Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
10USNATO87
2010-02-26 13:45:00
SECRET
Mission USNATO
Cable title:
RFG: FIVE NATIONS ASK SYG TO PUT "NATO'S NUCLEAR
how-toVZCZCXRO4375 OO RUEHSL DE RUEHNO #0087/01 0571345 ZNY SSSSS ZZH O 261345Z FEB 10 FM USMISSION USNATO TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 3891 RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHINGTON DC IMMEDIATE RUEKJCS/JOINT STAFF WASHDC IMMEDIATE RHEHAAA/WHITE HOUSE WASHINGTON DC IMMEDIATE INFO RUEHZG/NATO EU COLLECTIVE PRIORITY RUEHRL/AMEMBASSY BERLIN PRIORITY 0800 RUEHBS/AMEMBASSY BRUSSELS PRIORITY 6751 RUEHLE/AMEMBASSY LUXEMBOURG PRIORITY 0887 RUEHNY/AMEMBASSY OSLO PRIORITY 0002 RUEHTC/AMEMBASSY THE HAGUE PRIORITY 1058 RHEFDIA/DIA WASHDC PRIORITY RUEHNO/USDELMC BRUSSELS BE PRIORITY RUEAIIA/CIA WASHDC PRIORITY RHMFISS/USNMR SHAPE BE PRIORITY RHMFISS/HQ USEUCOM VAIHINGEN GE PRIORITY RUEHGV/USMISSION GENEVA PRIORITY 0003 RUEHUNV/USMISSION UNVIE VIENNA PRIORITY 0088 RUEHVEN/USMISSION USOSCE PRIORITY 0638 RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK PRIORITY 1147
S E C R E T SECTION 01 OF 02 USNATO 000087
SIPDIS
E.O. 12958: DECL: 02/25/2020
TAGS: MNUC PARM PREL MARR MCAP NATO GM BE LU NL NO
SUBJECT: RFG: FIVE NATIONS ASK SYG TO PUT "NATO'S NUCLEAR
POLICY" ON TALLINN AGENDA
REF: USNATO 66
Classified By: D/PolAd A. "Hoot" Baez for Reasons 1.4(b) and (d)
S E C R E T SECTION 01 OF 02 USNATO 000087
SIPDIS
E.O. 12958: DECL: 02/25/2020
TAGS: MNUC PARM PREL MARR MCAP NATO GM BE LU NL NO
SUBJECT: RFG: FIVE NATIONS ASK SYG TO PUT "NATO'S NUCLEAR
POLICY" ON TALLINN AGENDA
REF: USNATO 66
Classified By: D/PolAd A. "Hoot" Baez for Reasons 1.4(b) and (d)
1. (S) This is a request for guidance. See paragraph 4.
2. (S) In a letter delivered on February 26 to NATO
Secretary General Rasmussen and subsequently delivered to
Allies, the Foreign Ministers of Germany, the Netherlands,
Belgium, Norway, and Luxembourg requested that NATO put the
topic of its "nuclear policy in our evolving security
environment" on the agenda of the NATO Foreign Ministerial in
Tallinn on April 22-23, 2010. The full text of the letter is
reproduced in paragraph 5.
3. (S) The Private Office (strictly protect) reports that
the PermReps of the five nations told SYG Rasmussen that
their FMs had no intention of "acting unilaterally," but
instead were only calling for a discussion among the 28
Allies of NATO's nuclear policy. The SYG noted that media
reports of a leaked draft of the letter had characterized the
positions of the governments of the five nations as being
focused on removal of tactical nuclear weapons from Europe.
When the five PermReps put the letter in the context of the
2010 Strategic Concept, Rasmussen noted his belief that
getting full Allied agreement to the Strategic Concept would
require some language supportive of NATO's "nuclear
deterrent." He also said he plans to hold several
theme-based informal NACs this summer after the Group of
Experts report in May to discuss the Strategic Concept,
adding that one of these dicussions could focus on the issue
of NATO's nuclear policy.
4. (S) RFG: PermReps will discuss the request from the five
nations as early as Tuesday, March 2, during a
previously-scheduled meeting on Tallinn Ministerial formats
and agendas at the weekly PermRep lunch. Mission requests
initial Washington reaction to the letter for the
Ambassador's use during the March 2 discussion.
5. (S) The full text of the letter is reproduced below:
BEGIN TEXT:
"His Excellency
Mr. Anders Fogh Rasmussen
Secretary General to the
North Atlantic Treaty Organization
NATO Headquarters
Brussels
26 February 2010
In the Strasbourg Declaration on Alliance Security, Heads of
State and Government have stated that while deterrence
remains a core element of our overall strategy, NATO will
continue to play its part in reinforcing arms control and
promoting nuclear and conventional disarmament in accordance
with the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, as well as
non-proliferation efforts.
The international agenda in the field of arms control,
disarmament and non-proliferation will converge in the spring
of 2010. START follow on negotiations are ongoing and the US
Nuclear Posture Review is expected to be published soon. We
welcome the US initiative for a nuclear security summit in
April 2010. The NPT review conference in May is a crucial
milestone for strengthening the international regime for
nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation.
We hope we will see further achievements in the area of
disarmament and arms control, i.a. the ratification of the
CTBT, a fissile material cut-off treaty (FMCT) and the
USNATO 00000087 002 OF 002
inclusion of sub-strategic nuclear weapons in subsequent
steps towards nuclear disarmament.
Credible deterrence on the one hand and arms control,
disarmament, and non-proliferation on the other, must be seen
as integral elements of a comprehensive policy. NATO will
have to continue to pursue that policy in a balanced and
mutually reinforcing way, as has been proven successful in
the past.
Arms control, disarmament, and non-proliferation are higher
on the international agenda than they have been in many
years. We welcome the initiatives taken by President Obama to
strive towards substantial reductions in strategic armaments,
and to move towards reducing the role of nuclear weapons and
seek peace and security in a world without nuclear weapons.
We believe that also in NATO we should discuss what we can do
to move closer to this overall political objective.
Our meeting in Tallinn, which takes place on the eve of the
NPT Review Conference, provides us with an opportunity to
open a comprehensive discussion on these issues and to
produce guidance for the process on the new Strategic
Concept. Belgium, Germany, Luxembourg, the Netherlands and
Norway therefore propose that you include the topic of
NATO,s nuclear policy in our evolving security environment
in the agenda for that meeting.
We approach this discussion from a realistic point of view.
Our future policy requires the full support of all Allies.
NATO is in the process of defining its direction in an
evolving security environment. We consider our initiative as
a contribution to this discussion. This is an opportunity we
should not miss."
END TEXT.
HEFFERN
SIPDIS
E.O. 12958: DECL: 02/25/2020
TAGS: MNUC PARM PREL MARR MCAP NATO GM BE LU NL NO
SUBJECT: RFG: FIVE NATIONS ASK SYG TO PUT "NATO'S NUCLEAR
POLICY" ON TALLINN AGENDA
REF: USNATO 66
Classified By: D/PolAd A. "Hoot" Baez for Reasons 1.4(b) and (d)
1. (S) This is a request for guidance. See paragraph 4.
2. (S) In a letter delivered on February 26 to NATO
Secretary General Rasmussen and subsequently delivered to
Allies, the Foreign Ministers of Germany, the Netherlands,
Belgium, Norway, and Luxembourg requested that NATO put the
topic of its "nuclear policy in our evolving security
environment" on the agenda of the NATO Foreign Ministerial in
Tallinn on April 22-23, 2010. The full text of the letter is
reproduced in paragraph 5.
3. (S) The Private Office (strictly protect) reports that
the PermReps of the five nations told SYG Rasmussen that
their FMs had no intention of "acting unilaterally," but
instead were only calling for a discussion among the 28
Allies of NATO's nuclear policy. The SYG noted that media
reports of a leaked draft of the letter had characterized the
positions of the governments of the five nations as being
focused on removal of tactical nuclear weapons from Europe.
When the five PermReps put the letter in the context of the
2010 Strategic Concept, Rasmussen noted his belief that
getting full Allied agreement to the Strategic Concept would
require some language supportive of NATO's "nuclear
deterrent." He also said he plans to hold several
theme-based informal NACs this summer after the Group of
Experts report in May to discuss the Strategic Concept,
adding that one of these dicussions could focus on the issue
of NATO's nuclear policy.
4. (S) RFG: PermReps will discuss the request from the five
nations as early as Tuesday, March 2, during a
previously-scheduled meeting on Tallinn Ministerial formats
and agendas at the weekly PermRep lunch. Mission requests
initial Washington reaction to the letter for the
Ambassador's use during the March 2 discussion.
5. (S) The full text of the letter is reproduced below:
BEGIN TEXT:
"His Excellency
Mr. Anders Fogh Rasmussen
Secretary General to the
North Atlantic Treaty Organization
NATO Headquarters
Brussels
26 February 2010
In the Strasbourg Declaration on Alliance Security, Heads of
State and Government have stated that while deterrence
remains a core element of our overall strategy, NATO will
continue to play its part in reinforcing arms control and
promoting nuclear and conventional disarmament in accordance
with the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, as well as
non-proliferation efforts.
The international agenda in the field of arms control,
disarmament and non-proliferation will converge in the spring
of 2010. START follow on negotiations are ongoing and the US
Nuclear Posture Review is expected to be published soon. We
welcome the US initiative for a nuclear security summit in
April 2010. The NPT review conference in May is a crucial
milestone for strengthening the international regime for
nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation.
We hope we will see further achievements in the area of
disarmament and arms control, i.a. the ratification of the
CTBT, a fissile material cut-off treaty (FMCT) and the
USNATO 00000087 002 OF 002
inclusion of sub-strategic nuclear weapons in subsequent
steps towards nuclear disarmament.
Credible deterrence on the one hand and arms control,
disarmament, and non-proliferation on the other, must be seen
as integral elements of a comprehensive policy. NATO will
have to continue to pursue that policy in a balanced and
mutually reinforcing way, as has been proven successful in
the past.
Arms control, disarmament, and non-proliferation are higher
on the international agenda than they have been in many
years. We welcome the initiatives taken by President Obama to
strive towards substantial reductions in strategic armaments,
and to move towards reducing the role of nuclear weapons and
seek peace and security in a world without nuclear weapons.
We believe that also in NATO we should discuss what we can do
to move closer to this overall political objective.
Our meeting in Tallinn, which takes place on the eve of the
NPT Review Conference, provides us with an opportunity to
open a comprehensive discussion on these issues and to
produce guidance for the process on the new Strategic
Concept. Belgium, Germany, Luxembourg, the Netherlands and
Norway therefore propose that you include the topic of
NATO,s nuclear policy in our evolving security environment
in the agenda for that meeting.
We approach this discussion from a realistic point of view.
Our future policy requires the full support of all Allies.
NATO is in the process of defining its direction in an
evolving security environment. We consider our initiative as
a contribution to this discussion. This is an opportunity we
should not miss."
END TEXT.
HEFFERN