ITALIAN PROPOSAL FOR RC-WEST MEETINGS IN

C O N F I D E N T I A L USNATO 000037 SIPDIS SIPDIS STATE FOR EUR/RPM, EUR/WE, SCA/A DEFENSE FOR OSD NATO -- VOGL, MCINNIS; JS NATO -- HIRST, PARENT E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/30/2018 TAGS: PREL NATO MOPS MARR AF IT SUBJECT: ITALIAN PROPOSAL FOR RC-WEST MEETINGS IN AFGHANISTAN AND ROME Classified By: Ambassador Victoria Nuland, for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d) ¶1. (SBU) The Italian Mission to NATO passed USNATO a non-paper on January 25 proposing meetings among ISAF RC-West contributing nations, modeled after ". . . the one currently adopted by Australia, Canada, Estonia, Netherlands, Romania, United States, (and) United Kingdom for their political-military meetings on Region South." The non-paper (emailed to EUR/RPM) cites several areas of RC-West as increasingly prone to Taliban infiltration, and describes the problem as ". . . a complex (not only military) challenge which requires a comprehensive analysis of its political-ethnic-social implications." The "West4" consultations, as the paper titles the proposed meetings, would ". . . aim to better assess the situation and outline targets and concerted measures for the region West that could be recommended to GOA and other involved actors." ¶2. (SBU) The paper makes clear that Italy does not seek to promote new military-led fora on Afghanistan, or overlap with NATO, and suggests a more civilian focus to the meetings. Nevertheless, both Foreign Affairs and Defense representatives are invited to meetings proposed along the following timeline: -- February 2008: preliminary meetings in Kabul and Herat; -- End of February 2008: draft paper from those meetings circulated; -- March 4 or March 5: Rome meeting, at the Afghanistan Political Director or Deputy levels from Ministries of Foreign Affairs and Defense ¶3. (C) Mission defers to Washington to respond directly to the Italian proposal. Meantime, Secretary General de Hoop Scheffer continues to express concern about the proliferation of RC-based fora, on the grounds that they risk balkanizing the Alliance and threatening overall NATO cohesion. His strong preference is that RC-based consultation be done in Kabul or at the RC HQs. NULAND