Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
08USNATO447
2008-12-03 16:43:00
UNCLASSIFIED
Mission USNATO
Cable title:  

COMMUNIQUE OF THE DECEMBER 2-3 NATO FOREIGN

Tags:  NATO MARR PARM PHSA PTER XG ZM XA XF 
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UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 06 USNATO 000447 

SIPDIS

STATE FOR EUR/RPM

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: NATO MARR PARM PHSA PTER XG ZM XA XF
SUBJECT: COMMUNIQUE OF THE DECEMBER 2-3 NATO FOREIGN
MINISTERS' MEETING, PART 2 OF 2

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 06 USNATO 000447

SIPDIS

STATE FOR EUR/RPM

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: NATO MARR PARM PHSA PTER XG ZM XA XF
SUBJECT: COMMUNIQUE OF THE DECEMBER 2-3 NATO FOREIGN
MINISTERS' MEETING, PART 2 OF 2


1. (U) The following is part 2 of the Communique from the
December 2-3 NATO Foreign Ministers' Meeting:

CONTINUE TEXT:


20. We welcome the progress made by Bosnia and Herzegovina
and Montenegro in their cooperation with the Alliance and the
development of ambitious Individual Partnership Action Plans
with both countries. We expect both countries to maintain
the momentum in implementing these Action Plans and note
positively their intention to enhance integration through
regional cooperation initiatives. We welcome the start of an
Intensified Dialogue with both countries on the full range of
political, military, financial, and security issues relating
to their aspirations to membership, without prejudice to any
eventual Alliance decision. Without prejudice to our future
decision on Montenegro's request to participate in the MAP,
we welcome Montenegro's interest to progress towards Euro
Atlantic integration.


21. Despite progress in some areas, we are concerned by the
deterioration in the political climate in Bosnia and
Herzegovina over the past few months, which puts at risk the
constitutional structure of the country as well as its Euro
Atlantic integration prospects. We encourage all political
leaders in the country to take a more responsible stance and
urge early implementation of recent agreements, such as on
defence property. We are deeply concerned by irresponsible
political rhetoric and actions that weaken the Bosnian state
and call into question the existence of its entities,
including the break up of the state of Bosnia and
Herzegovina, all of which could have profound implications.
The 8 November 2008 political agreement between some Bosnian
leaders is a welcome sign of dialogue. We urge all political
leaders in Bosnia and Herzegovina to implement concrete
changes consistent with the Peace Implementation Council's
requirements for closure of the Office of the High
Representative. NATO continues to remain vigilant and will
closely monitor the political developments. We deem it

important that the international presence in Bosnia and
Herzegovina take account of the political and security
situation. NATO remains committed to continuing to support
Operation EUFOR ALTHEA through the Berlin Plus arrangements.
As such, we attach utmost importance to efficient cooperation
and consultations between the EU and NATO and non EU Allies.


22. In light of the new Serbian Government's stated
commitment to Euro Atlantic values and partnership, NATO
continues to support Serbia's integration into the Euro
Atlantic community of nations. We welcome Serbia's desire to
pursue further practical cooperation with NATO, including
through full use of Partnership for Peace (PfP). The recent
signature of the Agreement with NATO on the Security of
Information represents an important step in this regard. We
stand ready to further develop our partnership, in particular
through elaboration of an Individual Partnership Action Plan
in accordance with the PfP principles of inclusiveness and
self differentiation. All NATO partnership opportunities for
political consultation and practical cooperation remain open
to Serbia. We call upon Serbia to influence the parties
concerned in Kosovo to abstain from violence.


23. We acknowledge Serbia's recent capture and extradition
of the war crimes indictee Radovan Karadzic and urge Serbia

USNATO 00000447 002 OF 006


to continue its efforts, in particular to capture and
extradite fugitive Ratko Mladic and other remaining
fugitives. We continue to expect Serbia and Bosnia and
Herzegovina to cooperate fully with the International
Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia and will closely
monitor their respective efforts in this regard.


24. While we continue to believe in the importance for Euro
Atlantic security of relations between NATO and Russia that
are based on constructive dialogue - including on issues that
divide the Alliance and Russia - and cooperation, recent
Russian actions and statements have seriously diminished our
confidence in Moscow's continuing commitment to the founding
values and principles of the NATO Russia relations.
Following Russia's disproportionate military actions during
the conflict with Georgia in August, we determined that there
could be no business as usual in our relations with Russia.
Russia's subsequent recognition of the South Ossetia and
Abkhazia regions of Georgia, which we condemn and call upon
Russia to reverse, contravenes the OSCE principles on which
the security of Europe is based and the United Nations
Security Council resolutions regarding Georgia's territorial
integrity which Russia endorsed. We reaffirm our adherence
to these values and principles and call on Russia to
demonstrate its own commitment to them. We call upon Russia
to refrain from confrontational statements, including
assertions of a sphere of influence, and from threats to the
security of Allies and Partners, such as the one concerning
the possible deployment of short range missiles in the
Kaliningrad region. We also call upon Russia to implement
fully the commitments agreed with Georgia, as mediated by the
EU on 12 August and 8 September 2008. In the context of
Georgia, we view Russia's withdrawal from the areas it has
committed to leave as an essential step and welcome the steps
taken thus far to implement those commitments, while
underscoring the importance of full access by international
monitors and reminding Russia of its responsibility in terms
of security and order. We express our support for the
constructive exchanges between all the parties involved in
the Geneva international discussions aimed at making progress
rapidly on pending issues related to security and
humanitarian matters. We urge Russia, as well as all other
relevant actors, to continue to engage constructively in the
resolution of these outstanding issues as the Geneva talks go
forward.


25. The NATO Russia partnership was conceived as a
strategic element in fostering security in the Euro Atlantic
area. Dialogue and cooperation remain important for our
joint ability to meet effectively common security threats and
challenges. We have not conducted business as usual in the
NATO Russia Council (NRC) since August. In a partnership
based on common values, the lack of a shared commitment to
those values must naturally cause the relationship and the
scope for cooperative action to suffer. That is reflected in
the limited scope of our current practical cooperation.
Taking this into account, we have agreed on a measured and
phased approach: we have mandated the Secretary General to
re-engage with Russia at the political level; agreed to
informal discussions in the NRC; and requested the Secretary
General to report back to us prior to any decision to engage
Russia formally in the NRC.


26. NATO's policy of outreach through partnerships,

USNATO 00000447 003 OF 006


dialogue and cooperation is an essential part of the
Alliance's purpose and tasks. The Alliance's partnerships
across the globe have an enduring value, contributing to
stability and security in the Euro Atlantic area and beyond.
We value highly the contributions that our partners are
making to NATO's missions and operations.


27. We remain committed to substantive political
discussions and effective cooperation within the Euro
Atlantic Partnership Council (EAPC) and Partnership for
Peace, based on shared values and principles. NATO expects
all Partners to fulfil their commitments to these values and
principles. We encourage and will continue to support
further defence and other reforms, including in the
strategically important regions of the Caucasus and Central
Asia. We are looking forward to the EAPC Security Forum to
be held in Kazakhstan in June 2009.


28. We met yesterday with our seven Mediterranean partners
to review the significant progress in the Mediterranean
Dialogue process since our last meeting in 2007, and discuss
other issues of common interest. We look forward to building
on this progress and further deepening our relationship
through political dialogue and practical cooperation,
including in the context of the NATO Training Cooperation
Initiative and through the use of trust fund mechanisms, such
as those with Jordan. We consider peace and stability in the
Mediterranean region as essential to our own security. We
welcome the offer of the Spanish Government to host the next
Mediterranean Dialogue Ministerial meeting in Spring 2009.


29. We are pleased with the response by the four Gulf
countries participating in our Istanbul Cooperation
Initiative (ICI),including to the NATO Training Cooperation
Initiative, and are determined to further intensify our
cooperation in this and other areas. The current deployment
of NATO's Standing Maritime Group 2 in the Gulf region and
the exercises it is undertaking with ICI partners demonstrate
our mutual interest in developing our ability to operate
together.


30. We are also pleased with the growing interest in many
countries beyond the Euro Atlantic area in developing closer
relations with NATO. Many of these countries support our
operations, are involved in practical cooperation with the
Alliance in key areas such as education and training, and
engage in regular consultations with NATO on issues such as
the fight against terrorism and the proliferation of Weapons
of Mass Destruction. We are interested in NATO's engagement
with partners across the globe and further developing our
political dialogue and practical cooperation with these
countries in areas of common interest.


31. NATO's transformation is a continual process which
demands constant political attention and active management by
the Allies. We must ensure the provision of forces to allow
the Alliance to conduct its full range of missions, including
collective defence and crisis response operations, as
envisaged in NATO's Strategic Concept and Comprehensive
Political Guidance. As an Alliance, we are committed to
develop policies and capabilities to deal with emerging
challenges and threats, taking into account regional and
national considerations, and to address the immediate
security concerns of all Allies. To that end, we welcome the

USNATO 00000447 004 OF 006


decision taken on increasing political targets for
deployability of land forces. In addition, the Alliance will
continue efforts to be able to deploy the NATO Response Force
by providing the necessary forces. The Alliance will,
through NATO's evolving defence planning process, further
develop the capabilities required to conduct the full range
of our missions and to remedy specific shortfalls. We will
work particularly at improving strategic lift, enhancing the
availability of mission capable helicopters, and further
strengthening our cyber defence. We remain committed to the
development of a comprehensive policy for preventing the
proliferation of Weapons of Mass Destruction and enhancing
Alliance chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear
defence.


32. Ballistic missile proliferation poses an increasing
threat to Allies' forces, territory, and populations.
Missile defence forms part of a broader response to counter
this threat. We therefore recognise the substantial
contribution to the protection of Allies from long range
ballistic missiles to be provided by the planned deployment
of European based United States missile defence assets. As
tasked at the Bucharest Summit, we are exploring ways to link
this capability with current NATO missile defence efforts as
a way to ensure that it would be an integral part of any
future NATO wide missile defence architecture. Bearing in
mind the principle of indivisibility of Allied security as
well as NATO solidarity, Allies took note of progress on the
development of options for a comprehensive missile defence
architecture to extend coverage to all European Allied
territory and populations not otherwise covered by the United
States system for review at our 2009 Summit to inform any
future political decision. As all options include the
planned deployment of European based United States missile
defence assets, we note as a relevant development the
signature of agreements by the Czech Republic and the
Republic of Poland with the United States regarding those
assets. As Defence Ministers did at their Budapest
Ministerial in October 2008, we also noted today the plan to
complete the analysis of options for a comprehensive missile
defence architecture by the Defence Ministerial in Krakow in
February 2009. A report on these options will be presented
to Heads of State and Government for review at their next
Summit. We continue to support the work underway to
strengthen missile defence cooperation between Russia and
NATO, and remain committed to maximum transparency and
reciprocal confidence building measures to allay any
concerns, as stated at the Bucharest Summit. We also
encourage Russia to take advantage of United States missile
defence cooperation proposals and we remain ready to explore
the potential for linking United States, NATO and Russian
missile defence systems at an appropriate time.


33. We reaffirm that arms control, disarmament and non
proliferation will continue to make an important contribution
to peace, security and stability, as part of a broader
response to security issues. We have noted the
implementation report on raising NATO's profile in this
field. The report displays a broad range of activities being
undertaken, including continuing efforts in preventing the
spread of Weapons of Mass Destruction, and the destruction of
excess small arms and light weapons and surplus munitions.
We aim at achieving a higher level of public awareness of
NATO's contribution in the field of arms control, disarmament

USNATO 00000447 005 OF 006


and non proliferation. The Council in Permanent Session will
keep these issues under active review.


34. We place the highest value on the CFE Treaty regime
with all its elements. We underscore the strategic
importance of the CFE Treaty, including its flank regime, as
a cornerstone of Euro Atlantic Security. We reiterate the
endorsement by Heads of State and Government at the Bucharest
Summit of the statement of the North Atlantic Council of 28
March 2008. We reaffirm the Alliance's commitment to the CFE
Treaty regime, as expressed in the Alliance's position
contained in paragraph 42 of the 2006 Riga Summit
Declaration, the final statement by Allies at the CFE
Extraordinary Conference in Vienna and Alliance statements
reflecting subsequent developments. We are deeply concerned
that, for nearly a full year, since 12 December 2007, Russia
has continued its unilateral "suspension" of its legal
obligations under the CFE Treaty. Furthermore, Russia's
actions in Georgia have called into question its commitment
to the fundamental OSCE principles on which stability and
security in Europe are based: principles which underpin the
CFE Treaty. These actions run counter to our common
objective of preserving the long term viability of the CFE
regime and we call upon Russia to resume its implementation
without further delay. Because of our commitment to
cooperative security and fulfilment of international
agreements as well as the importance we attach to the
confidence that results from military transparency and
predictability, we have continued fully to implement the
Treaty despite Russia's "suspension". However, the current
situation, where NATO CFE Allies implement the Treaty while
Russia does not, cannot last indefinitely. Over a year ago,
we offered a set of constructive and forward looking
proposals for parallel actions on key issues, including steps
by NATO Allies on ratification of the Adapted CFE Treaty and
by Russia on outstanding commitments related to Georgia and
the Republic of Moldova. We continue to believe that these
proposals address all of Russia's stated concerns. We urge
Russia to work cooperatively with us and other concerned CFE
States Parties to reach agreement on the basis of the
parallel actions package so that together we can preserve the
benefits of this landmark regime.


35. We remain concerned with the persistence of regional
conflicts in the South Caucasus and the Republic of Moldova.
We continue to support the territorial integrity,
independence and sovereignty of Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia
and the Republic of Moldova. Peaceful conflict resolution
founded on these principles has gained increased relevance
for overall stability in the region. We will further support
efforts to this aim, and stand ready to enter into
consultations with these countries on matters of regional
concern. We will also support these countries in their
efforts to make full use of the mechanisms for conflict
prevention and peaceful conflict resolution.


36. We commend the initiatives to strengthen cooperation,
security and stability in the Black Sea region and will
continue to support the regional efforts to this end.


37. In line with the Bucharest Summit report on NATO's role
in energy security, the Alliance has continued to consult on
the most immediate risks in the field of energy security, as
part of our concerns over the risk of disruption of the flow

USNATO 00000447 006 OF 006


of vital resources. In Bucharest, Allies identified
principles which govern NATO's approach in the field of
energy security, and outlined options and recommendations for
further activities. The Alliance has accordingly started a
process of implementation of activities in the five areas
identified in the report, including through dialogue and
practical cooperation on a case by case basis with its
partners, relevant international organisations and the
private sector, with a view to promoting energy security in
those areas in which NATO can add value. We note the
progress achieved and look forward to a consolidated report
on the subject of energy security for consideration at the
2009 Summit.


38. We are determined to give new impetus to the reform of
NATO Headquarters. Our aim is to make the work of the
Headquarters more effective, responsive, transparent and
resource efficient to support our consensual decision making.
We welcome the work set in train by the Secretary General in
response to the request of our Heads of State and Government
in Bucharest, and note the substantial discussion in
subsequent Defence Ministers' meetings in London and
Budapest. We look forward to the Secretary General reporting
to the next meeting of Defence Ministers, as well as to our
next meeting, on progress in this work and with further
proposals to contribute to the Alliance's ability to conduct
the full range of its operations and missions and to meet
today's security challenges.


39. At our meeting today we have reviewed progress in
implementing the Bucharest Summit decisions, discussed the
key security challenges facing the Alliance, and agreed on
measures to enhance Alliance operations. We have set the
stage for a successful 60th Anniversary Summit next year
where our Heads of State and Government will adopt a
Declaration on Alliance Security which will articulate the
Alliance's vision of its role in meeting the evolving
challenges of the 21st century and maintaining the ability to
perform the full range of its missions, collectively
defending our security at home and contributing to stability
abroad.
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VOLKER