SUPPORTING USG PROPOSALS FOR CIVIL AVIATION IN

C O N F I D E N T I A L USNATO 000079 SIPDIS SIPDIS FAA FOR R. SMITH MONTREAL FOR STEVE CRAMER AT US MISSION TO ICAO E.O. 12958: DECL: 02/28/2018 TAGS: EAIR NATO PREL AF SUBJECT: SUPPORTING USG PROPOSALS FOR CIVIL AVIATION IN AFGHANISTAN REF: SECSTATE 18141 Classified By: Acting DCM W.S. Reid III for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d). ¶1. (C) SUMMARY. USNATO delivered reftel points on civil aviation in Afghanistan to NATO Assistant Secretary for Operations Martin Howard on February 26. Howard gave assurances NATO shares U.S. objectives for civil aviation in Afghanistan and said he would instruct NATO representatives who will attend the February 28 Airspace Task Force meeting in Kabul to be constructive. END SUMMARY. ¶2. (C) USNATO Deputy Political Advisor delivered reftel demarche on U.S. proposals for civil aviation in Afghanistan to NATO Assistant Secretary General for Operations Martin Howard on February 26 (and left the points as a non-paper). In deploying the points, Poloff stressed the importance of a unified international community approach to building Afghan capacity in civil aviation and the importance of embedding this effort within the Joint Coordination and Monitoring Board/Afghanistan National Development Strategy (JCMB/ANDS) framework. While all concerned share a common goal of transitioning to Afghan ownership over civil aviation matters, there has so far not been a common approach to achieving this goal. Poloff emphasized that while NATO had held a leading role in civil aviation matters under the NATO Clearing House/Steering Committee structure, that structure had been superseded and it was time to fully transition to the JCMB/ANDS framework in the interests of building Afghan ownership and regardless of any institutional equities at NATO HQ. ¶3. (C) Howard, who overseas the NATO Training Activities Coordination and Aviation Section headed by Edgard Vandeputte, agreed that NATO and the U.S. share the goal of building Afghan ownership of civil aviation matters. He regretted there may have been "misunderstandings" in the past over the best ways to achieve this goal. Howard said he had no interest in defending institutional equities at NATO HQ and said his overriding goal was to support the agreed objective of building Afghan ownership and capacity. He said he would pass the U.S. message to members of his staff who will attend the February 28 Airspace Task Force meeting in Kabul and ensure they were instructed to be constructive. NULAND