JUNE 19 NRC AMBASSADORIAL: MINISTERIAL PREP,

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 USNATO 000272

NOFORN
SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/23/2019
TAGS: PREL NATO RS GG
SUBJECT: JUNE 19 NRC AMBASSADORIAL: MINISTERIAL PREP,
DISAGREEMENT OVER GEORGIA

Classified By: Charge John Heffern for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d).


1. (C/NF) SUMMARY: On June 19, NATO-Russia Council
Ambassadors prepared for the June 27 NATO-Russia Council
(NRC) Ministerial in Corfu. They focused on three possible
deliverables: a "way forward" paper for the NRC; a political
mandate to restart military-to-military cooperation; and,
Russian participation in NATO's Operation Active Endeavor in
the Mediterranean Sea. Nations were hopeful that the paper
could be agreed, but signaled that they would not sacrifice
the quality of the paper just for the sake of getting it
ready for the ministerial. Russia thanked NATO for the
invitation to participate in Active Endeavor, noting the
invitation had been sent to Moscow for decision. Allies were
united in voicing regret over the Russian veto of the renewal
of the mandate for the UN Observer Mission in Georgia. NRC
Ambassadors agreed they would meet again on July 22. In a
separate meeting with Ambassador Daalder, Russian PermRep
Rogozin was cautious about whether the "way forward paper"
could be approved before the Ministerial, but expressed hope
that at least some elements of it would be agreed. He also
advocated, without specifics, a NATO-Russia Union as the next
step for the NRC. END SUMMARY


Focus on Ministerial Deliverables
--------------


2. (C/NF) At their June 19 meeting, NATO-Russia Council (NRC)
Ambassadors focused on preparations for the June 27
NATO-Russia Council Ministerial in Corfu. NATO Secretary
General de Hoop Scheffer said the meeting would send a
high-level signal of NATO-Russian reengagment. At the same
time, he hoped that there would be several concrete
deliverables from the meeting:

-- a paper currently being negotiated in the NRC Preparatory
Committee (PrepCom) on practical steps to move the NRC
forward;

-- a decision to restart military-to-military cooperation; and

-- a positive answer from Russia to NATO's invitation to
contribute a vessel to NATO's modest Article 5
counterterrorist operation in the Mediterranean, Operation
Active Endeavor (OAE).


3. (C/NF) NRC Ambassadors supported this list of
deliverables, but several stressed that work on the PrepCom
paper should not be rushed just for the sake of achieving a
deliverable at the ministerial. Norway, for example, said
that the ultimate quality of the finished paper was more
important than its timing. The Bulgarian PermRep said simply
that he was not prepared to "die in a ditch" in order to get
the paper done by Corfu. Russian Ambassador Rogozin said
that Moscow was interested in finalizing the paper, but added
that "June 27 is not Lenin's birthday so we don't have to
rush." He said that he did not understand why NATO Allies
had problems with some of the Russian proposals for the
paper, particularly language on the indivisibility of
security. This prompted Poland to note that nations should
avoid "selective quoting" of NRC principles. Rogozin
expressed his belief that the final agreed document should be
made public.


4. (C/NF) Rogozin expressed gratitude for the invitation to
participate in OAE, adding that it had been forwarded to
Moscow for decision.


Allies United on Termination of UNOMIG
--------------


5. (C/NF) German PermRep Brandenberg expressed extreme
disappointment at the Russian decision to veto the renewal of
the mandate for the UN Observer Mission in Georgia (UNOMIG).

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Brandenberg said that he would be surprised if this was not
an issue for discussion in Corfu. Allies who spoke,
including the U.S., agreed. Slovenia, for example, said the
Russian veto was "deplorable." In response, Ambassador
Rogozin stated that Russia was "very unhappy" about having to
veto UNOMIG, but argued that it was forced to do so. He said
UNOMIG's mission had been completed. Rogozin then went on to
compare the situation in Georgia to Parisians' initial
reaction to the construction of the Eiffel Tower, noting that
initially Parisians disapproved of the Tower's construction
but now regard the Tower as an iconic symbol of Paris. The
Danish Ambassador said Rogozin's analogy was "absurd."


July Ambassadorial
--------------


6. (C/NF) NRC nations agreed that the next Ambassadorial
meeting would be on July 22nd. Rogozin recommended using the
meeting to discuss Afghanistan in a regional context or to
receive a briefing on Russia's new national security
strategy. Germany said it would appreciate a briefing on the
Russian national security strategy. The Secretary General
said that the PrepCom could begin work on the meeting's
agenda.


Ambassador Daalder's Meeting with Rogozin
--------------


7. (C/NF) In a separate July 18 meeting with Rogozin,
Ambassador Daalder emphasized U.S. commitment to the success
of the Corfu Ministerial. Daalder viewed the "way forward"
paper as the key Ministerial deliverable, hopefully making
the NRC into more than a talk shop. He urged agreement on
creating an NRC structure that would advance cooperation on
missile defense cooperation, counter-terrorism,
counter-piracy, non-proliferation, and Afghanistan. Daalder
stressed the importance of NATO-Russia relations to
complement our bilateral relations. Rogozin initially
demonstrated uncertainty over whether or not the paper could
be agreed on before the Ministerial, but later suggested that
the paper could be approved under a silence procedure before
the Ministerial. Despite these somewhat conflicting
messages, Rogozin said that agreement should--at the very
least--be reached on a decision to restart mil-to-mil
cooperation. He also anticipated progress in the sections of
the paper dealing with NRC streamlining.


8. (C/NF) Rogozin strongly implied his ability to deliver
results, emphasizing his personal relationships with Russian
Prime Minister Putin and President Medvedev. Rogozin said
that the Russian leadership wanted to be involved in security
discussions and projects at NATO. He said the NRC should be
taken to the next step: a NATO-Russia Union.
HEFFERN