USNATO REQUESTS DOS LEGAL SUPPORT ON RUSSIAN

UNCLAS USNATO 000028 SIPDIS SENSITIVE SIPDIS DEPT FOR RPM - PPETERSON E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: NATO PREL SUBJECT: USNATO REQUESTS DOS LEGAL SUPPORT ON RUSSIAN UNDERSTANDINGS OF NATO PFP SOFA ¶1. (SBU) SUMMARY: The NATO Legal Office has proposed a meeting of legal advisors from all Allies, to be held in Brussels, to discuss Russia's understandings regarding the PfP SOFA. Post requests Washington's support, to include the participation of appropriate DOS legal experts. This is an action request, please see Paragraph 3. END SUMMARY. ¶2. (SBU) Russia deposited its ratification of the PfP SOFA on September 14, 2007. There are a number of "understandings" from Russia contained in the ratification documents that need to be reviewed by the NATO Legal Office and Allies' legal authorities. Therefore, the NATO Legal Office has proposed to hold a legal experts' meeting in Brussels to perform this review of the Russian understandings. ¶3. (SBU) Post understands that NATO has one year from the time Russia deposited its ratification documents to respond to the Russian understandings. (Post is waiting for the NATO Legal Office to confirm this.) There is a brief window in February, (Feb. 21-28),to hold the legal experts' meeting prior to the 2008 NATO Summit in April, but more likely, the meeting would be scheduled for after the Summit. Action requested: Post requests L to send a legal expert to the meeting and to recommend its preferred dates for travel to Brussels. ¶4. (SBU) In addition to the Russian understandings, the NATO Legal Office has recommended consultations on the same date(s) for other unresolved issues, to include the Mediterranean Dialogue SOFA, the NATO-Qatar Cooperation Agreement, and the NATO-Kuwait Transit Agreement. Post strongly recommends that the participating Department legal expert be prepared to take advantage of this opportunity to also discuss these long-standing matters in order to find a way forward. NULAND