READOUT: NORTH ATLANTIC COUNCIL MEETING APRIL 1,

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 USNATO 000129 NOFORN SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 04/02/2019 TAGS: AF PREL NATO SUBJECT: READOUT: NORTH ATLANTIC COUNCIL MEETING APRIL 1, 2009 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 SYG reported the Election Support Force remains unfilled, with the most significant shortfalls remaining in RC-South. The SYG said he had met with UN SYG Ban Ki Moon on the margins of the March 31 meeting in The Hague on Afghanistan and suggested the UN coordinate requests from international election observation missions for NATO/ISAF support, and Ban directed his staff to discuss this idea further with NATO. Ambassador Volker stressed the need for the Alliance to come to closure on Summit deliverables, including filling the Operational Mentoring and Liaison Team (OMLTs) shortfalls. The UK and Canadian PermReps supported Ambassador Volker,s call to finalize Summit deliverables and called for establishment of a NATO Training Mission ) Afghanistan (NTM-A) in the Summit declaration. The German PermRep announced that Germany was contributing 50 million to the ANA Trust Fund for sustainment. -- BALKANS: The Secretary General said the EU Rule of Law Mission in Kosovo (EULEX) will declare full operating capability (FOC) on April 6, but will not achieve full manning until early autumn. He observed that this delay will have consequences for KFOR. -- AFRICA: NATO International Military Staff reported that Standing NATO Maritime Group 1 was executing the first phase of anti-piracy mission ALLIED PROTECTOR off the Horn of Africa. He said pirates had increasingly shifted to night operations and had shifted their activities to the east to avoid naval vessels. -- IRAQ: Denmark announced its personnel assigned to the NATO Training Mission ) Iraq (NTM-I) had returned to Iraq, after having been temporarily withdrawn due to concerns over legal protections for NTM-I personnel. -- RESPONSE TO TERRORISM: No discussion. -- STATEMENTS ON POLITICAL TOPICS: No discussion. -- AOB: No discussion. END SUMMARY. -------------- Afghanistan -------------- ¶2. (C) Afghanistan: The SYG said that the Election Support Force (ESF) is not yet filled, but the Alliance would like to announce the completion of ESF force generation at the Summit. The SYG reported he received a letter from DSACEUR �00A;stating that shortfalls in the North and the West should be resolved quickly, but the most significant shortfalls remain in the South (2 battalions) and some shortfalls remain in the East and with theater assets. Regarding SHAPE,s effort to convince NRF 13 nations to fill the shortfalls, the SYG stated that this does not let other Allies off the hook. ¶3. (C) The SYG stated the March 31 meeting in The Hague on Afghanistan reenergized the international effort in Afghanistan with a focus on the key priorities; long term stability in Afghanistan, execution of a balanced civilian-military approach, enhanced effort to build both the ANA and ANP, support to free and fair elections, and execution of a regional approach. On the margins of the meeting, he spoke to UN SYG Ban Ki Moon and suggested the UN coordinate requests from international election observation missions for NATO/ISAF support; Ban directed his staff to discuss this proposal further with NATO staff. ¶4. (C) MG Li Gobbi, NATO International Military Staff, said USNATO 00000129 002 OF 002 mild weather increased opposing militant forces (OMF) movement across the Pakistan border, and ISAF efforts to preempt the spring offensive were reasons for the higher levels of significant acts. Summarizing the role of NATO in current ANA training, he said the Directorate for ANA Training and Equipment Support (DATES) in Afghanistan is the executive agent for NATO support to the ANA. NATO,s other two lines of effort regarding ANA training are sponsoring Branch Schools and mentoring the ANA Air Corps. There remain several openings for nations to sponsor a Branch School and offer trainers and mentors to the ANA Air Corps. ¶5. (C) Ambassador Volker stressed the need for the Alliance to come to closure on Summit deliverables. Fulfilling the shortfall in Operational Mentoring and Liaison Teams (OMLTs) will be a critical deliverable. He distributed a table of OMLT shortfalls to the PermReps that provided clarity on exactly where the next 15 NATO OMLTs will be required. The SYG agreed this is a major deliverable and thanked Ambassador Volker for providing clarity on the issue. ¶6. (C) The Dutch PermRep announced a Special Operations Task Group comprised of 76 Commandos and Marines will deploy from May 09-Aug 10 for the elections and The Netherlands will contribute an additional 3 million to the UNDP election fund (2008 contribution was 5 million). The German PermRep announced that Germany was contributing 50 million to the ANA Trust Fund for sustainment. ¶7. (C) The Canadian PermRep called for NATO to agree to establish a NATO Training Mission ) Afghanistan (NTM-A), which he said must build on the contributions Allies have already made and generate further resources. The UK PermRep supported Canada,s call to create a NTM-A with concrete language at the Summit so it cannot be viewed as an empty pledge. -------------- Balkans -------------- ¶8. (C) Balkans: The SYG said the EU Rule of Law Mission in Kosovo (EULEX) will declare full operating capability (FOC) on April 6, but will not achieve full manning until early autumn. He observed that this delay will have consequences for KFOR. The SYG noted that he had received a letter expressing appreciation from Kosovo President Sejdiu on the tenth anniversary of NATO,s bombing campaign. -------------- Africa -------------- ¶9. (C) Africa: General Li Gobbi reported that Standing NATO Maritime Group 1 (SNMG-1) began the first phase of its anti-piracy mission ALLIED PROTECTOR off the Horn of Africa on March 24 and would continue until April 20. He said NATO assessed that pirates had increasingly shifted to night operations and had shifted their activities to the east to avoid naval vessels. Pirates had also extended the range of their operations to up to 1,000 nautical miles off the coast. -------------- Iraq -------------- ¶10. (C) Iraq: Denmark announced its personnel assigned to the NATO Training Mission ) Iraq (NTM-I) had returned to Iraq, after having been temporarily withdrawn due to concerns over legal protections for NTM-I personnel. ¶11. (C) Response to Terrorism: No discussion. ¶12. (C) Statements on Political Subjects: No discussion. ¶13. (C) Any Other Business: No discussion. VOLKER