USNATO: SWEDISH FM BILDT STRESSES NEED FOR

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 04 USNATO 000323 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 07/22/2019 TAGS: PREL NATO PGOV MOPS BK KV EUN SUBJECT: USNATO: SWEDISH FM BILDT STRESSES NEED FOR COORDINATED NATO-EU STRATEGIC APPROACH Classified By: Ambassador Ivo Daalder, Reasons: 1.4 (b) and (d) ¶1. (C) SUMMARY: On July 22, Swedish Foreign Minister Bildt briefed the NAC on Sweden's goals for its EU Presidency. FM Bildt, with U.S. backing, emphasized the need for a true NATO-EU strategic partnership to confront common challenges. Ambassador Daalder called on the EU to do more in Afghanistan and appealed for collaboration rather than competition on counter-piracy efforts. FM Bildt advocated realistic, principled engagement with Russia. Supported by several Allies, Bildt emphasized the need for a coordinated NATO-EU effort to ensure the Western Balkans retained a clear perspective on European integration. He expressed optimism that the forces of integration in the Balkans were beginning to surpass in strength the forces of disintegration. END SUMMARY -------------- SWEDES PUSH EU AS GLOBAL ACTOR -------------- ¶2. (C) Swedish Foreign Minister Bildt told the North Atlantic Council on July 22 that the economic crisis, climate change, Middle East/South Asian geopolitical tension, and increasing uncertainty on the EU's eastern border -- particularly related to Russia -- were the key foreign policy priorities of the Swedish EU Presidency. He expressed hope the Lisbon Treaty would be ratified in October, which would necessitate an intense period of internal EU institution building. He named NATO-EU relations and southeastern Europe as additional Presidency priorities. -------------- EU NEEDS TO DO MORE ON AFGHANISTAN -------------- ¶3. (C) Ambassador Daalder called for close NATO-EU collaboration on Afghanistan and urged the EU to do more on civilian and police capacity-building, saying Afghanistan should be the EU's top priority as it is for NATO. The UK PermRep lauded Sweden's bilateral contributions to NATO and EU efforts in Afghanistan but said the EU needed to step up to the plate. Germany said the EU could do more on police. ¶4. (C) FM Bildt said he understood the EU needed to do more, both separately and in concert with NATO. The Swedish EU Presidency wanted to reinforce EU efforts in Afghanistan and engage in a deeper Transatlantic dialogue on the issue. Bildt said the European Council was working on plans for increased efforts in Afghanistan that he hoped would be 
endorsed by Ministers in September. ¶5. (C) FM Bildt stressed that in the post-election phase, there must be increased political capacity building to complement security efforts, complemented by democracy building in Pakistan. FM Bildt called for careful Transatlantic coordination of messages regarding the elections and post-election phase. Ambassador Daalder endorsed this approach and said the real work would begin on August 21 after elections. -------------- EU FAVORS PRINCIPLED ENGAGEMENT WITH RUSSIA -------------- USNATO 00000323 002 OF 004 ¶6. (C) FM Bildt characterized EU-Russian relations as difficult. He was less and less certain where Russia was heading. Bildt noted the Russians seem to be less rational the closer an issue was to their borders; and similarly that Russia relations were easier for those EU members farther from Russia. He stressed that the EU wants to engage Russia on the EU's Eastern Partnership but only on the basis that Russia respects the independence of its neighbors. Romania advised looking for opportunities for NATO and the EU to coordinate their partnership policies, especially in the East and on Russia. ¶7. (C) In response to a Canadian query, FM Bildt said that the Transatlantic community needs to stand firm with Russia on Georgia. He said he expected the EU to extend the mandate of the EU Monitoring Mission (EUMM) in Georgia; the EUMM was now even more critical given that the UN and OSCE were essentially being kicked out. -------------- --- MOVING NATO AND EU TOWARDS STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIP -------------- --- ¶8. (C) FM Bildt said it was critical that NATO and the EU overcome their divisions and face their common, global challenges. Ambassador Daalder, supported by Norway, echoed this call and offered U.S. support to Swedish efforts. FM Bildt suggested NATO, with EU input, should use its work on its Strategic Concept as an opportunity for dialogue on building a common, strategic approach. ¶9. (C) The Turkish PermRep questioned why NATO was open to EU input on its Strategic Concept but the EU was not similarly accommodating. Saying it takes two to tango, Turkey supported turning the NATO-EU relationship into a true partnership on the basis of agreed frameworks (i.e., Berlin Plus). ¶10. (C) FM Bildt responded that NATO-EU relations were a work in progress, comparing NATO to a 60-year old adult and the EU's European Security and Defense Policy (ESDP) to a 10-year old child. ESDP was growing quickly but needed guidance. Nonetheless, the two organizations should be able to develop a true strategic dialogue. ¶11. (C) Ambassador Daalder said NATO-EU collaboration in Kosovo was good but we could do a lot better on counter-piracy. He questioned why the two organizations were competing when there was such a large expanse of water to be covered. FM Bildt responded that he would investigate this issue, saying that such problems needed to be sorted out. ¶12. (C) The UK and Germany asked the Swedish EU Presidency to invigorate the NATO-EU Capability Group. The UK also suggested promoting NATO-EU complementarity on rapid response forces. The Czechs urged the Swedes to take forward work on NATO-EU cooperation with regard to helicopters. -------------- KEEPING BALKANS ON PATH TO INTEGRATION -------------- ¶13. (C) FM Bildt said the EU must get the Balkans right to demonstrate its credibility as a Transatlantic partner. He expressed optimism that the forces of integration were USNATO 00000323 003 OF 004 beginning to surpass in strength the forces of disintegration. He noted, however, that the EU had to overcome blockages with regard to Croatian accession, Serbia, and the Macedonia name issue. ¶14. (C) FM Bildt, backed by the UK, Italy, Hungary, and Greece, said that NATO and the EU needed to coordinate to maintain momentum in the Western Balkans on European integration. The UK and Italy expressed hope the NAC would visit the Balkans in the fall and asked FM Bildt to provide input on messaging for that trip. Hungary mused about the possibility of creating a joint NATO-EU Western Balkans strategy. ¶15. (C) FM Bildt said BiH would always be a challenge but none of the sides wanted to return to violence. He said the Swedish EU Presidency, in cooperation with the U.S. and NATO, intended to begin to move BiH from a backward-focus on implementation of the Dayton Accords to a more demanding, forward-looking focus on meeting the requirements for EU and NATO membership. ¶16. (C) Norway expressed concern about political conditions in BiH and cautioned the EU not to jettison Berlin Plus NATO-EU cooperation if it reconfigures its presence in Bosnia. FM Bildt said that OHR/EUSR transition and EUFOR reconfiguration were important but even more so was making sure Croatia and Serbia were both moving towards Europe and the West. Bildt said the most significant challenge would be the BiH elections next year. ¶17. (C) FM Bildt assessed that the Transatlantic community had done better than expected in helping Kosovo navigate a critical period over the past year. He said that Kosovo security is manageable; the troubling danger now is socio-economic. -------------- -------------- PRIVATE LUNCH DISCUSSIONS ON RUSSIA, NATO-EU ISSUES -------------- -------------- ¶18. (C) Immediately following the NAC, Ambassador Daalder hosted a lunch for FM Bildt also attended by the Swedish Ambassador and Canadian and Italian PermReps. There was a wide-ranging discussion about Russia, NATO-EU relations, and counter-piracy. Over lunch, Bildt was more skeptical about Russia's true intentions. Bildt expressed concern that Moscow still found it impossible to come to terms with its loss of control over its "near abroad" and that continued zero-sum thinking in Moscow would make real improvement in relations with the EU, NATO, and the U.S. very difficult. ¶19. (C) FM Bildt, Ambassador Daalder, and the other guests also discussed ways to improve NATO-EU relations. FM Bildt was interested in the idea of using the Transatlantic Luncheon in New York as a forum for unfiltered discussion of the issue by Foreign Ministers. Ambassador Daalder said he would raise this possibility in Washington. All agreed that improved consultations would be necessary, starting with a renewed dialogue between incoming NATO SYG Rasmussen and EU High Representative Solana. Monthly meetings of NATO and EU Ambassadors in the Transatlantic format -- with those nations that were both NATO and EU members alternatively represented by NATO PermReps and PSC Ambassadors -- was also seen as a worthwhile initiative. USNATO 00000323 004 OF 004 ¶20. (C) On counter-piracy, Ambassador Daalder urged FM Bildt to emphasize the need for complementarity in NATO and EU missions. He recalled Secretary Gates' statement to his NATO colleagues that US/NATO logistical, command, and intelligence assistance to EU Operation Atalanta would continue only so long as EU nations worked to ensure such complementarity. DAALDER