DAYTON ARTICLE IV - 43RD SRCC: PARTIES AGREE TO

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 USOSCE 000255 SIPDIS STATE FOR VCI/CCA, VCI/NRRC, EUR/RPM, EUR/PRA, EUR/CARC, SCA/CEN, SCA, RA, PM/WRA, ISN,CPI NSC FOR HAYES, MCFALL, DAVIDSON, HOVENIER< SHERWOOD-RANDALL OSD FOR ISA (WALLENDER),JCS, EUCOM, USAREUR AND CENTCOM FOR J-5 E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/12/2019 TAGS: BK HR KCFE MW OSCE PARM PREL SR XG SUBJECT: DAYTON ARTICLE IV - 43RD SRCC: PARTIES AGREE TO TRANSFER OF OWNERSHIP PROCESS REF: A. USOSCE 000169 ¶B. USOSCE 000073 Classified By: Chief Arms Control Delegate Hugh Neighbour; Reasons 1.4( b)(d). ¶1. (U) Summary: The 43rd Dayton Article IV Sub-Regional Consultative Commission (SRCC),representing the four parties to the Dayton Agreement (Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Republic of Croatia, Montenegro, and the Republic of Serbia),met November 3-4, 2009 in Novi Sad, Serbia. Five SRCC Decisions were adopted, to include three Decisions on Integrated Notification Application (INA) formats, one approving the amendments to the Permanent Working Group Rules of Procedure, and one relating to the transfer of ownership to the Parties. The most notable aspect of the SRCC was the unanimous commitment by all four Parties to begin the transfer of ownership process which, by 2012 would see the Parties assume the majority of responsibilities currently carried out by the OSCE Office of the Personal Representative (PR) for Dayton Article IV, headed by Italian Brigadier General Costanzo Periotto. End Summary. ¶2. (C) The 43rd Dayton Article IV Sub-Regional Consultative Commission held in Novi Sad, Serbia received brief national attention the night before the SRCC began. During the evening of November 2nd, Serbian President Boris Tadic met briefly with BG Periotto at the hotel hosting the conference. President Tadic, in a brief and private meeting with Periotto, expressed appreciation to the General for his efforts and support of the Article IV regime. (Note: No one, including General Periotto, was aware that President Tadic would make an appearance at the hotel in Novi Sad, about an hour outside of Belgrade, until only minutes before the President arrived. Tadic was seen by PolOff, JCS Rep and other members of the Contact Group strolling through the hotel surrounded by four bodyguards. End Note.) ¶3. (C) Russia was the only member of the six-nation Contact Group (CG) not to send a delegate to the SRCC. (Comment: The Russian First Secretary who normally attends these events was reportedly too ill to attend but perhaps was consumed with preparations for the 1-2 December OSCE Ministerial in Athens. End Comment.) The Dayton Article IV Contact Group consists of OSCE mission Military Advisors from France, Germany, Italy, the Russian Federation, the United Kingdom, and a Political Officer and Military Advisor from the United States. The CG meets periodically to discuss national positions and concerns regarding the Dayton Article IV process and makes recommendations and provides advice to the PR regarding Article IV operational and implementation issues. ¶4. (U) The Parties spent much of the first day of the SRCC discussing the modalities of the transfer of ownership plan (ref A). The Parties supported the process and determined that completing the first phase of the ownership transfer by the end of 2011 was realistic, achievable, and in their national interests. In SRCC Decision 1/43 on the Ownership Process, the Parties agreed to take over gradually the obligations and responsibilities for the implementation of the Agreement and that the obligations and responsibilities arising from the Ownership plan should be assumed step-by-step until the end of 2011. ¶5. (U) The Parties expressed their readiness to assume responsibility for the organization and preparation of all USOSCE 00000255 002 OF 003 future SRCC meetings or any associated effort held within the territories of the Parties. The Parties, however, insisted that the OSCE continue to provide support for all meetings held in Vienna, (Permanent Working Group, the Review Conference, and the Annual Exchange of Information). ¶6. (U) (Note: The transfer of ownership plan has two phases. The first phase involves the transfer of the technical and administrative responsibilities for the implementation of formulating inspection plans, analyzing inspection results, conducting the annual data exchange, and providing administrative support for several Article IV conferences and working groups throughout the year. The second phase (which could begin as early as 2012) would initiate the transfer of full autonomy to the Parties once the first phase is considered successful. End Note.) Voluntary Limits on Manpower and 2010 Inspections -------------- -------------- ¶7. (U) The Parties agreed to a voluntary statement limiting their military manpower to the following levels: Bosnia-Herzegovina: 16,000; Croatia: 44,000; Montenegro: 5,000; Serbia: 119,000. All Parties agreed that the statement did not need to be signed but would attach the agreement to the minutes on the meeting. ¶8. (U) The Parties approved a rollover of the 2009 inspection schedule for 2010 and agreed to discuss a possible reduction for the 2011 inspection year, which was suggested by Serbia. In accordance with last year,s schedule, the 2010 schedule is as follows: - Serbia will accept 6 inspections in 2010 (3 from Croatia, 2 from Bosnia-Herzegovina, and 1 from Montenegro); - Croatia will accept 5 Inspections (3 from Serbia, 1 from Bosnia, and 1 from Montenegro); - Bosnia-Herzegovina will accept 4 inspections (2 from Serbia 1 from Croatia, and 1 from Montenegro); and - Montenegro will accept 3 inspections (1 from each of the other three Parties.) INA format changes, ADS Issues and the PR,s Inspection Reports -------------- -------------- ¶9. (U) The Parties agreed to three changes to INA notification formats. In SRCC Decision 2/43 the Parties adopted changes in the Notification Format F-5, specifically changing the F-5 title to &Information on Declared Sites,8 and some more minor sub-item changes. Decision 3/43 changed the title on the Notification Format F-12 to read "Acknowledgement of notification of intent to inspect,8 and Decision 4/43 approved the introduction of the new general purpose Notification Format F-00 in the Protocol on Exchange of Information and Notifications and INA application. (Note: The purpose of the INA, which is already in use for inspections and activity related to the CFE Treaty, the Open Skies Treaty, and the Vienna Document 1999, is to ensure a direct communications link between state parties to send and receive messages and notifications for Dayton Article IV operations. End Note.) USOSCE 00000255 003 OF 003 ¶10. (C) The Parties requested that the Automated Data Systems (ADS) software -- used to develop the Annual Exchange of Information data -- include the ability to use their languages and to test that capability before the information exchange in December. General Periotto insisted that the modifications would cost a considerable amount of money and that the OSCE would not approve the official use of ADS in any language other than the six official OSCE languages: English, French, German, Italian, Spanish, and Russian. The Parties grudgingly agreed that the use of their languages in the ADS software would be difficult, but held out that a solution must be devised because the Article IV agreement stipulates that the work of the Parties must be conducted in their languages. (Note: ADS is currently used to support data exchanges for the CFE Treaty, the Vienna Document 1999, and the Global Exchange of Military Information. End Note.) ¶11. (U) Responding to the Parties, request made at the 42nd SRCC in Split (ref B),to have the PR release to the Parties his Assistant,s inspection reports, the PR announced that the mission highlights reports would be delivered to the Parties beginning in 2010. The PR also distributed a new template for the mission reports, which would be delivered electronically in pdf format. The Parties expressed satisfaction with the PR,s response and looked forward to receiving these reports in the coming year. Future Meetings -------------- ¶12. (U) The annual Information Exchange will take place 15-16 December at the Hofburg Palace in Vienna, Austria with Bosnia-Herzegovina as the next chair. The next Permanent Working Group, also in Vienna and chaired by Bosnia-Herzegovina, will be held from 9-10 February with a day-long discussion on INA planned for 11 February. The next Dayton Article IV SRCC will take place 16-17 March 2010 in Bosnia-Herzegovina. ¶13. (U) Dayton Article IV was established in 1996 and is patterned after the Treaty on Conventional Armed Forces in Europe. It is a successful arms control regime under the auspices of the OSCE for what now are four states of the former Yugoslavia. FULLER