HUNGARY CHARTS TWO MAP INVITATIONS AT DECEMBER

C O N F I D E N T I A L BUDAPEST 000820 SIPDIS DEPARTMENT FOR EUR FO AND EUR/CE JAMIE MOORE. PLEASE PASS TO JEFF HOVENIER AT THE NSC E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/15/2019 TAGS: PREL NATO PARM MARR HU SUBJECT: HUNGARY CHARTS TWO MAP INVITATIONS AT DECEMBER MINISTERIAL REF: SECSTATE 116100 Classified By: Political Officer Jon Martinson, reasons 1.4 (b,d) ¶1. (C) PolOff met with the MFA's newly appointed Security and Non-proliferation Department Head, Peter Sztaray, and new NATO Office Director, Eszter Sandorfi, November 16, to discuss reftel. Sztaray, expressing thanks for the information concerning the USG position, stated, however, that Hungary supports MAP for both Montenegro and Bosnia. Agreeing that Montenegro has "moved on down the road" in preparations for MAP, Sztaray explained Hungary's view that if "the Bosnian government has a sufficient level of unity to be a member of the UN Security Council, then it has sufficient unity of State to be offered a MAP." ¶2. (C) Continuing, a disappointed Sztaray stated that Hungary "expected U.S. support for Bosnia." With a nod to NATO consensus, Sztaray said that he anticipates that other allies will support the U.S. position, making it unlikely that Bosnia will receive a MAP invitation in December. However, he cautioned that several NATO members may make the argument that if not MAP for both, then neither country should be offered a MAP invitation at the upcoming Ministerial. ¶3. (C) Sztaray expressed Hungarian agreement with the U.S. position related to Ukraine and Georgia, underscoring that any effort to link the two countries with MAP should be avoided, commenting that both countries should be "decoupled" from the MAP process. However, he added that decoupling may not be easy, as some NATO members, specifically mentioning France, hold an opposite view. Sandorfi said that the December Ministerial communique should contain a more positive message for Ukraine and Georgia. She offered that a clearer message on alternative paths to NATO membership could be more helpful rather than just repeating what has been stated since the 2008 Bucharest summit. LEVINE