TURKEY INVITING FOREIGN MINISTERS TO HAVE A

C O N F I D E N T I A L USNATO 000554 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/26/2019 TAGS: PREL NATO BK TU NO SUBJECT: TURKEY INVITING FOREIGN MINISTERS TO HAVE A MEETING ON MAP FOR BOSNIA Classified By: Ambassador Ivo Daalder for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d) ¶1. (C) Summary: Turkey intends to invite NATO Foreign Ministers to a separate meeting to discuss granting MAP to Bosnia. Unless directed otherwise USNATO will work to oppose this move. End summary. ¶2. (C) Turkey announced in a November 27 communique negotiation for the December 3-4 NATO Foreign Ministerial that it intends to invite Foreign Ministers to an additional meeting on December 3. Turkey plans to host this event to press the possibility of granting NATO,s Membership Action (MAP) to Bosnia. This meeting would take place immediately before an already-scheduled NATO session which will cover the same issue. ¶3. (C) When pressed, Turkey indicated that it would be joined by the following countries in issuing the invitation: Albania, Croatia, Hungary, Norway, Slovakia, Slovenia, and Spain. Most of the Allies greeted the news with initial silence, probably pending guidance from their capitals. However the U.S. representative asked what purpose such a meeting could serve, as it would duplicate the NATO-hosted ministerial meeting to follow. Germany's questioning also indicated reservations. ¶4. (C) Comment and action request: This is unhelpful diplomacy at best. At least one of the allegedly supportive Allies (Norway) was actually surprised by this announcement. USNATO believes this meeting would be a blunt and unhelpful attempt to isolate those in favor of requiring Bosnia to reform further before NATO can consider granting MAP. The meeting is also a slap in the face of the SecGen, who was not invited, but will chair a luncheon on exactly the same subject 30 minutes later. Unless directed otherwise, USNATO will work with Allies including Turkey to question the logic of this proposal, and for discussions on this issue to take place at the NATO ministerial itself. We will also remain vigilant to any attempt to link the MAP decisions relating to Bosnia and Montenegro as each case must be judged on its own merits. End comment and action request. DAALDER