READOUT: OCTOBER 15 NORTH ATLANTIC COUNCIL MEETING

S E C R E T SECTION 01 OF 04 USNATO 000379 NOFORN SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/17/2018 TAGS: NATO PREL AF SUBJECT: READOUT: OCTOBER 15 NORTH ATLANTIC COUNCIL MEETING Classified By: Acting Deputy Chief of Mission Walter S. Reid for Reason s 1.4 (b) and (d). ¶1. (C/NF) Summary from the NAC Meeting: -- AFGHANISTAN: During the October 15 meeting of the North Atlantic Council (NAC),NATO Secretary General (SYG) de Hoop Scheffer noted the request by Afghan Defense Minister Wardak for a NATO Trust Fund to meet the needs of the expanding Afghanistan National Army (ANA). PermReps discussed the need for timely advice from the Senior Resource Board and the National Military Authorities to ensure the Trust Fund was on line prior to the early December Foreign Ministers meeting. Ambassador Volker said that the U.S. would distribute a non-paper on how to expand the existing ANA Trust Fund. The Belgian PermRep also asked for a brief from the U.S. on the ongoing &strategy review,8 as well as on the National Intelligence Estimate for Afghanistan which had been reportedly leaked to the press. -- BALKANS: The SYG summarized the SHAPE sponsored Kosovo Security Force (KSF) Standup Information Conference held at SHAPE on 8 October. -- AFRICA: Support to the AU: Because the issue of piracy was discussed extensively during an informal meeting of PermReps the previous day, no substantive discussion took place in the NAC, although France did brief on counter-piracy developments at the EU... -- IRAQ: Poland noted that it has completed the process of redeploying 20 officers in Iraq within the framework of the NATO Training Mission-Iraq (NTM-I). The Chairman of the Military Committee intervened to remind the Allies that the clock is running out on NATO,s legal coverage in Iraq, with the UN Security Council mandate under which NTM-I operates expiring on December 31. -- RESPONSE TO TERRORISM: No discussion -- STATEMENTS ON POLITICAL TOPICS: France briefed on EU activities, including those relating to Georgia. The Czechs voiced their support for a swift response to the Georgian request for medical assistance for those harmed in the August crisis. --AOB: De Hoop Scheffer briefed PermReps on his phone conversation with UNSYG Ban. In response to a UK intervention drawing attention to a British/Hungarian non-paper on NATO transformation, the SYG notified Allies of his plans to task NATO Military Authorities and others to consider the proposal, as well as the proposals outlined in a �A;separate transformation non-paper from Norway. (S/NF) At the end of the NAC, a PermReps only session was held to discuss the sensitive issue of the UK,s use of anti-terrorism legislation as grounds for British freezing of assets of Icelandic banks in the UK. END SUMMARY. -------------- Afghanistan -------------- ¶2. (C/NF) Afghanistan: ANA Trust Fund Expansion: The Secretary General (SYG) noted that at the October 9-10 Budapest Defense Ministerial meeting Afghan Defense Minister Wardak had requested additional support for the expansion of the Afghan National Army (ANA),proposing either the expansion of the existing ANA Trust Fund or the development of a new one. The SYG proposed tasking the Senior Resource Board (SRB) to provide its advice on the issue, taking into account the ongoing work of the National Military Authorities (NMA) on ANA expansion. The Norwegian PermRep suggested moving ahead in a logical sequence with NMA advice, then USNATO 00000379 002 OF 004 discussion, followed by SRB advice. The Dutch Ambassador announced a 400,000 Euro contribution to the current ANA Trust Fund for the purchase/transport of &non-lethal8 equipment. He added that there should be further debate on &the mechanics and level of ambition8 of the expanded Trust Fund, but in any case it needed to have the capability to &earmark8 funds, so that the Netherlands could tap large official development aid (ODA) accounts to meet the bill. He suggested other Allies might have similar needs. The UK said it understood the proposal, but cautioned against getting trapped in a drawn-out, sequential process. Additionally, he recommended against having too many caveats on funds to avoid inefficiency and inflexibility, adding that these funds should &dovetail8 with national funds, rather than compete with them. Highlighting ANA expansion as one of the most important items NATO will have to focus on in upcoming years; Ambassador Volker said that the US supports expanding the current Trust Fund and would circulate a non-paper proposing how this could be done. The Dutch PermRep requested quick action by the SRB and other actors, adding that The Hague was nearing a decision on a &sizable contribution8 this year. The Deputy SYG concluded that Allies were moving towards a single Trust Fund, stressing the need to move swiftly in order that the Trust Fund will be in place in time for the December Foreign Ministerial meeting (12/2-3),as requested by Minister Wardak. ¶3. (C/NF) Pakistan: Rear Admiral Moreno, Deputy Director of the International Military Staff Operations Division, informed the Council that operations by Pakistani military forces continued in Bajaur Agency. He said that the operations were welcome, but their effect on OMF actual operational capability was questionable. He also reported on successful actions in the Oakzai area. He also promised an update on the 15 October Tripartite Commission meeting in Rawapindi when information becomes available. ¶4. (C/NF) ISAF Security Situation: RADM Moreno updated the Council on the increase in overall activity in Afghanistan following Ramadan. Specifically, he described the highly sophisticated opposing militant forces (OMF) attack on Lashkar-Gah that was repelled by ISAF forces and resulted in significant OMF losses. He also commented that voter registration activities did not seem to be targeted by kinetic OMF operations, although a slide showed OMF info operations against the registration process in RC-E. Lastly, he relayed a request by the World Food Program for ISAF to provide area security and air support to compliment ANA close security for convoys moving between Kandahar and Herat. ¶5. (C/NF) ISAF Operations: RADM Moreno informed the Allies that in Regional Command Capital the overall threat level in Kabul was low, but OMF were expected to try to build support in surrounding districts. Regional Command North was relatively calm, but there has been an increase in reports of OMF meeting with local leaders in Badakhsan. In Regional Command West, ISAF forces are assisting in the delivery of the Bala Morghab Bridge from Kabul today. In Regional Command South, the threat is high from IEDs along lines of communication, and ISAF/ANSF forces are working together to disrupt OMF command and control as well as infiltration in the Panjway and Sangin districts. In Regional Command East, the majority of activity is in Kunar and Paktika Provinces, where the OMF are conducting an information operations campaign against voter registration. Additionally, ANA and ISAF forces are staging combined operations against OMF near the Khost-Gardez Pass in Logar Province. ¶6. (C/NF) Discussion: PermReps asked a variety of questions on the need for increased forces to support voter registration activities, a deeper analysis of the impact of Pakistani military operations in the tribal areas on Afghan security, and how to counter OMF information operations/strategic communications efforts. The Belgian PermRep also asked for a brief from the U.S. on the ongoing &strategy review,8 as well as on the National Intelligence USNATO 00000379 003 OF 004 Estimate for Afghanistan which had been reportedly leaked to the press. The French Ambassador announced the arrival of one transport and two reconnaissance helicopters, as well as surveillance drones in Afghanistan. The German PermRep announced the opening of a Police training Center in Mazar-e-Sharif, which will train 1,000 police annually. He also announced a 10 million Euro donation to the Law and Order Trust Fund. The UK Ambassador requested a Pol-Mil briefing on voter registration and food shortage issues in the future. -------------- Balkans -------------- ¶7. (C/NF) Balkans: The SYG summarized the SHAPE sponsored Kosovo Security Force (KSF) Standup Information Conference held at SHAPE on 8 October. He noted that while the donations to the Kosovo Protection Corps (KPC) Standown Trust Fund were proceeding on schedule, the same could not be said for the KSF Standup Trust Fund. He said that the KSF Standup Trust Fund only had 312,000 Euro in the bank, adding that Germany was the only country to make an equipment donation ) 200 vehicles. The SYG stressed that the situation must improve quickly, noting that an analysis of the Trust Fund pledges and the consequences of delays in filling them was being conducted at SHAPE. -------------- Africa -------------- ¶8. (C/NF) Africa: Support to the AU: Because PermReps discussed the issue of piracy in an informal setting the previous day, no discussion of the subject took place in the NAC. Under another agenda item, however, France reported that the EU,s Political and Security Committee had decided this week that the planned European Security and Defense Policy (ESDP) counter-piracy mission would be headquartered out of Northwood in the UK, with British Vice Admiral Philip Jones as the head of the mission. She said Jones will start work on operational planning in order for the mission to begin by early December. De Hoop Scheffer reported that UNSYG Ban had called him to express his appreciation for the piracy-related decisions NATO had taken at its Budapest Defense Ministerial. -------------- Iraq -------------- ¶9. (C/NF) Iraq: Poland noted that it has completed the process of &changing character8 in Iraq by redeploying 20 officers to the NATO training mission in Iraq. The PermRep noted that Poland would maintain presence in Iraq in the framework of NATO. ¶10. (C/NF) The Chairman of the Military Committee intervened to remind the Allies that the clock is running out on NATO,s legal coverage in Iraq, with the UN Security Council mandate under which NTM-I operates expiring on December 31. He suggested that much of this process is dependant upon the U.S. -------------- Response to Terrorism -------------- ¶11. (C/NF) Response to Terrorism: No discussion -------------- Statements on Political Subjects -------------- ¶12. (C/NF) Statements on Political Subjects: France briefed on EU activities. On the situation in Georgia the PermRep noted that Russian forces have withdrawn from the buffer zones around South Ossetia and Abkhazia (&in compliance with USNATO 00000379 004 OF 004 the 12 August and 8 September agreements.8). Citing the statement by ministers in the meeting of the EU,s General Affairs and External Relations Council (GAERC),she also said that, EU members had reaffirmed their commitment to talks in Geneva in hope to first set out security modalities for the two regions and establish plans to deal with IDPs. A donor,s conference will also be held October 22. She said that Georgia might be raised during the European Council meeting later in the week, while acknowledging that the focus of the meeting would be the global financial crisis. ¶13. (C/NF) In response to the French statement that the Russian pullback from buffer zones in Georgia was in accordance with the two agreements, the Czech PermRep said he felt it was important to compare that assertion with the statement made by the Georgian Defense Minister in Budapest last week. The Czech PermRep also voiced Prague,s support for a swift response to the Georgian request for medical assistance for those harmed in the August crisis. He advocated a trust fund to deliver the necessary medical assistance and establish rehabilitation centers. The SYG stated that plans on this issue were being considered and finalized. -------------- Any Other Business -------------- ¶14. (C/NF) Any Other Business: The SYG said that in their telephone conversation, UNSYG Ban had said he was &solidly behind8 the NATO-UN Declaration and was looking forward to staff-to-staff meetings on the basis of the declaration. He was critical of Russia opposition to the declaration. ¶15. (C/NF) In response to a UK intervention drawing the SYG,s attention to a British/Hungarian non-paper on NATO transformation, de Hoop Scheffer informed Allies of his plans to task NATO Military Authorities to consider the ideas in a Norwegian non-paper on transformation. The UK PermRep expressed his hope that the British/Hungarian proposal is also taken into full consideration. ¶16. (C/NF) After restricting the room to only PermReps, the SYG raised the sensitive issue of the UK,s use of anti-terrorism legislation as the grounds for freezing the UK assets of Icelandic banks without notification/consultation. Delivering prepared remarks the Icelandic PermRep characterized the financial crisis in Iceland as &the biggest security challenge to the country since WWII,8 adding that British actions served only to escalate the crisis. Describing the issue as a &misunderstanding,8 the UK PermRep said London fully understood the pressure of the current crisis and the need to stand with Allies at this time. At the same time, however, he argued that the legislation in question was not narrowly focused on counter-terrorism, but allowed HMG to take action when a significant threat of any kind was posed to the UK economy. REID