(U) DEPUTY SECRETARY STEINBERG'S DECEMBER 3, 2009,

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 USNATO 000575 NOFORN SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/03/2019 TAGS: OVIP STEINBERG JAMES PREL NATO GG RS SUBJECT: (U) DEPUTY SECRETARY STEINBERG'S DECEMBER 3, 2009, PARTICIPATION IN THE NATO-GEORGIA COMMISSION ¶1. (U) Classified by: Paul Wohlers, Deputy Executive Secretary, S/ES, Department of State. Reason 1.4.(d) ¶2. (U) December 4, 2009; 5:00 p.m.; Brussels, Belgium. ¶3. (U) Participants: U.S. Deputy Secretary Steinberg Ambassador Ivo Daalder Brian Greaney (Notetaker) Georgia Foreign Minister Grigol Vashadze Ambassador Grigol Mgaloblishvili NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen Admiral Giampaolo Di Paola, Chairman of the NATO Military Committee NATO Allies Albania: Illir Meta, Foreign Minister Belgium: Steven Vanackere, Foreign Minister Bulgaria: Todor Churov, Permanent Representative to NATO Canada: Yves Brodeur, Assistant Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Croatia: Gordan Jandrokovic, Foreign Minister Czech Republic: Jan Kohout, Foreign Minister Denmark: Per Stig Moller, Foreign Minister Estonia: Urmas Paet, Foreign Minister France: Pascale Andreani, Permanent Representative to NATO Germany: Ulrich Brandenburg, Permanent Representative to NATO Greece: Dimitrios Droutsas, Alternate Foreign Minister Hungary: Peter Balazs, Foreign Minister Iceland: Thorsteinn Ingolfsson, Permanent Representative to NATO Italy: Stefano Stefanini, Permanent Representative to NATO Latvia: Maris Riekstins, Foreign Minister Lithuania: Evaldas Ignatavicius, Vice-Minister of Foreign Affairs Luxembourg: Jean Asselborn, Foreign Minister Netherlands: Maxime Verhagen, Foreign Minister Norway: Jonas Gahr Store, Foreign Minister Poland: Radoslaw Sikorski, Foreign Minister Portugal: Luis Amado, Foreign Minister Romania: Sorin Ducaru, Permanent Representative to NATO Slovakia: Miroslav Lajcak, Foreign Minister Slovenia: Samuel Zbogar, Foreign Minister Spain: Miguel Angel Moratinos Cuyaube, Foreign Minister Turkey: Ahmet Davutoglu, Foreign Minister UK: Stewart Eldon, Permanent Representative to NATO ¶4. (C/NF) SUMMARY: The December 03 meeting of the NATO-Georgia Commission reviewed Georgia,s performance in its Annual National Plan to undertake national reforms with a view towards eventual NATO membership. FM Vashadze pledged Georgia would continue to work on national reforms, would implement a flexible and pragmatic approach to engagement with the separatist areas, and would do everything it can to engage Russia in peaceful and constructive dialogue, especially through the Geneva process. Allies praised this approach. They encouraged strategic patience with the separatist areas and Russia, and continued focus on Georgian democratic reforms. Allies also thanked Georgia for making a robust pledge of 750 troops for ISAF operations. END SUMMARY -------------- GEORGIA: WE ARE COMMITTED TO REFORM AND A PEACEFUL APPROACH TO CONFLICT RESOLUTION -------------- ¶5. (C/NF) At the December 3 NATO-Ukraine Commission Foreign Ministerial, Georgian FM Vashadze briefed Allies on Georgia,s ongoing commitment to national reforms, and asked NATO for its continued support. Among several areas of focus Vashadze highlighted Georgia,s ongoing democratic development which featured extensive efforts to involve the opposition. Vashadze pressed for an agreed timetable of NATO-Georgia meetings for 2010 which would allow Georgia the time to prepare better to work effectively with NATO in the USNATO 00000575 002 OF 003 coming year. Vashadze also requested progress on opening a NATO liaison office in Tbilisi, as had been agreed by Allies in December 2008. ¶6. (C/NF) Turning to defense and security issues, Vashadze indicated to Allies that Georgia is undertaking a comprehensive reassessment of its strategic security documents, in addition to pursuing its defense reforms. He promised that the Georgian)pledge of 750 troops for ISAF "Is not the end," provided training is available for additional contributions. ¶7. (C/NF) Saying he would &walk to Moscow8 if necessary Vashadze underlined that Tbilisi remained committed to engaging Russia, particularly through the Geneva process. He said his government was developing a state plan on the occupied territories with a theme of "inclusion and engagement," that would feature educational, cultural and economic links with the populations in these areas. Vashadze, in measured tones, reminded Allies that Russia remained in breach of all of the provisions of the EU-brokered ceasefire agreement that ended the August 2008 war. He suggested that Russia was testing the international community, a tactic that could only be countered by international resolve and a determination to keep emphasis on Georgia as a priority in international affairs. -------------- U.S.: WE ARE WITH YOU. KEEP GOING -------------- ¶8. (C/NF) Deputy Secretary Steinberg commended Georgia for its contribution to the vital NATO effort in Afghanistan. He congratulated Georgia,s seriousness of purpose in pursuing its national reforms and commended them on their use of the ANP process. Steinberg encouraged Georgia to continue its reforms, especially by doing more to involve the opposition and by promoting transparency in government, particularly in relation to the Ministry of Interior. Steinberg reiterated U.S. support for Georgia,s sovereignty and territorial integrity. He noted that the December 2 OSCE Ministerial in Athens had reiterated this support, and urged Georgia to continue with its constructive approach to negotiating in the Geneva process. ¶9. (C/NF) Other Allied interventions were largely repetitions of the same themes. -------------- PRAISE FOR GEORGIA,S ISAF COMMITMENT -------------- ¶10. (C/NF) Most speakers praised Georgia for its pledge to contribute 750 troops to fight as part of ISAF in Helmand province, without caveats (Albania, Canada, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Hungary, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Norway, Poland, Romania, and the United States). -------------- FURTHER REFORM NECESSARY TO MOVE TOWARDS MEMBERSHIP -------------- ¶11. (C/NF) Allies reaffirmed NATO's commitment to the Bucharest Summit decision that Georgia would one day become a member of NATO. However, they stressed that the burden fell on Georgia to carry out the reforms necessary to meet NATO's performance-based standards. ¶12. (C/NF) Almost every speaker commended Georgia on its use of the NATO-Georgia Commission and the ANP process in 2009 to assist with reforms. Allies pledged to maintain their support through these mechanisms. While commending the progress achieved thus far in the new ANP process, Allies sent a consistent message that they expected continued commitment to the process. Some focused on particular types of reforms they thought necessary, including: Electoral reform (Germany, Greece, Norway, Poland, Slovakia, and Slovenia); Press freedom (Canada, Greece, Hungary, Italy and Norway); Judicial reform (Hungary, Norway, Slovakia); Constitutional reform (Slovakia); and Defense reform (Hungary). ¶13. (C/NF) Canada, Croatia, Latvia and Poland all insisted USNATO 00000575 003 OF 003 that NATO follow up on its December 2008 decision on a NATO Office in Tbilisi by sending a member of the NATO International Staff to open and run such an office. -------------- -------------- Relations with Russia, South Ossetia and Abkhazia -------------- -------------- ¶14. (C/NF) Allies were also united in reaffirming well-worn pledges of support for Georgia,s territorial integrity, sovereignty, and independence. They encouraged continued Georgian patience in dealing with Russia, Abkhazia, and South Ossetia. Georgia,s constructive approach to the Geneva Process was a particular focus, with all encouraging what Slovak FM Lajcak termed "strategic patience" in dealing with the separatist entities (Albania, Bulgaria, Canada, Estonia, Germany, Italy, Latvia, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, Turkey, and the United States) DAALDER