USNATO TODAY: READOUT FROM 29 OCTOBER NORTH

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 06 USNATO 000404

NOFORN
SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/31/2018
TAGS: PREL NATO AF
SUBJECT: USNATO TODAY: READOUT FROM 29 OCTOBER NORTH
ATLANTIC COUNCIL

Classified By: Classified by Acting Deputy Chief of Mission Kate Byrnes

(C/NF) Summary from the NAC Meeting:

-- AFGHANISTAN: The Secretary General (SYG),Chairman of the
Military Committee (CMC),and NATO Senior Civilian
Representative (SCR) reported guarded optimism on recent
positive developments in Pakistan-Afghanistan bilateral
relations. All agreed that the recent Cabinet appointments,
particularly the Ministry of Interior, brought in more
competent and talented government officials. The SCR
discussed several ongoing, uncoordinated reconciliation
dialogues, including the Independent Directorate of Local
Governance,s local reconciliation proposal and a Saudi
Arabian initiative to facilitate political discussions
between the Government of Afghanistan and Taliban.

-- BALKANS: Ambassador Volker said he was hopeful the U.S.
would have a 2.5 million dollars donation for the Kosovo
Security Force (KSF) within the next few weeks and an
additional 5 million dollars in the spring, and Germany
announced an in-kind contribution of 7 million euro. The
Secretary General (SYG) reported that EU High Representative
for the Common Foreign and Security Policy Solana on 27
October had privately expressed confidence that the EU Rule
of Law Mission in Kosovo (EULEX) would be operational
throughout Kosovo by December.

-- AFRICA: The NAC received its first operational briefing
on Operation ALLIED PROVIDER, the counter-piracy and WFP
escort mission being performed by elements of Standing NATO
Maritime Group (SNMG) 2 off the Horn of Africa.

-- IRAQ: The SYG observed that it's vital for NATO to ensure
the legal continuity of that NATO Training Mission in Iraq
(NTM-I) past the December 31 expiry of the UNSCR. He added
that SACEUR has sent him a letter recommending that NATO
immediately engage the Iraqi authorities on this issue. The
SYG said he will give the NATO International Staff the
necessary authority to move forward. The NATO negotiations
will be held "in the context" of the ongoing USG-GOI SOFA
negotiations and this bilateral SOFA will be the basis for
NATO's own agreement, he said.

-- RESPONSE TO TERRORISM: no discussion

-- TRANSFORMATION: The SYG outlined his roadmap for
addressing defense transformation issues in the run up to the
February Defense Ministerial in Krakow: additional POL-MIL
options for the NRF, Reserve Forces, Multi-national
Approaches to Capability Development, Innovative Funding
Arrangements, Reform of the Defense Planning Processes, PE
Review, Missile Defense, work on the Norwegian paper on
making NATO more relevant. He stated that this is a very
ambitious work plan and that the timelines will be close.

-- STATEMENTS ON POLITICAL TOPICS: France briefed on recent
EU events including the Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM) Summit and
a meeting of the EU-Russia Permanent Partnership Council. The
French PermRep also updated on the EU Monitoring Mission in
Georgia. Ambassador Volker briefed on the upcoming United
Nations Security Council visit to Afghanistan.

--AOB: Slovakia and Bulgaria announced that the accessional
protocols for Albania and Croatia have successfully been
approved through their respective national procedures.
Croatian and Albanian PermReps thanked the two nations and
also extended thanks to the U.S. for President Bush,s
signature of Albanian and Croatian accession protocols at a
White House singing ceremony last week.

END SUMMARY.


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

(C/REL ISAF) Afghanistan: The SYG briefed the Council on
Afghan Foreign Minister Spanta,s recent visit to Pakistan.
He said the language from the joint communiqu was much more
positive than language used by the two nations several months
ago, and the mini-Jirga held by Afghan and Pakistani border
tribes was a good indicator of improved bilateral relations.
The SYG reported that, based on precedent from the 2004/2005
elections cycle, he responded positively to the OSCE,s
request for ISAF in extremis support to a planned November
high-level conference in Kabul.

(C/REL ISAF) Chairman of the Military Committee ADM Di Paola
described the Military Committee,s (MC) 3-day visit to
Afghanistan last week, which included visits with key leaders
in Kabul, regional commands, and the Ministry of Interior
(MoI) Counter-Narcotics Unit. His overall impression was
that the situation in Afghanistan was more positive than the
press has reported, based on his observations that relations
and cooperation between Afghanistan and Pakistan have
improved; that the changes in the cabinet have improved
government leadership, especially in the Ministry of
Interior; and that the training and performance of the Afghan
National Army (ANA) is progressing well.

(C/REL ISAF) CMC also commented that although the Afghan
National Police (ANP) lag behind the army, the Focused
District Development (FDD) program has shown success with
sizeable security improvement in targeted localities. He
added that today,s requirement at the local level is a
paramilitary holding force, rather than the civil police
force being trained by EUPOL. The RC-South Commander told
the Military Committee that ANA integration in operations is
going well. The MoI,s Counter-Narcotics Interdiction Unit,
mostly trained by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency and
private security contractors, is well-trained but small, with
force strength of 180 and a ceiling of 300 personnel. CMC
added that the unit welcomes any ISAF assistance as it
continues to build its capability.

(C/REL ISAF) CMC noted that the first phase of voter
registration has been mostly unopposed by insurgents. UN
SRSG Kai Eide complained to him that UNAMA does not have the
numbers of personnel or expertise to fully coordinate
civilian-military activities. Kabul officials told the CMC
that civilian casualties cause a strong negative impact, but
COMISAF,s recent efforts have been appreciated. COMISAF
highlighted the need for temporary reinforcements to support
elections and requested that Allies fill shortfalls according
to a new Combined Joint Statement of Requirements.

(C/REL ISAF) Update from NATO SCR Gentilini: Ambassador
Gentilini said politics are now dominating a dynamic dialogue
between Afghanistan and Pakistan, a welcome development.
Karzai and FM Spanta were much more positive about Pakistan
in recent meetings, and Gentilini saw the tribal mini-Jirga
as a sign of confidence-building between the nations. SCR
shared cautious optimism with UNAMA and the Independent
Electoral Commission (IEC) about Phase I voter registration.
He said the IEC is a functioning organization with no
systemic resistance. Phase II preparation is on track, but
may be more difficult to implement because it includes main
cities (Kabul, Heart, Mazar-i Sharif). Gentilini said the
Afghan Government still needs to set a precise date for
elections and provide a logistics delivery plan for polling
sites. SCR asked NATO to continue to deliver a unified
message that elections will happen in 2009, and ISAF will
support them.

(C/REL ISAF) SCR described the reconciliation process as in

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an &exploratory phase8 with lots of talk and little action.
He identified a lack of strategic vision or consensus to
move forward, but said NATO,s message should stipulate that
any reconciliation process be Afghan-led, principled, and
based on strong consensus. He emphasized that reconciliation
is not a shortcut to peace, and the Afghan Government must
approach reconciliation from a position of strength. Later,
the SCR noted several ongoing, parallel discussions with
insurgents including the Independent Directorate of Local
Governance (IDLG) approach to rebuild original tribal
structures and enable governors to approach local insurgents;
the Saudi Arabia-hosted dialogue. This initiative,s outcome
is opaque, Gentilini commented, and it is too early to
discern who is participating, whom they represent, and what
they are proposing.

(C/REL ISAF) Gentilini said the WFP estimates food supplies
will last through February, provided current distributions go
smoothly. The IC needs to pledge more food support to cover
March-onward. The SCR noted ISAF is doing a tremendous job
to support food convoys, but cautioned against highlighting
NATO,s role publicly given NGO sensitivities about being
seen closely cooperating with the military.

(C/REL ISAF) On the recent Cabinet reshuffling, Gentilini
said the new appointees are more competent, but he added that
ethnic imbalance in government may create political pressure
for additional Cabinet changes. New Minister of Interior
Atmar asked Gentilini to approach NATO and nations about how
they might help with police mentoring.

(C/NF) PermReps asked a variety of questions on Pakistan
including the recent Pakistani Parliament resolution to talk
to militants and stop military action inside the tribal
areas, and potential NATO humanitarian relief following the
Quetta earthquake. The SYG responded that Pakistan had not
yet asked for any assistance and Pakistan may be sensitive
about receiving outside aid. In light of Pakistan,s recent
decision to arm tribal militias in the Federally Administered
Tribal Areas, the Canadian PermRep asked for clarification on
ISAF,s assessment/policy on arming tribes in Afghanistan.
The SCR said local community engagement should focus on
empowering tribes to reinvigorate their authority rather than
arming them. Several Ambassadors addressed the ongoing
Comprehensive Strategic Political-Military Plan (CSPMP)
review, and the SYG tasked the Policy Coordination Group to
provide Foreign and Defense Ministers with an assessment and
update of the plan at future ministerial meetings. Asked
about recent criticism of the impartiality of the IEC from
Speaker of the Lower House Qanuni, Gentilini said the recent
political atmosphere has become more polarized between Qanuni
and Karzai, but Qanuni unequivocally supported free, fair
elections in 2009. The CMC responded to a question about
rumors of higher-than-usual numbers of fighters remaining in
Afghanistan over the winter, noting that COMISAF,s plan for
Operation Tolo includes contingencies to contain the fight if
activity increases, and to prevent the enemy from
reconstituting over the winter.

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

(C/NF) Balkans: The SYG emphasized the importance of the NAC
visit to Kosovo scheduled for 4 November. He reported that
EU High Representative for Common Foreign and Security Policy
Solana on 27 October privately expressed confidence that
Belgrade would consent to the EU Rule of Law Mission in
Kosovo (EULEX) deployment by late November and that EULEX
would be operational throughout Kosovo in December.

(C) The SYG urged Allies to make formal offers to the Kosovo
Security Force (KSF) Trust Fund, and CMC warned that the KSF

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standup process would almost certainly be delayed if 11
million euros in contributions were not forthcoming by early
December. In response, Ambassador Volker said he was hopeful
the U.S. would have 2.5 million dollars available for the KSF
within the next few weeks and an additional 5 million dollars
in the spring. Germany announced that it planned to support
the KSF with 7 million euros worth of vehicles, equipment,
and funds. The Czech PermRep stressed the need for a
publicity campaign throughout Kosovo to attract civilian
recruits*and especially minorities*for the KSF. He also
expressed satisfaction with SYG,s statement that he was
exploring possibilities for allowing flexibility to designate
KSF contributions toward civilian or military requirements.

(C) Admiral Di Paola reported that KFOR has transferred 17
members of its staff to the Military Civilian Advisory
Division (MCAD),which oversees execution of KFOR,s new
tasks of demobilizing the Kosovo Protection Corps (KPC) and
standing up the KSF, to make up for a lack of Allied
personnel contributions. In response to a query by the
Spanish PermRep, Admiral Di Paola said he was not aware of
the transfers having any significant negative impact on
KFOR,s ability to perform its core mission and asserted that
the transfers were appropriate given the importance of
accomplishing the new tasks.

--------------
Africa
--------------

(C/NF) Africa: The Council received its first operational
briefing on the counter-piracy and WFP escort missions of
elements of Standing NATO Maritime Group-2 (SNMG-2). The
group arrived in the Gulf of Aden on 20 October, and on 23
October split in two. Task Group Allied Provider, consisting
of ITS Durand de la Penne, HS Themistokles and HMS Cumberland
are performing escort and counter-piracy duties, while the
remainder of the SNMG continued on to the Persian Gulf. Also
on the 23rd, the Canadian frigate HMCS Ville de Quebec
formally handed over WFP escort duties to SNMG-2.

(C) Themistokles is currently escorting a WFP food shipment
to Somalia; Durand de la Penne escorted the M/V Rozen,
carrying supplies for the AU mission in Somalia, to Mogadishu
from 25-27 October; and Cumberland is undertaking
counter-piracy surveillance and deterrence operations in the
region.

(C) The SHAPE briefer also noted the imminent arrival in the
region of Russian frigate Neustrashimyy in the Gulf of Aden.
Ambassador Volker asked whether there had been any
coordination with Neustrashimyy; the Chairman of the Military
Committee replied that there had not, but that it would be
normal and "proper" for tactical coordination to take place.
The SYG concluded the discussion by noting that public
diplomacy assets were already in place and producing
broadcast materials on Allied Provider.

--------------
Iraq
--------------

(C/NF) Iraq: The SYG observed that it is vital for NATO to
ensure the legal continuity of NTM-I past the December 31
expiry of the UNSCR. He added that SACEUR has sent him a
letter recommending that NATO immediately engage the Iraqi
authorities on this issue. The SYG said he feels that "the
moment is here" to start negotiations and he will give the IS
the necessary authority to move forward. Clearly the NATO
negotiations will be held "in the context" of the ongoing
USG-GOI SOFA negotiations and this bilateral SOFA will be the
basis for NATO's own agreement, he observed, but NATO cannot
delay in focusing on its own legal requirements.

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(C/NF) Ambassador Volker gave an update on the USG-GOI SOFA
negotiations and stressed that the agreement text is "closed"
in Washington's opinion and though we can accept textual
edits, substantive changes are not acceptable at this point.
Iraqi authorities have reviewed the text of the agreement,
but the Iraqi cabinet may have some proposed changes. Volker
continued that the negotiations are made more complicated by
how the Iraqi political parties are looking at each other and
seeking political advantage via the SOFA with the U.S. The
Ambassador concluded that Washington is optimistic that the
negotiations will be concluded in the next few weeks and
concurs with the SYG that the USG-GOI bilateral agreement
will be the basis for NATO's agreement.

(C/NF) Italian PermRep followed to say that his country
supports the SYG's way forward and, like SACEUR, feels now is
the time to start negotiations. He added that NATO must
protect its personnel on the ground and the NATO-Iraq
agreement should be completed before December 31st.

(C/NF) Response to Terrorism: no discussion

--------------
Transformation
--------------

(C/NF) Transformation: The SYG outlined his roadmap for
addressing defense transformation issues in the run up t the
February Defense Ministerial in Krakow: addtional POL-MIL
options for the NRF, Reserve Forcs, Multi-national
Approaches to Capability Develoment, Innovative Funding
Arrangements, Reform ofthe Defense Planning Processes, PE
Review, Missie Defense, work on the Norwegian paper on
makingNATO more relevant. He stated that this is a very
ambitious work plan and that the timelines will b close.

(C/NF) Hungary welcomed the addition oftransformation to the
regular NC agenda, but worried about the NAC,s workload.
The Hungarian Perm Rep stated that perhaps the best way to
take ownership of transformation is to have regular updates
on how the Alliance is doing on implementing the CPG. The UK
Perm rep supported Hungary,s views, but said he wanted to
focus more on identified shortfalls such as deployable C2,
medical assets and airbase activation modules. Only specific
issues should come to the NAC level when the committees that
are working them reach a political impasse.

(C/NF) Norway, Turkey, and France also expressed concerns
about workload. Several nations, including Denmark, France,
Slovakia, and Poland, stressed the need to respect existing
procedures. Turkey added that the NAC needs to balance the
requirement for article 5 operations and deployed operations.
Canada expressed concern about a credibility gap for the
Alliance if it does not fix the PE review and the NRF in time
for the Summit, given the public profile of these issues.
Germany cautioned that that in many cases the NAC does not
understand transformation issues sufficiently to make
informed decisions.

(C/NF) The SYG summarized the discussion by stating that he
believes that the NAC can add value on political issues
involved in transformation, but must let the working bodies
work the details. The SYG will come back next week with a
recommendation, based on the UK/Hungarian non-paper on
transformation, on how to involve the NAC in transformation
issues. It appears that this will mainly take place through
briefings by CMC and ASG-DPP on the various issues on the
roadmap.

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

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(C/NF) Statements on Political Subjects: The French PermRep
reported on EU participation in the recent Asia-Europe
Meeting (ASEM) Summit, chaired by China in Beijing, which
discussed major current global issues, specifically the
financial crisis. She also noted French Foreign Minister
Bernard Kouchner,s travel to St. Petersburg for the recent
EU-Russia Permanent Partnership Council meeting, in which he
talked with Russian officials and made preparations for the
upcoming 13 November EU-Russia Summit. Updating on the EU
Monitoring Mission in Georgia, the PermRep noted that &the
first phase8 of the mission is considered complete with
Russian withdrawal of troops from the buffer regions outside
South Ossetia and Abkhazia. The French PermRep lastly brought
to attention a statement by the EU Presidency welcoming the
27-28 October Peace Jirga held in Islamabad between Afghan
and Pakistani leaders aimed at building bilateral dialogue
and cooperation between the two neighbors.

(C/NF) Ambassador Volker provided an update on UN activities,
briefing on the upcoming Italian-led United Nations Security
Council trip to Afghanistan on October 12-18. Volker said
noted that the trip should underscore the need for additional
resources for the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan
(UNAMA).

--------------
Any Other Business
--------------

(C/NF) Any Other Business: Slovakia and Bulgaria announced
that the accession protocols for Albania and Croatia have
been ratified by their respective national procedures.
Croatian and Albanian PermReps thanked the two nations and
also extended thanks to the U.S. for President Bush,s
signature of Albanian and Croatian accession protocols at a
White House signing ceremony last week.
VOLKER