EU CRISIS MANAGEMENT CHIEF SEEKS CLOSER

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 BRUSSELS 001709 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/21/2019 TAGS: MOPS MARR PREL EUN AF CG SUBJECT: EU CRISIS MANAGEMENT CHIEF SEEKS CLOSER COORDINATION IN AFGHANISTAN AND DRC REF: A. USEU 1505 ¶B. USEU 1561 ¶C. USEU 3557 ¶D. USEU 1127 ¶E. EUR/ERA-USEU EMAIL 12/17/09 ¶F. KABUL 3557 ¶G. USEU 1684 ¶H. USEU 1489 ¶I. USEU 1366 ¶J. USEU 1287 ¶K. USEU TODAY JULY 27 2009 ¶L. USEU TODAY AUGUST 10-13 2009 Classified By: POL Minister-Counselor Christopher Davis for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d). ¶1. (C) Summary: In a December 16 meeting with visiting S/CRS Ambassador Herbst, Claude-France Arnould, Director of the EU's Crisis Management Planning Directorate (CMPD), sought closer U.S.-EU coordination in Afghanistan and the Democratic Republic of Congo. As CMPD Director, Arnould supervises all EU strategic crisis management planning, both civilian and military. Arnould said the role of the EU's Police Mission in Afghanistan (EUPOL) needs to be reconsidered, given NATO's new police training role. She said she is not convinced that NATO and EU training missions are truly complementary, although she will say they are in public. As an example, Arnould called attention to the lack of an EU-NATO technical agreement to allow for the deployment of EU civpol to NATO PRTs (REFs A-G). She asked for an informal and honest U.S. assessment of the EU's added value in police training. Arnould said the EU should consider its potential role in supporting Pakistan's security sector -- possibly with a training mission -- and said she intends to begin discussions in Brussels in early 2010. On Africa, Arnould said she is "very interested" in cooperation with the United States to combat sexual and gender-based violence in the DRC. She said she would welcome concrete U.S.-EU collaboration, including U.S. participation in the EU's security sector reform missions and an exchange of views after the U.S. and UN complete assessments in the DRC. End Summary. WHAT SHOULD EUPOL'S ROLE IN AFGHANISTAN BE? ¶2. (C) Arnould said EUPOL is in a very difficult position now that NATO has taken up a police training role. In particular, she noted that the NATO Training Mission in Afghanistan (NTM-A) will include troops from the European Gendarmerie Force. She said her public comments will describe the NATO and the EU police training missions as complementary, but confided that privately she is not convinced they are. For example, she called attention to the lack of a NATO-EU agreement to allow EU civpol to deploy to NATO PRTs across the country (REFs A-G). In this context, she said the EU should reexamine the role its police mission plays in Afghanistan. She asked for the United States' informal and honest assessment of EUPOL's added value. CSDP IN PAKISTAN? ¶3. (C) Arnould expressed her desire to begin an internal EU conversation on possible contributions to Pakistan's security sector. She said her personal intention is to jump-start that conversation in early 2010. She did not specify what contribution the EU could make, mentioning in passing only "training." Comment: This is the first USEU has heard of a potential Common Security and Defense Policy mission for Pakistan. End Comment. WORKING TOGETHER TO COMBAT SEXUAL VIOLENCE IN DRC ¶4. (C) Arnould said she is "very interested" in U.S.-EU cooperation to combat sexual and gender-based violence in Africa, particularly in the Democratic Republic of Congo. She expressed particular interest in a possible sexual violence-focused U.S. contribution to the EU security sector reform missions, saying the EU could be flexible in defining the U.S. role (REFs H-K). Veronica Cody, a gender issues BRUSSELS 00001709 002 OF 002 expert in the CMPD, suggested a U.S.-EU exchange after the release of the UN report sexual violence mapping exercise (REF L). Amb. Herbst said the U.S. is undertaking assessments of both security sector reform and sexual violence in the DRC, and suggested that any U.S.-EU exchange take place after those assessments are complete. ¶5. (U) Ambassador Herbst did not review this cable. KENNARD .