READOUT: NORTH ATLANTIC COUNCIL MEETING MARCH 25,

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 USNATO 000122 NOFORN SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/25/2019 TAGS: AF PREL NATO SUBJECT: READOUT: NORTH ATLANTIC COUNCIL MEETING MARCH 25, 2009 USNATO 00000122 001.2 OF 003 Classified By: Classified by Deputy Chief of Mission Walter E. Andrusys zyn for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d). ¶1. (C/NF) Summary from the NAC Meeting: -- AFGHANISTAN: The U.S. said it was looking for Allies to take decisions this week on paramilitary policing and on melding the U.S. review and Alliance approach in order to show unity and progress at the Summit. Canada encouraged Allies to agree to statements of Alliance support for ANSF capacity building, policing, and training for Pakistani forces. Poland announced it would send an additional 400 troops to Afghanistan. -- BALKANS: SHAPE Deputy Chief of Staff for Operations MG Wright briefed that the new tasks of demobilizing the Kosovo Protection Corps and standing up the Kosovo Security Force (KSF) are progressing well, but the KSF trust fund has a 16.87 million euro shortfall. -- AFRICA: MG Wright reported that Standing NATO Maritime Group -1 (SNMG-1) had arrived off the Horn of Africa and begun 20 days of anti-piracy operations, which will be followed by port visits to Karachi, Singapore and Perth before another 10 days off the Horn. -- IRAQ: Assistant Secretary General for Operations Martin Howard said he had initialed a short-term MOU on the NATO Training Mission Iraq (NTM-I) during his March 21-22 visit to Baghdad and had passed a draft letter for President Talabani,s signature on human rights protections and began discussions about a longer-term agreement that would cover the legal status of NTM-I personnel. -- RESPONSE TO TERRORISM: The UK announced its government had yesterday released an updated, unclassified version of the UK,s counter-terrorism strategy. -- STATEMENTS ON POLITICAL TOPICS: No discussion. --AOB: No discussion. END SUMMARY. -------------- Afghanistan -------------- ¶2. (C/NF) Afghanistan: The Deputy Secretary General (DSYG) cited the important exchanges with Special Envoy Holbrooke on March 23 and the recent NAC visit to Afghanistan as preparing the way for the Summit. Turkey noted Special Envoy Holbrooke,s proposal for a NAC visit to Islamabad and said the Alliance needs to follow-up on the Secretary General,s (SYG) recent visit to Pakistan, suggesting NATO establish a Contact Point Embassy in Islamabad and answer clearly Pakistan,s request for slots at NATO schools. The U.S. highlighted that the SYG would be meeting with the President today, and Afghanistan would be a major part of that discussion. ¶3. (C) The U.S. said it was looking for Allies to take decisions this week on paramilitary policing and on melding the U.S. review and Alliance approach in order to show unity and progress at the Summit. Canada encouraged Allies to agree to statements of Alliance support for ANSF capacity building, increased coherence in police training, and strengthening relations with Pakistan. Italy called for a unified police training initiative that would establish a clear-cut chain of command and exhibit synergy between civilian and military policing. ¶4. (C) Poland announced it would send an additional 400 troops to Ghazni province by early May and would designate a force of 200 soldiers in Poland as a reserve. Slovakia said it this week completed deployment of a third base protection USNATO 00000122 002.2 OF 003 unit to Uruzgan and was examining how it could further increase its ISAF commitment. Italy said it was committed to increasing support for police training and encouraged a pragmatic, flexible approach. ¶5. (C) SHAPE Deputy Chief of Staff for Operations MG Wright assessed that OMF activity would increase throughout 2009 as OMF forces moved back into Afghanistan from Pakistan, as a result of peace deals in the tribal areas. NATO Military Authorities expect a 50 to 75 increase in IED attacks. MG Wright briefed that there have been four additional counter-narcotics operations since the last Council meeting on March 11, which destroyed 13 heroin labs and confiscated over 60 million dollars worth of narcotics. -------------- Balkans -------------- ¶6. (C/NF) Balkans: The Deputy Secretary General (SYG) noted there had been no significant security incidents in Kosovo on March 24 during the 10th anniversary of NATO,s bombing campaign. He said the UNSC meeting on Kosovo on March 23 showed that the positions of Belgrade and Pristina remain diametrically opposed. ¶7. (C) MG Wright briefed that 87 percent of those eligible have signed up for the Kosovo Protection Corps resettlement program, and the Kosovo Security Force (KSF) training plan remains on track. He noted the recent Dutch pledge of 1 million euros and Finnish pledge of 60 thousand euros for the KSF standup trust fund and said the fund has a 16.87 million euro shortfall after including these pledges. -------------- Africa -------------- ¶8. (C/NF) Africa: MG Wright reported that Standing NATO Maritime Group -1 (SNMG-1) had arrived off the Horn of Africa and begun 20 days of anti-piracy operations, which will be followed by port visits to Karachi, Singapore and Perth before another 10 days of operations off the Horn. He said SNMG-1 would patrol the recommended international transit corridor while other forces in the area concentrated on waters off the coast of Puntland and Yemen. He said SNMG-1 was coordinating with CTF-151 and EU Operation ATALANTA, but that NATO would keep coordination at the lowest possible level. -------------- Iraq -------------- ¶9. (C/NF) Iraq: Assistant Secretary General for Operations Martin Howard said he had initialed a short-term MOU on the NATO Training Mission Iraq (NTM-I) during his March 21-22 visit to Baghdad. Howard said the MOU would be put under silence in the NAC this week with the intention of having it signed soon by the SYG and PM Maliki. He reported he had also used the good offices of the U.S. Embassy to pass a draft letter for President Talabani,s signature regarding the need to respect the commitments of some Allies to Human Rights conventions. He said he also began discussion on a longer-term agreement with Iraq that would cover legal protections for NTM-I personnel, and the NATO legal office intended to produce a draft that would place NTM-I personnel under the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations. He said his objective was to have the long-term agreement settled by mid-May, though final approval by the Iraqi Council of Representatives could take longer. ¶10. (C/NF) Italy, Poland, Denmark, and Romania said they were eager for a resolution to question of legal status for NTM-I personnel and expressed support and appreciation for Howard,s efforts USNATO 00000122 003.2 OF 003 -------------- Response to Terrorism -------------- ¶11. (C/NF) Response to Terrorism: The UK announced its government had yesterday released an updated, unclassified version of the UK,s counter-terrorism strategy. ¶12. (C/NF) Statements on Political Subjects: No discussion. ¶13. (C/NF) Any Other Business: No discussion. ANDRUSYSZYN