RFG: DRAFT DECEMBER FOREIGN MINISTERIAL STATEMENT

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 USNATO 000541 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/20/2019 TAGS: PREL NATO RS GG UP AF SUBJECT: RFG: DRAFT DECEMBER FOREIGN MINISTERIAL STATEMENT Classified By: DCM John Heffern for reasons 1.5 (b) and (d). ¶1. (SBU) This is a request for guidance. See para 4. ¶2. (SBU) Attached is the initial draft of the statement for the NATO Foreign Ministerial to be held in Brussels December 3 and 4, 2009. Reflecting the Secretary General's desire to have much shorter, "punchier" document that only raises issues that ministers have discussed or where policy decisions have been taken, the draft is only 8 paragraphs long. This is an approach welcomed by most Allies, including the U.S. Enlargement/partnership issues will be negotiated separately by PermReps and inserted into the draft later. Afghanistan will be handled via a separate statement. ¶3. (SBU) The first discussion of this draft among Allies will take place at NATO HQ on Monday, November 23 at 15:00 local time. For the initial "tour de table," Allies will be expected to provide general comments only on the draft (such as that Ally X would like to include language on topic Y or that the way Z topic is dealt with is too forward leaning), not line-in, line-out drafting suggestions. Line-in, line-out drafting will start the morning of Tuesday, November ¶24. ¶4. (SBU) RFG: Mission requests Washington guidance for the tour de table NLT OOB Brussels time on November 23. We request full line-in/line out interagency cleared guidance NLT OOB Brussels time on November 24. (Comment: Ambassador Daalder supports the Secretary General's desire to have a very short, concise document for this ministerial. As a result, Mission requests that Washington limit its guidance to those areas already set out in the draft. Any attempt by us to add additional topics would be met by similar demands from other Allies.) ¶5. (C) Mission highlights the following areas as possible areas for guidance from Washington for the Monday session: - Russia: Changes in recent days in Russia's approach to NRC preparations for this ministerial have made it highly unlikely that Allies and Russia will be able to agree the package of outcomes outlined in the draft text. Many Allies are dismayed and will be looking to the United States to provide leadership on what we are prepared to say relating to the outcomes of this meeting. USNATO proposes that we suggest to Allies that we should set aside the Russia text pending developments in the coming days on what we can achieve together in the NRC to deliver to ministers. In addition, we recommend inserting the agreed language we have been using calling on Russia to fully implement the commitments agreed with Georgia and negotiated by the EU on August 12 and September 8, including the inclusion of the footnote on Sarkozy's subsequent clarifications and correspondence on the matter. - Strategic Concept: Former Secretary Albright will be providing the NAC with an interim report on the Strategic Concept process on November 24, which may limit the need for extensive commentary in the statement. ¶6. (SBU) The text of the draft statement follows: BEGIN TEXT: NORTH ATLANTIC COUNCIL FOREIGN MINISTERS' STATEMENT USNATO 00000541 002 OF 003 3 - 4 DECEMBER 2009 CHAPEAU ¶1. While Afghanistan remains NATO's top operational priority, the Alliance is also contributing in many other ways to defending and promoting security and stability in the Euro-Atlantic area and beyond. Today, we have discussed, and taken decisions on, a number of important issues: NATO's Open Door, our Partnerships, NATO's relations with Russia, missile defence, and the new Strategic Concept. A separate statement has been issued on Afghanistan, which we discussed with non-NATO troop contributing ISAF countries. ( PLACEHOLDER FOR OPEN DOOR/PARTNERSHIP ) NATO-RUSSIA ¶2. The NATO-Russia partnership has great potential to contribute substantially to security in the Euro-Atlantic area and beyond. Today, we discussed how better to achieve that potential. Together with Russia, we have identified priority areas for practical cooperation, including the fight against terrorism, Afghanistan, piracy, and non-proliferation, arms control and disarmament (and agreed to conduct a joint review of NATO and Russia's 21st century common security challenges). We have also assessed how to make the NATO-Russia Council a more efficient and valuable instrument for our political dialogue on all issues of common concern, including those where we disagree, and to further enhance our practical cooperation. We also encourage Russia to present its views on all aspects of NATO's new Strategic Concept, in the spirit of open dialogue that we want to foster in this relationship. ¶3. While we welcome the resumption of dialogue and cooperation with Russia, the Allies remain firm and united on important points of principle. We reiterate our continued support for the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Georgia within its internationally recognised borders. We urge Russia to reverse its recognition of the South Ossetia and Abkhazia regions of Georgia as "independent states". We continue to urge Russia to work cooperatively with us and other concerned CFE States and Parties to reach agreement on the CFE Treaty regime with all its elements so that together we can preserve the benefits of this landmark regime. MISSILE DEFENCE ¶4. The proliferation of ballistic missiles poses an increasing threat to Allies' forces, territory and populations. Given the centrality of Article 5 and collective defence to ensuring our security against armed attack, missile defence is an appropriate and viable mission for the Alliance. We welcome the new phased adaptive approach of the United States to missile defence announced on 17 September 2009, which further reinforces NATO's central role in deliberations on missile defence in Europe. ¶5. NATO's current Active Layered Theatre Ballistic Missile Defence (ALTBMD) programme will provide battle management, communications, and command-and-control and facilitate the integration of missile defence elements from nations in order to protect deployed troops. If the Alliance decides to develop a NATO missile defence capability in Europe to USNATO 00000541 003 OF 003 protect populations and territory, the United States' phased adaptive approach would provide a valuable national contribution to that capability and, thus, to Alliance security. A decision on expanding the role of the ALTBMD programme, to include protection of territory and populations, would be a key milestone towards providing territorial missile defence in Europe. ¶6. Heads of State and Government, at their last Summit, tasked the Council in Permanent Session to present recommendations comprising architecture options, bearing in mind the indivisibility of Allied security as well as NATO solidarity. These recommendations will be considered at the next Summit in Lisbon, which should be a time for decisions. In this context, NATO's work on missile defence will take into account the possibilities provided by this new US approach. ¶7. We continue to support increased cooperation between NATO and Russia on missile defence including maximum transparency and reciprocal confidence-building measures. We reaffirm the Alliance's readiness to explore the potential for linking United States, NATO and Russian missile defence systems at an appropriate time. The new US approach provides enhanced possibilities to do this. STRATEGIC CONCEPT ¶8. We have received and discussed today the interim report by the 12 Experts who are helping to prepare the Alliance's new Strategic Concept. (Placeholder on substance to be elaborated on the basis of the interim report.) We are committed to reforming our Alliance to better address today's threats and to anticipate tomorrow's risks. At their Strasbourg/Kehl Summit, our Heads of State and Government tasked the Secretary General to submit proposals for the implementation of the new Strategic Concept. This should include concrete proposals to reform our Alliance for approval at the Lisbon Summit, alongside our work on the new Strategic Concept, with the aim to perform better and reduce costs by improving the efficiency and effectiveness of our processes and structures. We thank Secretary Albright, Mr. van der Veer and all the experts for the work they have done until now, which we believe to be an excellent foundation for the discussions to follow. The new Strategic Concept, which the Allies will adopt at our next Summit in Lisbon in November 2010, will play an important role in guiding and shaping the Atlantic Alliance into the future. END TEXT ¶9. (SBU) Note: This is a corrected copy and replaces USNATO ¶539. HEFFERN