RASMUSSEN TAKES CHARGE; ANNOUNCES STRATEGIC

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 04 USNATO 000334 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: NATO PGOV PREF PTER MOPS MAR IC SUBJECT: RASMUSSEN TAKES CHARGE; ANNOUNCES STRATEGIC CONCEPT ROADMAP REF: USNATO 00247 ¶1. (U) SUMMARY On August 3--his first day of official business at NATO Headquarters--new NATO Secretary General (SYG) Anders Fogh Rasmussen released his roadmap for completing NATO's new Strategic Concept in time for a NATO Summit in the fall of 2010. He also named the 12 individuals he has chosen to serve in their personal capacities on a Group of Experts who will lay the ground for the new Strategic Concept. Former Secretary Albright will Chair this Group of Experts, while former Royal Dutch Shell President and CEO Jeroen van de Veer will serve as the Vice-Chair. Rasmussen has invited the Group of Experts to Brussels on September 4 for an informal meeting with NATO PermReps. In a press conference announcing these decisions, Rasmussen said that the process should be the most open and inclusive process of policy development NATO has ever conducted. END SUMMARY -------------- The Experts Group -------------- ¶2. (U) According to Rasmussen the twelve individuals were chosen in order represent a broad range of Allies, as well as to bring a broad range of skills and expertise to the job. They are: - Madeleine Albright as Chair of the Experts Group, the United States, former Secretary of State - Jeroen van der Veer as Vice-Chair, the Netherlands, former president and CEO of Royal Dutch Shell - Giancarlo Aragona, Italy, currently Italy's Ambassador to the UK - Marie Gervais-Vidricaire, Canada, currently Canada's Ambassador to Austria and Permanent Representative to the International Organizations in Vienna - Geoff Hoon, the United Kingdom, member of parliament - Umit Pamir, Turkey, former Turkish Ambassador to the UN, Senior Diplomatic Advisor to the Prime Minister - Fernando Perpina-Robert Peyra, Spain, currently the Secretary General of the Club of Madrid - Hans-Friedrich von Ploetz, Germany, former German Ambassador to Russia, the UK, and Permanent Representative to NATO - Bruno Racine, France, currently President of the Bibliotheque Nationale de France - Aivis Ronis, Latvia, currently the Director of the Latvian-American Financial Forum (COMMENT: Ronis was nominated jointly by Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia as the Baltic candidate. END COMMENT) - Adam Daniel Rotfeld, Poland, currently Chairman of the International Consultative Committee at the Polish Institute of International Affairs USNATO 00000334 002 OF 004 - Yannis-Alexis Zepos, Greece, currently Greek Ambassador to Egypt ¶3. (U) The text of Rasmussen's roadmap for the new Strategic Concept is outlined below: - BEGIN TEXT - A ROADMAP FOR THE NEW STRATEGIC CONCEPT At the NATO Summit in Strasbourg/Kehl on 4 April 2009, Heads of States and Government (HoSG) tasked the Secretary General to develop a new NATO Strategic Concept. This exercise should be completed by the time of NATO's next Summit which is expected to take place in Lisbon in late 2010. The Summit also tasked the Secretary General to convene and lead a broad based group of qualified experts who will lay the ground for the new Strategic Concept. This will be done with the active involvement of the North Atlantic Council (NAC). GUIDING PRINCIPLES NATO's current strategic concept dates back to 1999. A sound transatlantic consensus on a new NATO strategy is an indispensable element of the Alliance's strategic adaptation. The Strategic Concept is a central piece of NATO's acquis. Politically, it occupies place second only to the Washington Treaty. This calls for an inclusive and participatory approach from the biggest to the smallest Ally. Moreover, the process should engage Partners in the Euro-Atlantic Partnership Council, the Mediterranean Dialogue and the Istanbul Cooperation Initiative as well as partners across the globe. Furthermore, the process should be transparent and engage other key international actors such as the EU and UN as well as other types of NATO interlocutors, like NGOs. Finally, an interactive dialogue with the broader public is encouraged. To this end, a web-page dedicated to the process leading to the new Strategic Concept has been established. THE GROUP OF EXPERTS In order to facilitate the working process, the Secretary General has today appointed a broad based Group of Experts. The 12 group members have been appointed in their personal capacities. The Group of Experts includes a broad spectrum of large and small NATO members and offers a balanced combination of insiders and outsiders, including from the private sector, think tanks and the academic community. Dr. Madeleine Albright, former US Secretary of State, will chair the Group of Experts with Mr. Jeroen van der Veer, former CEO in Royal Dutch shell, as vice-chair. To ensure close coordination between the Group of Experts and NATO Headquarters, the Secretary General has designated a small NATO team led by Dr. Jamie Shea, head of Policy Planning Unit, to function as a secretariat and staff support. A THREE-PHASED APPROACH The process leading to a new Strategic Concept will have three distinct phases: a reflection phase through a series of seminars; a consultation phase with allied capitals; and a drafting and final negotiation phase. USNATO 00000334 003 OF 004 Reflection phase: A series of seminars hosted by individual allies will take place in order to enhance the strategic debate. The seminars will engage all stakeholders and relevant players - Permanent Representatives, Military Representatives, NATO Strategic Commands, the Military Committee, officials from capitals, strategic thinkers and partners as appropriate. Each seminar will cover a specific aspect of the Strategic Concept. - One seminar will look at NATO's core tasks and functions: the meaning of collective defence and deterrence in today's environment; how to confront broader spectrum of threats to our populations; NATO's role in disarmament, arms control, and non-proliferation. - Another seminar will look at NATO as a part of a network of security actors in contributing to global civil and military crisis management and NATO's likely tasks with a view to enhancing cooperation with international organizations and NGOs. - A third seminar will look at NATO and the Euro-Atlantic security environment; NATO's role in building security in the Euro-Atlantic area, enlargement and NATO's partnerships including relations with Russia. - A fourth seminar will look at forces and capabilities, including defence planning and transformation. IT will also look at procurement at a time of increased financial constraints - that requires flexibility and prioritization. The Group of Experts may also, as appropriate, explore other relevant topics. The Group of Experts will start its work on 4 September when the Secretary General convenes an informal meeting with NAC for an initial exchange of vies. The Group of Experts will meet periodically with the Secretary General and will submit a progress report in time for the Foreign Ministers meeting in December 2009. Consultation phase: Following the seminars, experts will visit Allied capitals to discuss their findings and proposals with governments, and where possible, parliamentary committees. Public outreach events could be organized on these occasions by the capitals concerned. In April 2010 the Group of Experts should present their analysis and recommendations to the Secretary General. Based on the experts' analysis and recommendations and Allies' initial reactions the Secretary General will produce his own report on elements in a new Strategic Concept. It will be submitted to governments and- before the summer holiday - the Secretary General will collect political guidance on the drafting of the new Strategic Concept. Drafting and final negotiation phase: After the summer 2010 the Secretary General will prepare his draft of the concept, and he will meet with Permanent Representatives to discuss the evolving drafts. Finally ,the USNATO 00000334 004 OF 004 Secretary General will present his Strategic Concept text to the NATO summit expected to be held in the autumn of 2010. After approval by HoSG it henceforth becomes NATO's new Strategic Concept. END TEXT ¶4. (U) COMMENT: In the press conference announcing these decisions, Rasmussen gave a strong impression that he sees the new Strategic Concept as a project to be executed clearly under his leadership and that he intends to control the process. He made clear that the chosen experts will participate in their individual (not national) capacities and that they answer to him. At the same time, he demonstrated his appreciation for the public dimension of this exercise, launching a public program of consultation to that effect. He suggested a hands-on approach by stating that he will conduct town halls in Allied capitals to listen to those from all walks of life. END COMMENT DAALDER