaidanow as Ambassador to Kosovo.

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Africa - Support to the AU
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17. (C/NF) Ambassador Nuland asked the SYG to confirm that
NATO had received a request from the African Union (AU) for
airlift of the Burundi AU peacekeeping battalion to Somalia.
The SYG promised to get back with a response. She also
requested that Allies who decide to meet this request do so
through NATO.

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Response to Terrorism
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18. (C/NF) Outgoing Commander of Operation Active Endeavor
(OAE) Vice Admiral Cesaretti (Italy) briefed on the OAE
Article 5 operation in the Mediterranean. He said that on an
average day NATO tracks 27 "Vessels of Collection Interest"
and has a complete picture of 45 percent of the
Mediterranean, mostly on the Northern Coast. The successes
of OAE are being incorporated into the revised NATO Maritime
Security Awareness concept, which has been approved by the

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NAC. OAE is expanding network-centric capabilities to
decrease the need for permanently deployed naval units,
serving as a prime example of NATO's transformation. The
operation also serves as a model for NATO partnerships, with
46 nations participating (Libya recently requested a formal
arrangement for information sharing). In response to a query
from Ambassador Nuland, the Commander praised the cooperation
with partners and the usefulness of their contributions.
Spain's PermRep later dampened the Commander's praise
somewhat, stating he did not think coordination between
nations involved in OAE is perfect. Overall, PermReps
expressed strong support to OAE. The Italian PermRep labeled
OAE the maritime equivalent of missile defense, noting the
operation is also a useful proving ground for future NATO
members to participate in an ongoing, successful NATO
operation.

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Statements on Political Subjects
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19. (C/NF) Statements on Political Subjects: Ambassador
Nuland informed Allies that the President will travel to
Europe from June 9-16 to participate in the U.S.-EU Summit in
Slovenia and to visit Germany, Italy, the Holy See, France,
and the UK.


20. (S/NF) Following through on her commitment at the May 14
NAC, Ambassador Nuland shared additional U.S. information on
Russian military activity related to Georgia. She relayed
U.S. assessments of the recent shooting down of several
Georgian UAVs and described Russian reinforcement of the CIS
peacekeeping force in Abkhazia.
NULAND