Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
09USNATO207
2009-05-22 17:40:00
CONFIDENTIAL//NOFORN
Mission USNATO
Cable title:  

NORTH ATLANTIC COUNCIL MEETING, MAY 20,2009

Tags:  PREL NATO EWWT MARR MOPS AF PK 
pdf how-to read a cable
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C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 04 USNATO 000207 

NOFORN
SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 05/22/2019
TAGS: PREL NATO EWWT MARR MOPS AF PK
SUBJECT: NORTH ATLANTIC COUNCIL MEETING, MAY 20,2009

Classified By: A/PolAd A. "Hoot Baez. Reasons: 1.4 (b) and (d).

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 04 USNATO 000207

NOFORN
SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 05/22/2019
TAGS: PREL NATO EWWT MARR MOPS AF PK
SUBJECT: NORTH ATLANTIC COUNCIL MEETING, MAY 20,2009

Classified By: A/PolAd A. "Hoot Baez. Reasons: 1.4 (b) and (d).


1. (C/NF) Summary from the NAC Meeting:

-- AFGHANISTAN: While initially objecting to a proposal to
begin the committee work to formulate political guidance on
the NATO Training Mission-Afghanistan until the May 28
release of military advice on the subject, France and Turkey
did ultimately agree to a compromise that would allow the
appropriate committee chairman to use his discretion to start
political discussions, with the proviso that no political
decisions could be taken before the military advice was
formulated. Norway asked whether the decision by Afghanistan
to appoint a high-level commission to study the issue of
foreign troops in the country would impact on the question of
a Military Technical Agreement between NATO and Afghanistan.
UN Special Representative of the Secretary General in
Afghanistan Kai Eide will likely brief the Council on June 4
or 5. The Chairman of the Military Committee reported
continuing critical shortfalls in the Combined Joint
Statement of Requirements, despite the recent U.S.
contributions. France briefed on the visit of French FM
Kouchner and Special Representative Lellouche to Afghanistan.

-- Pakistan: Allies expressed concerns about the reported
834,000 Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in Pakistan, with
several asking whether NATO assistance had been requested or
could be offered. The Deputy Secretary General said that
visiting Pakistani Chief of Army Staff Qayani had not
requested any assistance on this matter during his May 19
visit to NATO Headquarters. Germany announced a 5 million
euro contribution it had made for humanitarian assistance to
Pakistan; this aid will be distributed by the UNHCR.

-- BALKANS: In response to a letter from SACEUR proposing
that NATO take a decision on moving NATO to a deterrence
force posture in Kosovo as early as at the June Defense
Ministerial, Greece--supported by Turkey, Bulgaria, and
Romania--said that they would need advice from the Military

Committee before taking any decisions. These countries also
strongly emphasized that decisions on NATO's future role in
Kosovo were ultimately political in nature and would require
a political analysis, as well as a military one. The Greeks
and Bulgarians expressed interest in learning more about Vice
President Biden's trip to the Balkans.

-- Piracy: Noting that Greece had broken silence on the draft
NAC Initiating Directive to direct military planning for a
long-term NATO counter-piracy role, the Deputy Secretary
General said that the International Staff would issue a
revised version of the Directive under a short silence
procedure after first working directly with Greece and Turkey
to find language acceptable to both. (Note: A revised version
of the Initiating Directive was issued and agreed to on May
22.)

-- Russia-Georgia: The Czech Republic*on behalf of the EU
presidency*briefed that the fifth round of the Geneva Talks
on Georgia had "obviously" been hindered by Abkhazia's
absence, as well as by the walkout of Russia and South
Ossetia. Greece--on behalf of the OSCE Chairman in
Office-said that it had a "different" take on the Geneva
Talks, claiming that despite initial differences, the talks
had taken place in a "constructive spirit."

USNATO 00000207 002 OF 004



END SUMMARY.

Afghanistan
--------------


2. (C/REL ISAF) NATO Training Mission-Afghanistan: The
Chairman of the Military Committee ADM Di Paola (CMC) noted
that SHAPE had provided its input on the NATO Training
Mission-Afghanistan (NTM-A) on May 15. The Military
Committee was in the process of evaluating SHAPE's input and
crafting military advice on the proposal. The Military
Committee intended to issue a draft document to Allies for
comments on May 21 (deadline May 25),then incorporate
comments into final military advice on May 28. The CMC
emphasized the urgency of the military committee's work and
encouraged parallel political work in the Policy Coordination
Group (PCG) to begin. The Deputy Secretary General (D/SYG)
underscored this point, requesting nations to approve a
tasking to the PCG to provide political guidance that could
be considered alongside the finalized military advice. While
France and Turkey raised initial procedural concerns about
this course of action, they did not object when the UK
proposed as a compromise that the PCG chairman be allowed to
use his discretionary authority to begin some political work,
with the proviso that the PCG could reach no decisions until
after the receipt of military advice. The CMC also asked
Council to add to its agenda in the near future a discussion
and agreement of the assumptions from a recent military
advice paper on new long-term command and control capability
for COMISAF.


3. (C/REL NATO) Military Technical Agreement (MTA): Noting
that the Government of Afghanistan had appointed a high-level
commission to look into the issue of the presence of foreign
troops, Norway repeated its question from the previous week
about whether NATO should begin taking forward the
Afghan-proposed Military Technical Agreement. The CMC
replied that he did not know of any recent Afghan government
approach to ISAF on the issue of the MTA.


4. (C/REL ISAF) Kai Eide to brief Council: In response to a
request by PermReps the previous week, the Deputy Secretary
General said that a briefing to the Council by UN Special
Representative of the Secretary General Kai Eide would likely
happen on either June 4 or 5.


5. (C/REL ISAF) CJSOR Update: Chairman of the Military
Committee ADM Di Paola reported that SHAPE has provided an
update on the standing Combined Joint Statement of
Requirements (CJSOR) for Afghanistan and the Elections
Support Force CJSOR. There were still critical shortfalls,
he said, notwithstanding the recent and in-flowing U.S.
contributions. These shortfalls included additional
Operational Mentoring and Liaison Teams, medical evacuation
rotary wing for Regional Commands (RC) North and West, two
Provincial Reconstruction Teams, and airborne counter-warfare
to counter improvised explosive devices, among others. SHAPE
continued to maintain that there were shortfalls for the
Elections Support Force, most critically in Regional
Command-South.


6. (C) French Visit to Kabul: French PermRep Andreani said
Foreign Minister Kouchner and Special Representative for

USNATO 00000207 003 OF 004


Afghanistan and Pakistan Pierre Lellouche visited Kabul last
week, emphasized the importance of democratic elections, and
expressed French intent to contribute to the development of
an Afghan gendarmerie force.

Pakistan
--------------


7. (C/REL ISAF) General Qayani's visit and internally
displaced people: RADM Salvo Moreno, Deputy Assistant
Director of the Operations Division of the International
Military Staff, reported that the UN High Commission for
Refugees in Pakistan is reporting 834,000 new internally
displaced people (IDPs) as a result of PakMil operations.
Canada, Germany, and Norway asked if Pakistan's government
had made any requests for NATO assistance in delivering
humanitarian aid, possibly through airlift. The CMC and
D/SYG replied that General Qayani, Pakistani Chief of Army
Staff, discussed the issue of IDPs while visiting the
Military Committee and the Secretary General on May 20, but
did not request international assistance. Germany announced
a 5 million euro contribution of humanitarian assistance to
Pakistan, which would be distributed through the UNHCR.
Germany said this donation was on top of an already existing
6 million euro contribution it had made. In response to a
PermRep question, the Chairman of the Military Committee
reported that most recent IDPs were traveling south within
Pakistan, not into Afghan provinces, and posed no threat to
ISAF operations.

The Balkans
--------------


8. (C/REL NATO) In response to a letter from SACEUR proposing
that NATO take a decision on moving NATO to a deterrence
force posture in Kosovo as early as at the June Defense
Ministerial, Greece--supported by Turkey, Bulgaria, and
Romania*said that they would need advice from the Military
Committee before taking any decisions. These countries also
strongly emphasized that decisions on NATO,s future role in
Kosovo were ultimately political in nature and would require
a political analysis, as well as a military one. Turkey,
Greece, and Romania urged colleagues to keep all discussions
about this issue confidential and within NATO channels.


9. (C) Deputy Secretary General Bisogniero said he hoped the
Council would have Military Committee advice by the end of
June in order to begin its deliberations before the Defense
Ministerial in June. The Secretary General intends to invite
SACEUR to brief the Council when the military advice is
ready, and EULEX chief de Kermabon and ICR/EUSR Feith will
address the Council on June 9.


10. (C) The Greek and Bulgarian PermReps welcomed Vice
President Biden's trip to the Balkans as an important
development, adding that they would like a readout of the
visit. Greece also praised the symbolic and substantive
significance of the Vice President being accompanied by EU
High Representative for Common Foreign and Security Policy
Solana to Bosnia.

Piracy
--------------


USNATO 00000207 004 OF 004



11. (C/REL NATO) Noting that Greece had broken silence on the
draft NAC Initiating Directive to direct military planning
for a long-term NATO counter-piracy role, the Deputy
Secretary General said that the International Staff would
issue a revised version of the Directive under short silence
procedure after first working directly with Greece and Turkey
to find language acceptable to both. (Note: A revised version
of the Initiating Directive was issued and agreed to on May
22.)

Russia-Georgia
--------------


12. (C/REL NATO) The Czech Republic*on behalf of the EU
presidency*briefed that the fifth round of the Geneva Talks
on Georgia had "obviously" been hindered by Abkhazia's
absence and by the walkout by Russia and South Ossetia.
Greece--on behalf of the OSCE Chairman in Office-said that it
had a "different" take on the Geneva Talks, claiming that
despite initial differences, the talks had taken place in a
"constructive spirit."
HEFFERN