REQUEST FOR GUIDANCE: NAC DISCUSSION OF MEMBERSHIP

UNCLAS USNATO 000029 SIPDIS SENSITIVE SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PREL NATO MARR AL SUBJECT: REQUEST FOR GUIDANCE: NAC DISCUSSION OF MEMBERSHIP ACTION PLAN WITH ALBANIA JANUARY 30 REF: PO(2008)0011 - ALBANIA'S MAP PROGRESS REPORT ¶1. (SBU) PM Berisha will head Albania's delegation to NATO on January 30 to discuss its NATO Membership Action Plan (MAP) Report with Allied PermReps. That discussion will conclude Albania's ninth MAP cycle, and will form the basis for an Allied decision on inviting Albania to join the Alliance at its Summit in Bucharest. Following the NAC discussion, Ambassador Nuland will host lunch with the Albanian delegation. The MAP progress report (REF) was e-mailed to Department on January 21, approved by the NAC under silence procedure on January 23, and then shared with Albania. ¶2. (SBU) USNATO requests guidance for the NAC discussion no later than Brussels COB Monday, January 28, to prepare for the meeting. We would appreciate bullet points evaluating Albania's performance against the benchmarks discussed in Tirana on November 7, 2007, and any other points to raise with Albanians only over lunch. NULAND