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

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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