NORTH ATLANTIC COUNCIL READOUT: AUGUST 13, 2008

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 05 USNATO 000289

NOFORN
SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 08/20/2018
TAGS: NATO PREL AF
SUBJECT: NORTH ATLANTIC COUNCIL READOUT: AUGUST 13, 2008

Classified By: Ambassador Kurt D. Volker for Reasons 1.4 (b) & (d)


1. (C/NF) Summary: NATO Foreign Ministerial: Perm Reps
welcomed the U.S. proposal to hold a NATO Foreign Ministers
meeting in Brussels August 19 to discuss the implications of
events in Georgia for NATO and the NATO-Russia relationship.
Other topics were:

--Afghanistan: SHAPE reported the IED,s had become the
weapon of choice of opposing militant forces (OMF) and ISAF
had shifted focus to road security to ensure freedom of
movement. The Deputy Chairman of the Military Committee
urged Allies to increase their contributions to the training
of the Afghan National Army (ANA) to close the gap in
requirements for Operational Mentoring and Liaison Teams
(OMLTs). He said NATO Military Authorities would complete an
assessment in September of the additional training and
resource requirements involved in the proposed increase of
the ANA to 122,000. He also urged Allies to donate to the
depleted NATO Trust Fund for transporting equipment donations
since numerous donations, including three Mi-24 helicopters
from the Czech Republic, cannot be transported to Afghanistan
due to lack of funds. Assistant Secretary (A/SYG) Howard
reported on his meeting last week with UN OCHA Director John
Holmes in which they agreed to disagree over civilian
casualty figures in Afghanistan, but agreed ISAF and UNAMA
should work out a common methodology for counting civilian
casualties.

-- Kosovo: SHAPE reported that KFOR is providing security at
gates 1 and 31 and the UNMIK is working with Kosovo
authorities to re-establish customs operations at those
locations. The Deputy Chairman of the Military Committee
said SACEUR will brief the NAC on September 3 and would like
the Council to re-start work on revising the Balkans OPLAN
after that meeting.

-- Georgia: The Czech Perm Rep, backed by the Baltic States,
Poland, U.S., UK and Canada urged the NAC to respond quickly
and positively to Georgia's eight requests for assistance.
The German Perm Rep said NATO should take a step back and
carefully consider the Georgians, requests. Ambassador
Volker stressed that NATO needed to support Georgia's
sovereignty and territorial integrity and respond as
positively as possible to Georgia's requests. It was
concluded that the Political Committee would continue its
work on the Georgian requests and a draft NATO statement with
an eye to completing both by the August 19 ministerial. The
Deputy Chairman of the Military Committee made a plea for
Allies to share intelligence with NATO, which has no
intelligence collection capability of its own, especially
imagery.

-- Mauritania: The Deputy Secretary (D/SYG) provided a
readout of his meeting with the Mauritanian Ambassador in
Brussels on Monday, and noted that the NAC would have to make
a decision in the near future on NATO,s partnership with
Mauritania following the military coup on August 6.

-- Budapest Defense Ministerial: Several Allies said they
could not agree at this meeting to holding a NATO-Russia
Council meeting at the October 9-10 NATO Defense Ministerial
and several wanted to consider holding a NATO-Ukraine
Commission meeting.

-- Operation Active Endeavor: Several nations (including the
United States) objected to the participation of a Russian
ship in Operation Active Endeavor, leading the D/SYG to
conclude that in the absence of political approval the
Russians would be informed the ship would not participate in
the operation. Full readout of this discussion is provided
septel. End Summary.


2. (C) NATO Foreign Ministerial: The D/SYG reported that
the SYG had spoken to Secretary Rice the evening of August 12
and reacted favorably to her proposal to hold a NATO Foreign

USNATO 00000289 002 OF 005


Ministerial in Brussels on August 19. Ambassador Volker said
the purpose of the Ministerial would be to discuss the wider
implications of events in Georgia for NATO and its
relationship with Russia. Almost all Allies spoke in favor
of the proposal, though a few said they would need formal
instructions. The D/SYG said the proposal to hold a
Ministerial on August 19 would be put under a silence
procedure to expire at COB (it later passed silence).


3. (C) Afghanistan: SHAPE Deputy Chief of Staff for Plans
and Policy BG Porter reported that the level of activity of
Opposing Militant Forces, (OMF) across Afghanistan was
higher than last year, which he attributed to increased ISAF
and ANA OPTEMPO, and increased freedom of movement for the
OMF in Pakistan. COMISAF had shifted forces to gain
dominance over paved roads, which OMF has increasingly
attacked, especially on parts of the Ring Road. He said
improvised explosive devices (IEDs) are now the OMF weapon of
choice and there had been a 43 percent increase in IEDs in
2008, mostly in Regional Commands South and East. The ANA
and ISAF have been more successful in finding IEDs before
they explode, however, due to improved training and tactics.


4. (C) BG Porter informed the Council that in Pakistan,
operations by the Frontier Corps in the Swat district
recommenced on July 29 and that clashes in the Bajaur Agency
were ongoing. He said the ISAF supply routes through
Pakistan remain open. Attacks along the Kabul-Kandahar road
had put pressure on fuel supplies in RC-South, but supplies
were now increasing and were in the green. Additionally, he
cited the 4-star level August 19th Tripartite Commission
meeting at Bagram Airfield as a key opportunity to engage the
Pakistan military and build cooperation.


5. (C) BG Porter briefed that a number of operations were
under way to secure roads within Afghanistan. In Regional
Command North, the main effort is concentrated in the
Pol-e-Komri, Kunduz areas. In Regional Command West, the
main effort is in the Badghis Province to secure a newly
established forward operating base. In Regional Command
South, operations continue to secure the Ring Road and the
2/2 (U.S.) Infantry Battalion continues to integrated into
ISAF operations. Also, the last turbine for the Kajaki Dam
is scheduled to be delivered by October 31st. It will be
flown to Kandahar and then moved by ground. In Regional
Command East, the first full Afghan National Army Corps level
combined operation (Operation RAD U BARQ IV) is under way
with three Afghan Brigades and four ISAF Battalions. In
Regional Command Capital, planning is in the final stages for
an August 31st transfer of security authority to the Afghans
of the first district within Kabul City.


6. (C) The D/CMC informed Allies that by March of next year,
NATO is on course to have only 53 Operational Mentoring and
Liaison Teams (OMLTs) in Afghanistan against a requirement of

71. He urged Allies to increase their support for ANA
training. He also informed the Council of a SHAPE tasking
(to be completed in October) to assess Defense Minister
Wardak,s request to increase the size of the ANA to 122,000.
Finally, he urged contributions to the depleted NATO Trust
Fund for Equipping and Support of the Afghan National Army.
He said a Czech contribution of 3 Mi-24 helicopters could not
be transported to Afghanistan due to lack of funds and
neither could numerous other donations. Total transportation
costs would run approximately 3 million Euros.


7. (C) In response to a question from the Norwegian
representative about civilian casualties, A/SYG for
Operations Martin Howard reported that he had met last week
in New York with UN U/SYG for Humanitarian Affairs and
Emergency Relief Coordinator John Homes to discuss civilian
casualties in Afghanistan. Howard said they &agreed to
disagree8 on the civilian casualty figures OCHA had
released, which Holmes said had been provided by UNAMA.
Holmes had complained that ISAF was not being transparent
with its civilian casualty figures, though Howard noted that

USNATO 00000289 003 OF 005


ISAF had repeatedly requested UNAMA detail its methodology
behind its civilian casualty figures, but had received no
response. Howard said he and Holmes agreed that ISAF and
UNAMA should work out a common methodology for counting
civilian casualties. BG Porter stressed that COMISAF was
committed to full transparency on civilian casualties and had
recently issued a series of fragmentary orders designed to
increase both the timeliness and transparency of ISAF,s
civilian casualty figures.


8. (C) The Belgian Perm Reps noted that much of the negative
publicity about the security situation in Afghanistan comes
from NGOs and their umbrella organizations and asked whether
ISAF was in regular contact with them. He also asked whether
the SHAPE assessment of the request to increase the size of
the ANA will also examine the efficacy of such an increase.
The D/CMC relied that the SHAPE assessment would also include
such an analysis of the effect of the proposed increase and
added that the ANA is at a &tipping point8 where
investments are paying great dividends. BG Porter said ISAF
provided regular unclassified briefings to NGOs and their
umbrella security organization about the security situation.


9. (C) Balkans: The D/SYG drew the Council's attention to
UNMIK,s announcement on August 11 that it would start its
downsizing this week, approximately six weeks after the UN
SYG,s announcement of UNMIK reconfiguration. BG Porter
reported that the situation in Kosovo remains calm, but low
level incidents continue to contribute to a tense
environment. He informed the Council that UNMIK is working
with Kosovo authorities to re-establish customs services at
Gates 1 and 31. In response to a Bulgarian inquiry, Porter
said that KFOR currently maintains one platoon at each gate
in support of UNMIK and there are plans to reinforce up to a
battalion should there be a repeat of the February events
when K-Serbs burned the two customs gates. Regarding KFOR,s
new tasks, Porter informed the Council that as the KPC stands
down, former members are beginning to apply to the new Kosovo
Security Force, even though some may not be able to join. He
also said that the laws on the new security forces have not
been approved by the Kosovo authorities, but that the naming
of a new Kosovo Defense Minister should help accelerate the
decision making process. Porter welcomed contributions from
nations to the two NATO trust funds (to stand down the KPC
and stand up the KSF) and noted that more resources were
needed.


10. (C) D/CMC again reminded Perm Reps that COMKFOR and
SACEUR will brief the NAC on September 3 after which they
would like the NAC to revisit the issue of revising the
OPLAN. Ambassador Volker stressed the need to take advantage
of the relative calm, which may be temporary, to make
progress on UNMIK reconfiguration, EULEX deployment, and
political guidance to the NATO military authorities. D/CMC
strongly supported the U.S. remarks and noted, in response to
a Dutch question regarding KFOR,s response to a report of an
establishment of a K-Serb checkpoint in northern Kosovo, the
need for clear political guidance for the military
authorities.


11. (C/NF) Georgia: France noted that the 27 EU Foreign
Ministers were meeting that day to finalize conclusions on
Georgia, which will then have to be implemented rapidly. The
Czech Republic opened a lengthy discussion on Georgia, saying
that NATO needed to respond quickly to Georgia,s eight
requests in the non-paper circulated yesterday. He said the
NAC should respond positively to at least some of the
Georgian requests, including sending senior NATO officials to
Georgia and holding a meeting of the Military Committee (MC)
with Georgia. He said the Political Committee, which is
examining Georgia,s requests, should be given clear guidance
by the Council. He argued that Article 8 of the Partnership
for Peace Framework Agreement said that NATO will consult
with any Partner that perceives a direct threat to its
territorial integrity, political independence, or security.
Noting that this article does not specify the level of

USNATO 00000289 004 OF 005


consultations, he argued that a meeting with the MC was
appropriate.


12. (C/NF) The DCMC briefed the Council on President
Medvedev,s August 12 announcement of the halt to military
operations and confirmed that Georgian troops had pulled out
of the Kodori Gorge. He said NATO is still assessing the
battle damage and appealed to Allies to share intelligence
with NATO authorities, in particular imagery. He reported
that Russia had targeted strategically important sites within
Georgia over the past several days, noting several military
installations that had been hit, including the radar facility
that was to host the NATO ASCE. In response to the Czech
PermRep, the DCMC said there are indeed procedures for an MC
to meet with partners, though it has never been exercised
outside of a pre-planned NATO dialogue. (Note: MC 1
meetings have apparently only taken place within the context
of NRC and NUC meetings.) He said that before any such
meeting with Georgia should be scheduled, the MC should be
given political guidance on the meeting. DCMC noted he would
be meeting personally with the Georgian Military
Representative that afternoon.


13. (C/NF) Lithuania, Estonia, Bulgaria, Latvia and Poland
supported the Czech Perm Rep,s comments and stressed the
need to respond quickly to Georgia,s request for assistance.
The Estonian Perm Rep said some of Georgia,s requests could
be fulfilled without much effort and that a meeting on the
Military Committee with Georgia would give the Georgians the
opportunity to explain the rationale behind their requests.
He suggested that separatists from Abkhazia and South Ossetia
may be taking advantage of the cease-fire, and that Russia
(as a party to the conflict) should be held responsible for
such violations. The Latvian Perm Rep stressed Russian
strikes on Georgian radar facilities had left the Georgians
operating blindly, and that the Georgian request for NATO
AWACs assets would be very useful for Georgia. Poland
suggested NATO send a delegation to Tbilisi in advance of the
August 19 NATO Foreign Ministers meeting, which could then
brief the Ministers on the situation on the ground.


14. (C/NF) The German Perm Rep said the Political Committee
had only met once to discuss the Georgian requests and should
be allowed to continue its work. He said the situation was
evolving and suggested NATO take a step back and go through
the eight Georgian requests carefully. France provided a
readout of Sarkozy,s peace-mediation efforts, saying that
his six principles would likely be reflected in the 27 EU
Foreign Minister's conclusions. He questioned the usefulness
of a statement for the August 19 FM meeting and said he could
not support an MC 1 without knowing the political context.


15. (C) Ambassador Volker said that Georgian forces had been
decimated and Russia is also occupying undisputed Georgian
territory. Now, NATO needed to stand for the sovereignty and
territorial integrity of Georgia and it owed Georgia a reply
on its requests for assistance, which should be as positive
as possible. He proposed work continue on the draft NATO
statement, which could be issued at the August 19
Ministerial. The UK expressed support for the U.S. comments,
and said the Ministerial could provide a useful deadline to
formulate a response to Georgia. Canada opined that a strong
NAC Ministerial statement would reinforce the cease-fire
agreement.


16. (C/NF) Responding to a question from the Dutch PermRep,
DCMC said he could not confirm that non-military targets were
hit. He said he could not certify the safety of sea and air
routes, which could affect the provision of humanitarian aid,
and repeated the call for nation's to share intelligence.
Regarding Georgia,s request for NATO AWACS, DCMC said that
two AWACS could be deployed to the region and be operating
within 48 hours, assuming agreement for basing by a host
country. This would give NATO its own intelligence
capability and increase combined intelligence resources in
the aggregate.

USNATO 00000289 005 OF 005




17. (C) Budapest Defense Ministerial: The D/SYG recalled the
SYG had proposed that the October 9-10 NATO Defense
Ministerial in Budapest include the usual NAC meeting on
operation and transformation, as well as a meeting in ISAF
format and a meeting of the NATO-Russia Council (NRC). The
SYG had not proposed a meeting of the NATO-Ukraine Commission
(NUC) since there would be a high-level meeting of the NUC
November 12-13. France, Germany, and Norway supported the
proposal, while many nations said they would need to
reconsider the NRC and also wanted to consider holding a NUC,
given events in Georgia. The D/SYG said noted there was
consensus on the formats, with the exception of the NRC and
NUC meetings, which the Council would discuss again at its
meeting on August 20.


18. (C) Mauritania: The D/SYG mentioned the August 6 military
coup in Mauritania, pointing to the NATO spokesman's
statement of concern and urging for a return to democracy and
rule of law. D/SYG gave a readout of his meeting with the
Mauritanian Ambassador to Belgium on August 11, where he
urged the Ambassador's government to respect democratic
institutions and informed the Ambassador that future
NATO-Mauritanian cooperation (which had recently been
improving) could become very difficult. The Ambassador said
the coup resulted from a standoff between the President and
Parliament which necessitated military intervention, and said
that a general election would be held in the near future
(though he could not provide a date). The SYG said the
Working Group for the Mediterranean Dialogue would meet on
August 29 to discuss the situation in Mauritania, after which
the NAC would have to make a decision on cooperation with
Mauritania as a Med-D partner.
VOLKER