Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
08USNATO30
2008-01-24 17:22:00
CONFIDENTIAL//NOFORN
Mission USNATO
Cable title:  

NORTH ATLANTIC COUNCIL READOUT - JANUARY 23, 2008

Tags:  NATO PREL AF 
pdf how-to read a cable
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C O N F I D E N T I A L USNATO 000030 

SIPDIS

NOFORN
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E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/24/2018
TAGS: NATO PREL AF
SUBJECT: NORTH ATLANTIC COUNCIL READOUT - JANUARY 23, 2008

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

C O N F I D E N T I A L USNATO 000030

SIPDIS

NOFORN
SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/24/2018
TAGS: NATO PREL AF
SUBJECT: NORTH ATLANTIC COUNCIL READOUT - JANUARY 23, 2008

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


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

-- Afghanistan: Chairman of the Military Committee (CMC)
Henault stated that 70 percent of ISAF significant events in
2007 occurred in 40 districts, largely in RC-South and
RC-East, and urged nations to provide forces to deal with
this reality. SHAPE briefed on Haqqani Network involvement
in the Serena Hotel attack, weather effects on ISAF
operations, and relief in place of U.S. forces in RC-East.
Latvia announced it will provide one OMLT. The Canadian
PermRep explained next steps following the issuance of the
"Manley Panel" report on future Canadian involvement in ISAF.


-- Balkans: The SYG said he will meet Kosovo Prime Minister
Thaci and reported on NATO's development of a public
diplomacy strategy. The CMC announced NATO had established
an alternate line of communication to Kosovo through
Montenegro.

-- Africa ) Support to the African Union (AU): The SYG
reported the AU Peace and Security Council extended the
AMISOM (Somalia) mandate for six months, calling on partners
to continue to provide support.

-- Iraq: No discussion.

-- Maritime Operations: CMC Henault updated the NAC on the
Russian naval deployment to the Mediterranean.

-- Priorities of the Slovenian EU Presidency: In the first
appearance by the EU Presidency before the NAC, Slovenian FM
Rupel said Slovenia's EU Presidency would focus on the
Balkans, energy security, climate change and intercultural
dialogue. Rupel was positive on NATO-EU cooperation and
pledged to help improve it further. He urged NATO accession
for Croatia, Macedonia and Albania. Perm Reps welcomed
Rupel's outreach to NATO. Many asked how to raise the
profile of Afghanistan in the EU, a question that Rupel
effectively ducked. Ambassador Nuland said the U.S. wanted
stronger NATO-EU cooperation and the Turkish PermRep asked
for help in resolving blockages in Turkey's relationship with
the EU.

-- Membership Action Plan ) Former Yugoslav Republic of
Macedonia (FYROM): PM Gruevski's meeting with the NAC on
FYROM's performance in the Membership Action Plan will be

reported septel.

-- Statements on Political Subjects: Spain reported that the
OSCE is preparing contingency plans for the OSCE Mission in
Kosovo in the event Russia blocks continuation of the mission
in response to Kosovo's expected coordinated declaration of
independence next month.

-- AOB: No discussion.

END SUMMARY.

--------------
Afghanistan
--------------

2. (C/NF) The SYG thanked the Policy Coordination Group (PCG)
for its paper on follow-up to taskings from the informal
Defense Ministerial in Noordwijk held in October 2007, noting
that it has now been placed under silence for the NAC to
decide whether to pass to Defense Ministers for the February
6 - 7 informal Defense Ministerial in Vilnius.


3. (C/NF) CMC Henault stated that 70 percent of all
significant events in 2007 occurred in 40 of Afghanistan's
389 districts, most of which were in RC-South, with the
remaining ones largely in RC-East. He reminded PermReps
again of the need to fill ISAF's Combined Joint Statement of
Requirements (CJSOR),noting that present shortfalls hamper
COMISAF's combat ability in the South, the very region where
he needs it most. He also called on nations to eliminate or
reduce to the maximum extent possible operational caveats,
particularly those that restrict forces geographically,
noting that such caveats constrain COMISAF in exploiting
operational success and planning.


4. (C/NF) SHAPE Deputy Chief of Staff for Operations MG
Wright, responding to a question from the Portuguese PermRep
at the January 16 NAC, stated that ISAF had received credible
intelligence twice in October 2007 and again on January 13,
2008, about possible threats to the Serena Hotel. Each of
these reports was passed to the Afghan National Directorate
for Security. He stated that SHAPE intelligence analysts
believe that the Haqqani network was behind the Serena
bombing. He described the situation in Pakistan as
relatively calm at present, with the possibility for sporadic
protests as the February 18 elections approached. ISAF's key
ground supply lines of communications from Karachi to
Kandahar (900km) and Kabul (2200km) remain open, with ISAF
constantly monitoring their status.


5. (C/NF) Looking at ongoing operations, MG Wright described
how the worst winter weather in Afghanistan in thirty years
was keeping the activities of Opposing Militant Forces (OMF)
low, and also limiting to a lesser extent the ground
movements of ISAF and Afghan National Security Forces.
Operation PAMIR remains the overarching theatre-wide
operation, aiming to drive a wedge between OMF and the
population by demonstrating the linkage between security and
the Afghan government's ability to deliver development,
including meeting the needs of the population during the
winter. The ISAF Theater Task Force has redeployed to
Kandahar airfield from Musa Qala and is preparing for future
operations. RC-West has provided over 30 tons of
humanitarian relief to stricken populations on the Iranian
border in Herat province. The relief in place of the U.S.
82nd Airborne Division Combat Aviation Brigade by the Combat
Aviation Brigade of the U.S. 101st Airborne Division has been
the main logistical focus of RC-East.


6. (C/NF) Latvian PermRep Eichmanis announced that Latvia had
formally committed to provide one Operational Mentor Liaison
Team (OMLT),thanking the U.S. for its assistance in enabling
the contribution. The OMLT will be located in RC-North,
where the Latvians are deployed. Importantly, the OMLT will
have no caveats. Canadian PermRep McRae noted that the
report of the Manley Panel on Canada's future involvement in
Afghanistan after February 2009 was issued on January 22. He
told PermReps he wanted to clarify that the report was meant
to inform Canadian public opinion prior to a Parliamentary
vote, and that it was a recommendation to the government --
not a decision. He highlighted the report's principal
recommendation -- for Canada to continue with its security
responsibilities beyond a February 2009 timeframe, to include
a combat role, but with increasing emphasis on Afghan army
training. McRae stated the recommendation is contingent on
two "hard conditions" -- the deployment of an additional
Allied battle group to Kandahar, and that the government
acquire by February 2009 medium-lift helicopters and UAVs.

--------------
Balkans
--------------


7. (C/NF) The SYG announced his upcoming meeting with Kosovo
Prime Minister Thaci, who will be visiting Brussels January

25. The SYG intends to use this meeting to convey a strong
message of NATO's commitment to stability and peace for the
region. He said that COMKFOR will be meeting the Serbian
CHOD to ensure that NATO's commitment is understood and to
continue the good working relationship between KFOR and the
Serbian military. The SYG announced that NATO is developing
a detailed contingency plan for managing public information
on Kosovo, including media lines, over the next few weeks.
In response to a question from Latvia, the SYG noted NATO
remains in permanent contact with the UN, EU, and all
international players. CMC Henault informed the Council that
the situation in Kosovo remained calm during the Serbian
elections and that KFOR continues to conduct its operational
rehearsals in order to maintain KFOR,s visibility and
enhance unit interoperability. He also announced that NATO
conducted a January 16 reconnaissance of the new ground lines
of communication (GLOC) in support of KFOR that runs through
Montenegro following the recent signing of a transit
agreement that will provide an alternative route of
reinforcement between KFOR and EUFOR in Bosnia-Herzegovina.
In response to Germany's question regarding the affect Serbia
could have on the main GLOC for KFOR, the CMC said that he
would request input from SHAPE but that in the meantime he
did not have any information that the Serbs would cut off the
route through Serbia. In the event that occurred, KFOR could
rely on the new alternate route through Montenegro.


8. (C/NF) Both the UK and Spain praised the SYG's
announcement on NATO's public relations message, although
Spain said that the public message should emphasize KFOR's
role and not address issues such as status that could cause
division within the Alliance. Ambassador Nuland strongly
reiterated Secretary Rice's message on no further delay on
Kosovo,s status, saying that action was needed in February
and not March. More time would only allow extremist actors
on the ground to take things into their own hands. In
addition, delay would mean the reaction would still be
ongoing during the NATO FMs meeting in March and possibly the
April NATO Summit in Bucharest.

--------------
Africa - Support to the AU
--------------


9. (C/NF) The SYG reported that the AU Peace and Security
Council extended the AMISOM (Somalia) mandate for six months
and had called on partners to continue to provide support.
The AU may seek a continuation of NATO's support, which is
currently authorized until 21 February.

--------------
Maritime Operations
--------------


10. (C/NF) CMC Henault updated the NAC on the Russian naval
deployment to the Mediterranean. The carrier Kuznetsov and
its battle group is currently operating off of the coast of
Portugal, having transited the Straits of Gibraltar January

19. The battle group is expected to transit north and arrive
in its homeport in early February, after conducting a
"war-at-sea" exercise with the Black Sea Task Group. The
task group is led by the cruiser Moskva, which is scheduled
to make a port visit in Lisbon next week, and then Italy
after that.

--------------
Priorities of the Slovenian EU Presidency
--------------


11. (C/NF) Slovenian FM Dimitrij Rupel briefed the NAC on
Slovenia's priorities for its Presidency of the EU (January
) June 2008). It was the first meeting between the NAC and
the President of the EU's General Affairs and External
Relations Council (GAERC). FM Rupel and Allies agreed a
briefing to the NAC by the President of the GAERC should be
regularized.


12. (C/NF) Rupel remarked that ratification of the Lisbon
Treaty would strengthen the EU's ability to implement ESDP
and facilitate EU enlargement. He was positive on NATO-EU
cooperation and remarked that "NATO and the EU are not just
related, they are connected ... . NATO and EU are different
sides of the same coin." Kosovo is ESDP's top priority. The
EU agreed that UNSCR 1244 provided a legal basis to deploy an
ESDP rule of law mission to Kosovo. Rupel added that he
thought Serbia should be offered the carrot of a
Stabilization and Association Agreement (SAA) with the EU.
Rupel also urged NATO accession for Croatia, Macedonia and
Albania, and expressed his national view that accession of
one or more of the countries without Macedonia "would be a
disaster" for regional stability. Energy security, climate
change and intercultural dialogue are other priorities for
the Presidency.


13. (C/NF) In their comments, many PermReps asked Rupel what
could be done to increase the EU's focus on Afghanistan,
since it was NATO's highest priority. Rupel's responded only
by saying that EUPOL, already in Afghanistan, soon would
begin to have an impact on stabilization and Afghan police
operations and that the Lisbon Treaty would facilitate the EU
playing a larger and more effective role in Afghanistan.


14. (C/NF) Ambassador Nuland said the U.S. wanted to see a
stronger EU, a stronger NATO, and seamless cooperation
between the two. The Turkish PermRep welcomed the meeting,
and remarked that Turkey is often seen as the obstacle to
improving NATO-EU cooperation. He said, however, that Turkey
is frustrated by the EU's positions on the involvement of
non-EU European Allies in ESDP missions, conclusion of a
Turkey-EU security agreement, and Turkey's relationship with
the European Defense Agency. He asked if Slovenia would
follow up on the attempts Portugal had made during its
Presidency to address these issues, which Rupel said he
assumed he would.

--------------
Statements on Political Subjects
--------------


15. (C/NF) Spain, representing Finland as Chairman in Office
of the OSCE, reported that the OSCE is preparing contingency
plans for its Mission in Kosovo, should Russia object to the
Mission's monthly automatic extension following Kosovo's
expected coordinated declaration of independence next month.
NULAND