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DE RUEHNY #0488/01 2461306
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
R 021306Z SEP 08
FM AMEMBASSY OSLO
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 7024
INFO RUEHXP/ALL NATO POST COLLECTIVE
RUEHMO/AMEMBASSY MOSCOW 4014
RUEHNO/USMISSION USNATO 1524
RHEFDIA/DIA WASHINGTON DC
RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHINGTON DC

C O N F I D E N T I A L OSLO 000488 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 09/02/2018 
TAGS: MARR MCAP NATO PGOV PREL NO
SUBJECT: NORWAY WELCOMES AMBASSADOR VOLKER'S VISIT WITH A 
PLEDGE TO FOCUS ON COOPERATION 
 
Classified By: Deputy Chief of Misson Kevin M. Johnson 
for reasons 1.4 b and d 
 
¶1. (C) Ambassador Volker's August 21-24th visit to Noway 
featured extensive private and public discusions on Georgia 
and on Russia including a well received address at Norway's 
leading foreign policy institute and extensive media 
coverage.  In private, GON officials, including FM Stoere and 
Deputy Defense Minister Barth Eide, expressed a desire for 
closer cooperation with the U.S. in NATO and broad agreement 
on the seriousness of Russian actions in Georgia.  Barth Eide 
and Stoere also stressed the need for NATO to return some of 
its focus to ""Article Five"" territorial defense core 
missions, including Norway's High North, although they both 
stressed the GON's continued commitment to Afghanistan. 
Ambassador Volker also met with the Afghan Ambassador to 
Norway to discuss the Afghan Ambassador's proposal for a 
public relations hub designed to assist Afghani Embassies in 
Europe. 
 
Visit Overview 
------------- 
 
¶2. (C) Ambassador Volker visited Oslo, Stavanger and Bodo, 
meeting with FM Jonas Gahr Stoere and Deputy Defense Minister 
Espen Barth Eide and visiting the Joint Warfare Center in 
Stavanger and the Norwegian National Joint Command 
Headquarters  in Bodo.  In Oslo, Ambassador Volker also held 
a talk at the Norwegian Institute for Foreign Affairs 
covering his hectic first week on the job, U.S. actions and 
response to the Georgia crisis and long-term goals for a 
cooperative relationship with Russia.  Norway's NATO 
Ambassador, Kim Traavik, accompanied Ambassador Volker 
throughout most of the trip. 
 
Georgia 
-------- 
¶3. (C) Ambassador Volker expressed appreciation for FM 
Stoere's strong condemnation of Russian actions in Georgia. 
FM Stoere and Volker agreed on the importance of close allied 
cooperation when structuring NATO's relationship with Georgia 
and that the upcoming NAC visit to Tbilisi should not be 
about MAP status.  Deputy Defense Minister Barth Eide 
expressed concern over the Russian interpretation of the 
ceasefire text and agreement that the Russian behavior was 
unacceptable.  Barth Eide stressed the need for a long-term 
vision for NATO's relations with Georgia.  In his remarks at 
the Norwegian Institute for Foreign Affairs, Ambassador 
Volker described the U.S. policy on Georgia and reaction to 
Russia, stressing the short-term need to handle the crisis 
and the long-term desire to create a cooperative relationship 
with Russia. 
 
Russia and NATO 
------------------- 
¶4. (C) NATO's relations with Russia were the dominant theme 
of the visit and there was much discussion over the 
interpretation of the Russian diplomatic notes freezing 
military cooperation with NATO, delivered late on August 21. 
FM Stoere interpreted the Russian note as a pre-emptive move, 
after seeing how united the allies were in condemnation of 
Russian actions in Georgia.  Stoere stressed the importance 
of a united alliance and requested that Norway, as well as 
the Baltic and Eastern European states, be included in 
discussions and decisions regarding Russia from the 
beginning.  Stoere pledged to let the U.S. know divergent 
views but also that he would manage relations to focus on 
cooperation.  Barth Eide stressed the importance of NATO's 
returning to it core mission, maintaining security for its 
member's territory.  He did not see Russia's behavior as new, 
merely the extension of policy from Putin's Munich speech. 
Barth Eide believed that a return in defense planning and 
focus on NATO's territory is necessary to maintain alliance 
unity, and to strengthen public understanding and support, 
particularly in Eastern Europe.  Ambassador Volker agreed 
that this would be important but stressed the continued 
centrality of the fight against terror, reminding Barth Eide 
that Russia does not intend to attack NATO today, unlike 
terrorists.  Ambassador Volker took this opportunity to press 
Norway to increase defense spending.  Barth Eide admitted 
that budgets do not meet the two percent goal but pointed to 
increases in funding and staffing and the Norwegian 
military's presence in the North as positive developments. 
 
Norway and Russia 
----------------- 
¶5. (C) Stoere and Barth Eide both stressed that Norway does 
not want to escalate the crisis with Russia and does not see 
Russia as a threat.  Both emphasized the GON's ""two track"" 
approach to Russia, keeping bilateral relations on its border 
and in the Arctic calm and productive, while criticizing 
Russia for its behavior elsewhere and supporting western 
multilateral organizations.  The GON considers its bilateral 
relationship with Russia to be a model for other NATO allies 
and Stoere and Barth Eide were insistent on the need to 
maintain contact and dialogue with Russia on bilateral 
issues. In the multilateral arena Stoere stressed the 
importance of NATO solidarity and said that he had spoken 
with Lavrov after Russian threats against Poland. Ambassador 
Volker asked about increases in Russian bomber flights along 
Norway's coast and how the GON views this.  Saying ""we didn't 
miss them when they were gone"" Stoere mentioned that he had 
stressed to Lavrov that the flights make it easy to convince 
the public that Norway should buy new fighter planes.  Stoere 
also brought up the simulated cruise missile attack on Bodo 
during a Nordic foreign ministers meeting with Lavrov.  Since 
then no such practice attacks have been seen.  Stoere also 
mentioned Secretary Rice's comments about Russian flights 
along the Norwegian coast and stressed that the GON does not 
view them as a threat, despite growing Russian interest in 
Svalbard.  Ambassador Volker agreed that this was a good 
public point but that in private the GON should recognize the 
clear message that Russia is sending to Norway and NATO. 
Barth Eide agreed on this point and mentioned the Russian 
aircraft carrier Kuznetsov's cruise through Norway's North 
Sea oil platforms as another incident of Russia sending a 
message. 
 
6.(C) During briefings in Stavanger and Bodo senior Norwegian 
military officers stressed their concern over the potential 
for trouble with Russia in Svalbard. Russia disputes Norway's 
interpretation of the Svalbard treaty and has recently sent 
warships and fishery inspection vessels into the waters near 
Svalbard. Norway's CHOD publically stated that the potential 
for conflict with Russia is greatest in Svalbard.  With the 
events in Georgia the Norwegian military seems to be focused 
on this potential threat and concerned that NATO is aware of 
this area of vulnerability. MOD sources indicate that the 
Minister of Defense will stress the Norwegian concern over 
Svalbard in the next Defense Ministerial. 
 
Missile Defense and Cluster Munitions 
--------------------- 
¶7. (C) Barth Eide and Stoere seemed willing to maintain 
alliance unity and put disagreements over the cluster 
munitions treaty and missile defense behind them.  In 
response to Volker's request to get away from the divisive 
dynamic around missile defense and cluster munitions, Stoere 
stressed the GON's continued skepticism with missile defense 
and said he personally remained to be convinced.  He said 
that the U.S. should not take a lack of debate within NATO as 
agreement and asked if the missile defense systems will 
enhance security.  Stoere also expressed satisfaction with 
the cluster munitions treaty but agreed to manage relations 
to maintian NATO unity and focus on the reaction to Russia's 
challenges.  Barth Eide also was pleased with the cluster 
munitions treaty and said that the credibility gained by 
Norway during the process allowed the GON to play an 
important role in assuring that harder line states did not 
overly impact the treaty.  Barth Eide was less vocal on 
missile defense, saying that GON skepticism was largely for 
domestic reasons and that after the conclusion of agreements 
with the Czech Republic and Poland this would not be as 
contentious.  Barth Eide also stressed that GON skepticism 
was not based on Russian objections.  He proposed that ""just 
as the U.S. is adjusting to the cluster munitions treaty, 
Norway will relate to developments in missile defense."" 
 
Afghanistan 
--------- 
¶8. (C) Discussing Afghanistan FM Stoere mentioned the GON's 
appreciation for strong U.S. support for Kai Eide and his UN 
coordination role.  Stoere and Volker discussed the 
challenges of civilian-military coordination and agreed that 
the relative role of the military or civilian actors is 
situationally dependent and needs to be flexible.  Touching 
on Pakistan-Afghan relations, Stoere said the role of the 
Pakistani intelligence service is key.  He also mentioned 
that he has yet to hear any good answer on how to deal with 
Pakistan and that this may in fact be the most difficult 
question in the region. 
 
¶9. (C) Ambassador Volker also met with the Afghani Ambassador 
to the Nordic region, Jawed Ludin, to discuss Ludin's 
proposal and request for funding for an Afghan focused media 
hub.  The purpose of the hub would be to assist Afghan 
embassies in Europe react to media stories as well as 
proactively spread more positive stories about Afghanistan. 
Volker was supportive of the idea, suggesting that it needs 
to be located in Brussels to maximize press opportunities and 
promising to mention his support of the idea to Colleen 
Graffey. 
 
Media Reports 
----------- 
¶10. (C) Media interest Volker's visit was high, with multiple 
print interviews and coverage by the two major TV channels as 
well as the major radio news station.  Coverage focused on 
the actions leading up to the crisis and the long-term 
prospects for relations with Russia.  Coverage was largely 
positive and supported U.S. criticisms of Russia's actions 
and the right of Georgia to determine its own future 
(although critical of Georgia's actions leading up to the 
conflict). 
 
Comment: 
--------- 
¶11. (C) Ambassador Volker's visit to Norway has focused 
attention on the continued relevance of NATO and the need for 
close ties to the United States.  The leader of the 
Conservative opposition party criticized the current 
Labor-led coalition for weakening ties with the U.S. and not 
providing enough funding for defense.  Other voices have 
called for increases in Norway's defense capabilities and 
commitment to NATO.  There is a general consensus here that 
Georgian actions were unwise and led to the conflict and that 
the Norwegian relationship with Russia is categorically 
different. Nonetheless Russia's actions in Georgia, combined 
with the increase in military activity in the Barents region, 
have strengthened advocates of increased defense spending and 
of the importance of maintaining a close relationship with 
the U.S. 
WHITNEY