ACTION REQUEST: POINTS TO RAISE WITH NATO-SYG ON SEPTEMBER 18 SPEECH ON RUSSIA

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 STATE 095585



SIPDIS



E.O. 12958: DECL: 09/14/2019

TAGS: NATO, PREL, RU

SUBJECT: ACTION REQUEST: POINTS TO RAISE WITH NATO-SYG ON

SEPTEMBER 18 SPEECH ON RUSSIA



REF: USNATO 383



Classified By: EUR PDAS Nancy McEldowney for Reasons 1.4 (b) and (d)



1. (U) This is an action request. See paragraph 3.



2. (C) Summary. As part of his efforts to revitalize

NATO-Russia relations, NATO Secretary General Anders

Rasmussen intends to deliver a major speech on Russia

September 18 at the Carnegie Europe Center. There are

concerns that SecGen intends to announce Alliance

initiatives that have yet to be agreed upon by Allies and

go beyond most Allies' comfort zones, including possible

official NATO engagement with the Collective Security

Treaty Organization (CSTO)" (ref A). By unilaterally

announcing new initiatives on behalf of the Alliance,

SecGen risks undermining the Alliance's consensus-driven

approach to policy in an area where we have taken great

pains to find a delicate balance. Department requests

that Ambassador Daalder raise privately with SecGen the

concerns outlined in paragraph 3 prior to SecGen's speech,

while emphasizing U.S. support for several areas of

NATO-Russia cooperation (additional thoughts on NRC

cooperation coming septel). End Summary.



3. (C) The Ambassador should draw on the following points

to raise privately with Secretary General Rasmussen.

Begin points:



-- Washington shares your goal of improving NATO-Russia

relations; this is why we are focused on reaching

agreement on the "Taking the NRC Forward" paper in order

to outline priorities for future cooperation and improve

the NRC's effectiveness through structural reform.



-- However, NATO decisions can only be taken by consensus.

Failure to forge consensus among Allies prior to taking

public positions undermines this consensus-based approach and

runs the risk of sowing division within the Alliance, as well

as between PfP nations in Central Asia and NATO. Allies'

voice and your voice as Secretary General will both be

stronger if they are in unison.



-- In your speech at the Carnegie Europe Center on

September 18, we strongly urge you not to get ahead of

Allies' deliberations by announcing new NATO-Russia

initiatives that have yet to be formally considered by the

Alliance.



-- In this vein, it would be premature to announce that

NATO will begin official contacts with the CSTO. NATO has

yet to formally discuss, let alone agree to, engagement

with the CSTO. This will certainly require extensive

review in many Allied capitals. Washington is currently

reviewing the advantages and disadvantages of CSTO

engagement in order to contribute to an informed debate

when Allies do in fact begin discussions on this policy.



-- We also encourage you to refrain from publicly calling

for contingency planning. While the United States supports

contingency planning, this is a matter of extreme sensitivity

to many Allies, and we cannot take any decisions on this set

of issues before consultations have run their course. We

anticipate that the role of contingency planning, and the

specific plans that are needed given the current security

environment, will be central issues of discussion as we

develop NATO's new Strategic Concept. This is a matter of

extreme sensitivity to many Allies, and we cannot take any

decisions on this set of issues before consultations have run

their course.



-- Similarly, we believe that visiting Allied capitals before

Moscow would benefit consensus building among all Allies and

strengthen the relationship between Allies and the

International Staff. Some Allies, the Baltic states in

particular, have privately expressed to us their concerns

about the optics of a trip to Russia prior to visiting their

capitals.



-- Your speech on Friday presents an important opportunity

to highlight areas Allies have identified for future NRC

cooperation. Allies agree on the need to revitalize the

NATO-Russia Council and are actively working on giving the



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NRC new shape and substance, an important public relations

point in and of itself. We strongly recommend that your

remarks reflect Allied consensus.



-- Thus, we urge you to tailor your remarks to emphasize

growing practical coordination between the Alliance and

Russia in specific areas within the NATO-Russia Council,

including in

Afghanistan; counter-narcotics projects in Afghanistan and

Central Asia; efforts to address the threats posed by the

proliferation of nuclear material; counter-piracy in and

beyond the Horn of Africa; and counter-terrorism.





End Points.

CLINTON