SEPTEMBER 8 NORTH ATLANTIC COUNCIL MEETING:

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 05 USNATO 000388 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 09/10/2019 TAGS: PREL NATO MARR MOPS UN AF PK UK XG RS SUBJECT: SEPTEMBER 8 NORTH ATLANTIC COUNCIL MEETING: AFGHANISTAN, UN, RUSSIA, WESTERN BALKANS Classified By: A/PolAd A. "Hoot" Baez. Reasons: 1.4 (b) and (d). ¶1. (C/REL ISAF) Summary from the September 8 meeting of the North Atlantic Council: Afghanistan: At the September 8 meeting of the North Atlantic Council (NAC),Secretary General Rasmussen told Allies that he expected to get the Commander of ISAF's strategic assessment of the situation in Afghanistan no later than early in the week of September 14, promising that after receiving it he would distribute it and schedule a Council discussion of it. The NAC discussed alternative long-term basing options for Airborne Warning and Control Systems (AWACS) for Afghanistan following a discouraging letter from the UAE. The UK said that they had received positive signals bilaterally from Oman that AWACS could be based there as a "short-term" interim solution through the end of 2009. Several Allies offered updates on arrangements for over-flight of Azerbaijan and Turkmenistan by temporarily deployed AWACS from Konya, Turkey. Allies welcomed the UK-German-French proposal for an international conference following the announcement official results of Afghan elections. Such a conference should define the international community's role in Afghanistan and lay out its expectations of the new Afghan government, particularly on delivering better governance and redesigning a reintegration and reconciliation plan. Allies acknowledged that this event may occur a full year ahead of the London Compact's expiration in October 2010. Germany called for a united press stance on the September 4 NATO airstrike in Kunduz province while the investigation continued. Rasmussen stressed the need to avoid the appearance that Allies were being divided by this issue. NATO-UN Relations: (C/REL NATO) NATO Assistant Secretary General briefed that NATO-UN relations were a "all-in-all a positive story," but did admit to continuing suspicion of the Alliance in New York. The Secretary General (SYG) said he would convey to the UN Secretary General during the UN General Assembly his ambition to establish a structured, predictable, and pragmatic NATO-UN relationship. The U.S., supported by France, Germany, and Spain, endorsed continued deepening of NATO-UN cooperation, particularly on Afghanistan. Norway, supported by Canada, the Netherlands, Romania, and Spain, called for Allied diplomatic missions to the UN in New York to coordinate common approaches. Russian Exercises: (C/REL NATO) Estonia, supported by Poland and Lithuania, called on the Alliance to take interest in two significant Russian exercises to take place near the Baltic states and in Belarus. Adm. Di Paola said the IMS would be ready to brief the Council on the exercises after their completion, and the SYG said NATO would continue to monitor the situation. USNATO 00000388 002 OF 005 Trip to the Western Balkans: (C/REL NATO) Norway and Hungary indicated their intention to press for a NAC trip to the Western Balkans, pushing back against the Secretary General who has indicated he does not intend to schedule such a trip in the near future. -------------- Afghanistan -------------- ¶2. (C/REL ISAF) Strategic Assessment: NATO Secretary General (SYG) Rasmussen told Allies that he expected to receive the strategic assessment of the situation in Afghanistan which was conducted by ISAF Commander GEN McChrystal no later than the early part of the week beginning September 14. He pledged to quickly distribute it and to schedule a Council discussion of it. ¶3. (C/REL ISAF) AWACS Long-term Basing: Rasmussen said he received a discouraging letter from the UAE last week on long-term basing for Airborne Warning and Control Systems (AWACS) for Afghanistan. The UAE maintained that jurisdiction over foreign military personnel was a constitutionally inflexible issue, leaving Abu Dhabi unable to accept NATO's proposal. While not abandoning continued negotiations with the UAE outright, the SYG said that the NATO International Staff would approach Oman and Bahrain to see whether they might be receptive to hosting the planes. The SYG suspected that Bahrain may have a similar position to UAE on personnel jurisdiction issues, and noted that solutions in Bahrain or Oman would require over-flight permission from Pakistan. The Chairman of the NATO Military Committee (CMC),Admiral Di Paola, added that Dushanbe, Tajikistan, and Termez, Uzbekistan, had been considered as options, but were low priority due to prevailing security concerns, altitude, and unpredictable weather. The CMC said current security conditions would not permit ISAF to explore long-term basing in Afghanistan at this time. Germany asked that negotiations with the UAE continue despite frustrations. ¶4. (C/REL ISAF) AWACS Short-term Basing: On a more positive note, the UK said they had received positive signals during bilateral discussions with Oman that the Alliance may be able to use UK AWACS based in Oman as a short-term solution through the end of 2009. The SYG welcomed the offer. He acknowledged that Azerbaijan had relaxed its stance on over-flight of temporarily deployed AWACS from Konya, Turkey, as long as surveillance and radar equipment was turned off (Luxembourg was prepared to finalize these arrangements with Azerbaijan). The CMC, however, said a follow-on request by Baku to have an Azeri observer aboard each flight was unwelcome and would be difficult to carry out since the flights were supposed to be non-stop. Nevertheless, he did not rule the idea out entirely, noting that NATO Military USNATO 00000388 003 OF 005 Authorities could include an observer on a test flight if necessary. The SYG said the Azeri and Turkmen requirement for 14-day advance notification of each flight remained problematic. Romania, which operates the NATO Contact Point Embassy in Baku, thought Azerbaijan may offer more flexibility on pre-notification. Poland, representing the Ashgabat Contact Point Embassy, said there was a chance that Turkmenistan would follow Baku's lead. Romania suggested a high level demarche from NATO to Turkmenistan, possibly to be delivered on the margins of the September UN General Assembly, requesting over-flight permission. Poland advocated a softer approach to avoid the official involvement of the Turkmen President. The Secretary General sought and received Allied agreement to run a test as soon as possible to see whether Azerbaijan and Turmenistan would actually approve an overflight request. ¶5. (C/REL ISAF) Elections, Future Compacts: The SYG and Allies endorsed the UK-French-German proposal for a post-elections conference on the international community's relationship with the new Afghan government. Nations agreed that the conference should aim to define what the international community could expect from the new Afghan government on improved governance and a reintegration or reconciliation program. Allies also wanted to ask the Afghan government for greater consistency and responsibility in its attitude toward the international community, while renewing the international community's commitment as full partners. Several Allies emphasized that the proposed conference on engagement with the new Afghan government would mark a new departure point for the international community's relations with Afghanistan, even though it would occur a full year prior to the London Compact's expiration in October 2010. The SYG agreed to a UK suggestion that the Council should hold an instructed debate on a "handling strategy" for the new Afghan government prior to the international conference. ¶6. (C/REL ISAF) Reactions to the Kunduz airstrike: The German Charge reported that his government was "taken aback by some unhelpful statements" by some Allies in the aftermath of the airstrike in Kunduz, at least partly alluding to press reports claiming a potential U.S.-German rift over the operation. He noted that the decision to call for air power by the German PRT commander was not taken lightly, pointing out that Germany has always tried to avoid the use of air power where possible. He said the investigation was ongoing, but the Germans understood that 12 injured individuals remained in hospitals and 56 people had died in the airstrike. Hungary and Albania echoed the German call for Alliance solidarity and a united press stance through the investigation of this incident, noting that "it could happen to any Ally." The Secretary General issued a similar call for Alliance unity on this issue, arguing that "we have a USNATO 00000388 004 OF 005 common responsibility not to bring the German government into any problems." The Chairman of the Military noted that the investigation into the incident was coordinated with UNAMA and the Afghans. -------------- NATO-UN RELATIONS -------------- ¶7. (C/REL NATO) NATO Assistant Secretary General Martin Erdmann briefed Allies on the Alliance's progress in developing relations with the UN, arguing that it is "all-in-all a positive story" while at the same time noting that he could not yet call it a "success story." He said that while suspicion about NATO in New York was fading away it was nevertheless still there, adding that this suspicion was stronger among some of the membership than within the UN Secretariat. In terms of moving forward, Erdmann said that two organizations should take further steps to build trust and confidence. He said that NATO should maintain a pragmatic approach. He also said that the Alliance should seek greater coordination, including within the Alliance. The Secretary General (SYG) said he would convey to the UN Secretary General during the UN General Assembly his ambition to put in place a structured, predictable, and pragmatic NATO-UN relationship. ¶8. (C/REL NATO) The U.S., supported by France, Germany,and Spain, called for continued deepening of NATO-UN cooperation within the context of the Comprehensive Approach, particularly with regard to Afghanistan. Spain, however, also said that the relationship should remain pragmatic and not move too fast. Portugal said NATO and the UN should coordinate their messages to the post-election Afghan government; the Netherlands suggested the two organizations coordinate their efforts to establish security benchmarks. Italy, Canada, and Spain said NATO-UN relations should be considered in the Alliance's new Strategic Concept. ¶9. (C/REL NATO) Norway, supported by Canada, the Netherlands, Romania, and Spain, called for increasing coordination between Allied diplomatic missions to the UN in New York. In making the suggestion, Norway noted that together NATO nations contributed a significant portion of the UN's budget and that this should be used to our advantage. Romania suggested that the Alliance may even want to designate an Allied mission in New York to play the role of a "contact point embassy" to coordinate Allies' approach within the UN. Erdmann agreed with Norway that right now NATO was "not visible" in New York and it made it seem as if NATO nations are not really interested in the relationship, adding that there are some in New York who think the issue is a "hobby horse" for the NATO International Staff. ¶10. (C/REL NATO) Italy noted that the suspicions of some UN members about greater NATO-UN relations were more than mere misperceptions. In was a clear reference to Moscow, Italy USNATO 00000388 005 OF 005 said some UN members were actively trying to water down the relationship and that for this reason--for once--NATO should not engage in too much publicity about the relationship but should instead keep in below "the screen." (Note: Russian Ambassador to NATO Rogozin has complained about progress in the relationship on more than one occasion.) -------------- CONCERNS ABOUT RUSSIAN EXERCISES -------------- ¶10. (C/REL NATO) Estonia, supported by Poland and Lithuania, called on the Alliance (both Allied nations and the International Staff/International Military Staff) to take interest in two significant Russian exercises to take place near the Baltic states and in Belarus. He said he hoped that the IMS could perhaps provide a report on the exercises. Chairman of the Military Committee Di Paola said the IMS had already briefed the Military Committee about the exercises, adding that the IMS would continue to monitor the situation and would be ready to brief the Council on the exercises after their completion. -------------- - PermReps Raise NAC Trip to the Western Balkans -------------- - ¶11. (C/REL NATO) Norway noted the announcement in the Political Committee that the Secretary General did not foresee a NAC trip to the Western Balkans in the upcoming months and said that he intended to raise this issue during an upcoming informal meeting of PermReps. Hungary agreed, arguing that Allies needed to talk about a trip to the Western Balkans. DAALDER