(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