Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
09USNATO238
2009-06-05 19:51:00
CONFIDENTIAL//NOFORN
Mission USNATO
Cable title:
NORTH ATLANTIC COUNCIL MEETING, JUNE 3,2009
how-toVZCZCXRO2060 OO RUEHAG RUEHDBU RUEHFL RUEHKW RUEHLA RUEHMRE RUEHNP RUEHPW RUEHROV RUEHSR DE RUEHNO #0238/01 1561951 ZNY CCCCC ZZH O 051951Z JUN 09 FM USMISSION USNATO TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 3043 INFO RUCNAFG/AFGHANISTAN COLLECTIVE PRIORITY RUCNMEM/EU MEMBER STATES COLLECTIVE PRIORITY RUEHZL/EUROPEAN POLITICAL COLLECTIVE PRIORITY RUEHZG/NATO EU COLLECTIVE PRIORITY RUCNOSC/ORG FOR SECURITY CO OP IN EUR COLLECTIVE PRIORITY RUEHAD/AMEMBASSY ABU DHABI PRIORITY 0188 RUEHDS/AMEMBASSY ADDIS ABABA PRIORITY 0483 RUEHBY/AMEMBASSY CANBERRA PRIORITY 0597 RUEHIL/AMEMBASSY ISLAMABAD PRIORITY 0762 RUEHKH/AMEMBASSY KHARTOUM PRIORITY 0556 RUEHMO/AMEMBASSY MOSCOW PRIORITY 6396 RUEHUL/AMEMBASSY SEOUL PRIORITY 0576 RUEHGP/AMEMBASSY SINGAPORE PRIORITY 0373 RUEHSI/AMEMBASSY TBILISI PRIORITY 5778 RUEHKO/AMEMBASSY TOKYO PRIORITY 0900 RUEHWL/AMEMBASSY WELLINGTON PRIORITY 0414 RUEHUNV/USMISSION UNVIE VIENNA PRIORITY 0019 RHEHNSC/WHITE HOUSE NSC WASHDC PRIORITY RUEAIIA/CIA WASHDC PRIORITY RHEFDIA/DIA WASHDC PRIORITY RHMFISS/HQ USCENTCOM MACDILL AFB FL PRIORITY RHMFISS/HQ USEUCOM VAIHINGEN GE PRIORITY RUEKJCS/JOINT STAFF WASHDC PRIORITY RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHINGTON DC PRIORITY RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK PRIORITY 0920 RUEHNO/USDELMC BRUSSELS BE PRIORITY RHMFISS/USNMR SHAPE BE PRIORITY
C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 04 USNATO 000238
NOFORN
SIPDIS
E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/06/2019
TAGS: PREL NATO EWWT MARR MOPS AF PK RS
SUBJECT: NORTH ATLANTIC COUNCIL MEETING, JUNE 3,2009
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 000238
NOFORN
SIPDIS
E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/06/2019
TAGS: PREL NATO EWWT MARR MOPS AF PK RS
SUBJECT: NORTH ATLANTIC COUNCIL MEETING, JUNE 3,2009
Classified By: A/PolAd A. "Hoot Baez. Reasons: 1.4 (b) and (d).
1. (C/NF) Summary from the NAC Meeting:
-- AFGHANISTAN: At the June 3 meeting of the North Atlantic
Council, Allies discussed continuing disagreements over the
scope of the proposed NATO Training Mission-Afghanistan
(NTM-A). Secretary General de Hoop Scheffer stressed the
urgency of reaching agreement on this before the June 11-12
meeting of NATO Defense Ministers. Most Allies agreed with
the Secretary General, with Ambassador Daalder strongly
arguing that Allies would not want the headline out of the
ministerial to be that NATO had failed to implement a major
decision taken by NATO Heads of State and Government at their
April Summit. Germany and France agreed on the need to move
quickly, but argued that the proposal on the table was
perhaps too ambitious and went beyond the summit agreement.
-- BALKANS: The Secretary General urged Allied "prudence" in
discussing the transition of KFOR to a deterrence posture,
adding that he wanted to avoid the perception that NATO was
"running for the exits." (Note: On June 5, Allies agreed a
document on the move to deterrence presence.)
-- PIRACY: The Secretary General raised the possibility of a
smaller, postponed, or even canceled long-term counter-piracy
mission unless Allies stepped up to the plate with force
donations at a June 10 force generation conference. Allied
responses divided along familiar lines, with EU contributors
citing a lack of legal framework as a deterrent to further
contributions. The Secretary General strongly rebutted
arguments that European Allies could not contribute to both
the NATO operation and the EU's Atalanta operation, adding
that he expected to have a discussion of this issue when NATO
Defense Ministers meet on June 11-12.
-- IRAQ: Progress toward a long-term agreement with Iraq
regarding NTM-I was expected to pick up pace now that Iraqi
officials have concluded negotiations on a bilateral
agreement with the U.K.. NATO Assistant Secretary General
for Operations Martin Howard will travel to Baghdad
immediately following the upcoming NATO defense ministerial
in order to continue negotiations.
-- NATO-Russia: The Secretary General reported that agreement
with Russia had been reached to hold a NATO-Russia Council
Foreign Ministerial in Corfu on June 27.
END SUMMARY
Afghanistan
--------------
2. (C) At the June 3 meeting of the North Atlantic Council,
Allies discussed continuing disagreements over the scope of
the proposed NATO Training Mission-Afghanistan (NTM-A).
Secretary General de Hoop Scheffer stressed the urgency of
reaching agreement on this before the June 11-12 meeting of
NATO Defense Ministers, arguing forcefully that it would not
be acceptable for Allies to fail to make progress on this
issue which had already been agreed upon in principle by NATO
Heads of State and Government at their April 3-4 summit.
3. (C) Most Allies agreed with the Secretary General, with
USNATO 00000238 002 OF 004
Canada making clear that "failure of NTM-A" was not an
option. Ambassador Daalder agreed, noting that the
Alliance's failure to act in this matter would be the number
one headline coming out of the ministerial. Pressing the
case, he said that if Afghanistan was the Alliance's number
one priority (as Allies say it is) and if training is an
important part of how we will ultimately succeed (which
Allies again say it is) then the Alliance must move on this
quickly and must do so in a manner that sets up as robust an
NTM-A as possible.
4. (C) France agreed on the need to move quickly, but argued
that the proposal on the table went beyond what Heads of
State and Government had agreed at their summit. Germany
argued that Allies had to look at what was realistic in the
short-term in terms of resources. He also questioned whether
police training should be done by a "military" organization
such as NATO.
Balkans
--------------
5. (C/NF) The Secretary General reminded Allies that a
document on the transition of KFOR to a deterrence posture
was out for Allied agreement under a silence procedure until
Friday evening, June 5. (Note: This document was agreed by
Allies on June 5). He urged "prudence" in public speculation
on the future of Kosovo ahead of the June 11-12 Defense
Ministerial. He made clear that he wanted to avoid the
perception that NATO was "running for the exits."
6. (C/NF) A number of Allies echoed the Secretary General's
concerns, with Turkey calling for a "prudent and discreet"
approach to the media on this issue. Norway stressed that it
was important that the Alliance move forward in this matter
in an "orderly manner," adding that further steps should not
be taken beyond the agreement on the document until after
defense ministers had had a chance to discuss the issue.
Piracy
--------------
7. (C/NF) The Secretary General reported that the force
generation conference for a possible long-term NATO
counter-piracy mission would take place on June 10. He added
that, based on the disappointing response given at a previous
force-sensing meeting, the Military Committee stood ready to
"re-calibrate" the scope of the mission downward, or even to
postpone or cancel the proposed mission if necessary.
8. (C/NF) In the Secretary General's opinion, however, a
failure by NATO to establish a long-term mission would leave
a "strange impression" with other international actors,
including the EU, who were active in the fight against piracy
off the Horn of Africa. He added that he would hate to see
the day that NATO left counter-piracy to others. He asked if
this was the "image" of NATO Allies wanted to project.
9. (C/NF) Allies commented along familiar lines: Germany, the
Netherlands, Portugal, and Belgium said any NATO mission
would need to "add value" to existing counter-piracy efforts,
and in addition would require a solid legal framework before
more Allies would be willing to contribute assets.
USNATO 00000238 003 OF 004
Meanwhile, the U.S., Turkey, Canada and the UK noted that
NATO must be seen to address the piracy problem, which has so
far proven bigger than any one organization's ability to deal
with. The Turkish PermRep pointed out that force generation
was simply a matter of political will. Ambassador Daalder
added that, just as he intended was going back to Washington
with a request for further assets, so he hoped all of our
Allies would do the same. Both the UK and Denmark noted that
NATO's most appropriate assets for this kind of mission, the
Standing NATO Maritime Groups, should be used to their
fullest capacities in any long-term mission. The Canadian
PermRep noted that NATO's role in counter-piracy operations
would be a proper subject for discussion next week by Defense
Ministers.
10. (C/NF) In response, the Chairman of the Military
Committee, Admiral DiPaulo, said that "value-added" can have
two dimensions ) the qualitative and the quantitative. He
said that any of the organizations and states currently
contributing to counter-piracy operations can add quantity.
He also said that NATO also has the ability to bring
qualitative contributions to the table, such as Maritime
Patrol Aircraft. He also raised the possible use of AWACS in
a counter-piracy support role.
11. (C/NF) The Secretary General strongly rejected the
argument made by some European Allies that because they were
contributing to the EU's Atalanta mission they could not also
contribute to a NATO mission. He pointedly told them to look
at NATO naval inventories as cataloged in the regular NATO
Defense Planning Questionnaire (DPQ),adding that Allies
clearly have more ships than the 13 or so participating in
Atalanta. The Secretary General conceded that Allies who
raised the issue of a legal framework for a long-term NATO
mission had a point, but urged them not to use this as an
excuse for not contributing. He said that preparatory work
for a legal framework was ongoing, but concluding such a
framework would take time. He closed by noting that the
piracy issue would be on the agenda of the June 11-12 meeting
of NATO Defense Ministers.
Iraq
--------------
12. (C/NF) NATO Assistant Secretary General for Operations
Martin Howard said that he had sent a draft agreement on the
long-term status of the NATO Training Mission-Iraq (NTM-I) to
Baghdad on April 21 and had received a response from Iraq in
mid-May. Howard noted that the Iraqi response was positive,
but that the re-write proposed by the Iraqis was "muddled"
and vague. Howard said that in order to clarify the
situation he had held a video conference with Iraqi
officials, including Minister of Defense Abdul Qader. Howard
said that after the video conference the NATO International
Staff had drafted and forwarded a new version of the
agreement to Iraq. Since then, progress had slowed, largely
because Baghdad had been preoccupied with finalizing its
bilateral agreement with the U.K. Howard said that progress
toward reaching an agreement was expected to pick up pace now
that the Iraqis had reached an agreement with London. In
concluding his briefing, Howard announced that he would be
traveling to Baghdad immediately after the June 11-12 Defense
Ministerial in order to continue negotiations.
USNATO 00000238 004 OF 004
NATO-Russia
--------------
13. (C) The Secretary General reported that agreement had
been reached to hold a NATO-Russia Council Foreign
Ministerial in Corfu on June 27 on the sidelines of the OSCE
ministerial which will also be taking place on the island.
Greece said that it was beginning to make appropriate
administrative arrangements.
DAALDER
NOFORN
SIPDIS
E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/06/2019
TAGS: PREL NATO EWWT MARR MOPS AF PK RS
SUBJECT: NORTH ATLANTIC COUNCIL MEETING, JUNE 3,2009
Classified By: A/PolAd A. "Hoot Baez. Reasons: 1.4 (b) and (d).
1. (C/NF) Summary from the NAC Meeting:
-- AFGHANISTAN: At the June 3 meeting of the North Atlantic
Council, Allies discussed continuing disagreements over the
scope of the proposed NATO Training Mission-Afghanistan
(NTM-A). Secretary General de Hoop Scheffer stressed the
urgency of reaching agreement on this before the June 11-12
meeting of NATO Defense Ministers. Most Allies agreed with
the Secretary General, with Ambassador Daalder strongly
arguing that Allies would not want the headline out of the
ministerial to be that NATO had failed to implement a major
decision taken by NATO Heads of State and Government at their
April Summit. Germany and France agreed on the need to move
quickly, but argued that the proposal on the table was
perhaps too ambitious and went beyond the summit agreement.
-- BALKANS: The Secretary General urged Allied "prudence" in
discussing the transition of KFOR to a deterrence posture,
adding that he wanted to avoid the perception that NATO was
"running for the exits." (Note: On June 5, Allies agreed a
document on the move to deterrence presence.)
-- PIRACY: The Secretary General raised the possibility of a
smaller, postponed, or even canceled long-term counter-piracy
mission unless Allies stepped up to the plate with force
donations at a June 10 force generation conference. Allied
responses divided along familiar lines, with EU contributors
citing a lack of legal framework as a deterrent to further
contributions. The Secretary General strongly rebutted
arguments that European Allies could not contribute to both
the NATO operation and the EU's Atalanta operation, adding
that he expected to have a discussion of this issue when NATO
Defense Ministers meet on June 11-12.
-- IRAQ: Progress toward a long-term agreement with Iraq
regarding NTM-I was expected to pick up pace now that Iraqi
officials have concluded negotiations on a bilateral
agreement with the U.K.. NATO Assistant Secretary General
for Operations Martin Howard will travel to Baghdad
immediately following the upcoming NATO defense ministerial
in order to continue negotiations.
-- NATO-Russia: The Secretary General reported that agreement
with Russia had been reached to hold a NATO-Russia Council
Foreign Ministerial in Corfu on June 27.
END SUMMARY
Afghanistan
--------------
2. (C) At the June 3 meeting of the North Atlantic Council,
Allies discussed continuing disagreements over the scope of
the proposed NATO Training Mission-Afghanistan (NTM-A).
Secretary General de Hoop Scheffer stressed the urgency of
reaching agreement on this before the June 11-12 meeting of
NATO Defense Ministers, arguing forcefully that it would not
be acceptable for Allies to fail to make progress on this
issue which had already been agreed upon in principle by NATO
Heads of State and Government at their April 3-4 summit.
3. (C) Most Allies agreed with the Secretary General, with
USNATO 00000238 002 OF 004
Canada making clear that "failure of NTM-A" was not an
option. Ambassador Daalder agreed, noting that the
Alliance's failure to act in this matter would be the number
one headline coming out of the ministerial. Pressing the
case, he said that if Afghanistan was the Alliance's number
one priority (as Allies say it is) and if training is an
important part of how we will ultimately succeed (which
Allies again say it is) then the Alliance must move on this
quickly and must do so in a manner that sets up as robust an
NTM-A as possible.
4. (C) France agreed on the need to move quickly, but argued
that the proposal on the table went beyond what Heads of
State and Government had agreed at their summit. Germany
argued that Allies had to look at what was realistic in the
short-term in terms of resources. He also questioned whether
police training should be done by a "military" organization
such as NATO.
Balkans
--------------
5. (C/NF) The Secretary General reminded Allies that a
document on the transition of KFOR to a deterrence posture
was out for Allied agreement under a silence procedure until
Friday evening, June 5. (Note: This document was agreed by
Allies on June 5). He urged "prudence" in public speculation
on the future of Kosovo ahead of the June 11-12 Defense
Ministerial. He made clear that he wanted to avoid the
perception that NATO was "running for the exits."
6. (C/NF) A number of Allies echoed the Secretary General's
concerns, with Turkey calling for a "prudent and discreet"
approach to the media on this issue. Norway stressed that it
was important that the Alliance move forward in this matter
in an "orderly manner," adding that further steps should not
be taken beyond the agreement on the document until after
defense ministers had had a chance to discuss the issue.
Piracy
--------------
7. (C/NF) The Secretary General reported that the force
generation conference for a possible long-term NATO
counter-piracy mission would take place on June 10. He added
that, based on the disappointing response given at a previous
force-sensing meeting, the Military Committee stood ready to
"re-calibrate" the scope of the mission downward, or even to
postpone or cancel the proposed mission if necessary.
8. (C/NF) In the Secretary General's opinion, however, a
failure by NATO to establish a long-term mission would leave
a "strange impression" with other international actors,
including the EU, who were active in the fight against piracy
off the Horn of Africa. He added that he would hate to see
the day that NATO left counter-piracy to others. He asked if
this was the "image" of NATO Allies wanted to project.
9. (C/NF) Allies commented along familiar lines: Germany, the
Netherlands, Portugal, and Belgium said any NATO mission
would need to "add value" to existing counter-piracy efforts,
and in addition would require a solid legal framework before
more Allies would be willing to contribute assets.
USNATO 00000238 003 OF 004
Meanwhile, the U.S., Turkey, Canada and the UK noted that
NATO must be seen to address the piracy problem, which has so
far proven bigger than any one organization's ability to deal
with. The Turkish PermRep pointed out that force generation
was simply a matter of political will. Ambassador Daalder
added that, just as he intended was going back to Washington
with a request for further assets, so he hoped all of our
Allies would do the same. Both the UK and Denmark noted that
NATO's most appropriate assets for this kind of mission, the
Standing NATO Maritime Groups, should be used to their
fullest capacities in any long-term mission. The Canadian
PermRep noted that NATO's role in counter-piracy operations
would be a proper subject for discussion next week by Defense
Ministers.
10. (C/NF) In response, the Chairman of the Military
Committee, Admiral DiPaulo, said that "value-added" can have
two dimensions ) the qualitative and the quantitative. He
said that any of the organizations and states currently
contributing to counter-piracy operations can add quantity.
He also said that NATO also has the ability to bring
qualitative contributions to the table, such as Maritime
Patrol Aircraft. He also raised the possible use of AWACS in
a counter-piracy support role.
11. (C/NF) The Secretary General strongly rejected the
argument made by some European Allies that because they were
contributing to the EU's Atalanta mission they could not also
contribute to a NATO mission. He pointedly told them to look
at NATO naval inventories as cataloged in the regular NATO
Defense Planning Questionnaire (DPQ),adding that Allies
clearly have more ships than the 13 or so participating in
Atalanta. The Secretary General conceded that Allies who
raised the issue of a legal framework for a long-term NATO
mission had a point, but urged them not to use this as an
excuse for not contributing. He said that preparatory work
for a legal framework was ongoing, but concluding such a
framework would take time. He closed by noting that the
piracy issue would be on the agenda of the June 11-12 meeting
of NATO Defense Ministers.
Iraq
--------------
12. (C/NF) NATO Assistant Secretary General for Operations
Martin Howard said that he had sent a draft agreement on the
long-term status of the NATO Training Mission-Iraq (NTM-I) to
Baghdad on April 21 and had received a response from Iraq in
mid-May. Howard noted that the Iraqi response was positive,
but that the re-write proposed by the Iraqis was "muddled"
and vague. Howard said that in order to clarify the
situation he had held a video conference with Iraqi
officials, including Minister of Defense Abdul Qader. Howard
said that after the video conference the NATO International
Staff had drafted and forwarded a new version of the
agreement to Iraq. Since then, progress had slowed, largely
because Baghdad had been preoccupied with finalizing its
bilateral agreement with the U.K. Howard said that progress
toward reaching an agreement was expected to pick up pace now
that the Iraqis had reached an agreement with London. In
concluding his briefing, Howard announced that he would be
traveling to Baghdad immediately after the June 11-12 Defense
Ministerial in order to continue negotiations.
USNATO 00000238 004 OF 004
NATO-Russia
--------------
13. (C) The Secretary General reported that agreement had
been reached to hold a NATO-Russia Council Foreign
Ministerial in Corfu on June 27 on the sidelines of the OSCE
ministerial which will also be taking place on the island.
Greece said that it was beginning to make appropriate
administrative arrangements.
DAALDER