GERMANY SUPPORTS MONTENEGRO FOR MAP AT DECEMBER

C O N F I D E N T I A L BERLIN 001414 SIPDIS STATE FOR EUR/RPM AND EUR/SCE E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/06/2019 TAGS: PREL NATO PARM MARR KTIA GM UP GG MW BK SUBJECT: GERMANY SUPPORTS MONTENEGRO FOR MAP AT DECEMBER MINISTERIAL REF: A. STATE 113840 ¶B. STATE 111987 Classified By: POLITICAL MINISTER COUNSELOR GEORGE GLASS. REASONS: 1.4 (B) AND (D). ¶1. (C) Drawing on ref B, post outlined the U.S. position on NATO enlargement for the December 3-4 NATO foreign ministerial with MFA NATO Office Director Bernhard Schlagheck and Deputy Gunnar Denecke on November 2. Confirming what we had heard earlier from the Chancellery, Schlagheck said that Germany could support the U.S. proposal that Montenegro's request for MAP be approved at the December ministerial. Schlagheck also agreed that while Bosnia's aspirations for NATO membership should be supported, it was not yet ready for MAP. ¶2. (C) Schlagheck was relieved to hear that we had no intention of re-opening the debate on MAP for Ukraine and Georgia at this time. He agreed that we should stick to the compromise reached at the December 2008 ministerial, allowing the countries to prepare for NATO membership through their respective bilateral NATO commissions and leaving the MAP question open. ¶3. (C) Schlagheck confirmed, however, that it was still Germany's position that the commissions did not substitute for MAP and that Ukraine and Georgia would still need to surmount that hurdle down the road. At the same time, he acknowledged that MAP could prove to be superfluous or pro forma if all the necessary reforms necessary for membership were made during the commission process. He also agreed that given the several years it would likely take Ukraine and Georgia to make the necessary reforms for membership, it made no sense to argue now about whether MAP might ultimately be necessary or not. MURPHY