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RUEHBS/AMEMBASSY BRUSSELS IMMEDIATE 6204
RUEHFR/AMEMBASSY PARIS IMMEDIATE 0252
RUEHRO/AMEMBASSY ROME IMMEDIATE 0499
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UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 USNATO 000095 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
H PLEASE PASS TO SUSAN OLSON (HOUSE NATO PA DELEGATION) 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: MARR NATO OREP PREL PTER
SUBJECT: SUBJECT:  BACKGROUNDER FOR NATO PARLIAMENTARY 
ASSEMBLY MEETING, BRUSSELS, BELGIUM 
 
(U) This message is sensitive but unclassified.  Please 
handle accordingly. 
 
¶1.  (SBU) We look forward to your visit to Brussels, where 
your presence will remind Allies once again of the strong 
Congressional support for the Alliance.  Today, NATO is 
conducting operations on three continents bringing peace and 
stability to Afghanistan and the Balkans, while supporting 
peacekeeping operations in Darfur and security training in 
Iraq.  NATO is also building new partnerships with 
like-minded security providers, such as Australia, Japan, and 
Sweden, who play vital roles in supporting NATO missions. 
The Alliance continues to serve as an agent of transformation 
for the Nations' military forces, making them increasingly 
agile and expeditionary, as required for the challenges of 
the 21st century.  The Riga Summit confirmed NATO's door 
remains open to any European democracy and offered robust 
enhancements to the Alliance's partnership programs with over 
thirty countries in Eurasia, the Middle East, North Africa, 
and Asia. 
 
¶2. (SBU)  Afghanistan remains job one for the Alliance.  At 
recent meetings of Foreign and Defense Ministers, the 
Alliance reaffirmed its strong political commitment to 
Afghanistan, and embraced a Comprehensive Approach, involving 
the full use of political, economic, and military means to 
bring about peace and stability in Afghanistan.  Allies and 
partners provided new civilian assistance contributions and a 
few new military contributions.  That said, we must continue 
to press Allies to match words with concrete action to fill 
mission force requirements, to eliminate the most harmful 
restrictions on national forces (caveats), and provide 
high-impact reconstruction assistance.  Allied willingness to 
give is affected by a number of internal political, economic, 
and military factors which we'll discuss in detail when we 
see you. 
 
Post Riga Agenda 
 
¶3. (SBU) The Riga Summit on November 28-29 2006 demonstrated 
once again that the U.S. is leading strongly in NATO. 
Alliance Heads of State and Government strengthened their 
commitment to NATO,s Afghanistan and Balkans missions and 
adopted new initiatives to further enhance the Alliance,s 
role as a 21st century security provider, such as:  enhanced 
coordination among Special Forces; the establishment of a 
consortium of countries who will buy C-17 aircraft to provide 
much needed strategic lift capabilities; consideration of a 
Middle East Security Cooperation Center with partners in the 
Mediterranean and the Gulf; proposals for enhanced stability 
and reconstruction operations; and a tasking to examine 
NATO's role in energy security.  Operationally, we showcased 
NATO as an alliance that can go where the threat is and 
perform the full range of operations required for mission 
success.  The Alliance aims to work seamlessly with other key 
actors * the United Nations, European Union, African Union, 
non-governmental organizations, and development agencies as 
part of a broader and growing network of institutions seeking 
to address global challenges. 
 
-- Afghanistan:  There is no better example of NATO 
transformation into a true global instrument than 
Afghanistan.  NATO, through its International Security 
Assistance Force (ISAF), now commands more than 34,000 troops 
-- including approximately 15,000 U.S. personnel -- spanning 
the entire territory of Afghanistan.  All 26 Allies plus 11 
NATO partner countries contribute, showcasing our vision of a 
Global Partnership.  ISAF is driving real transformation at 
NATO - changes the U.S. has sought are being validated by the 
mission, such as strategic airlift, increased attention to 
Afghan National Army and Police training, SOF coordination, 
and intelligence sharing.  NATO,s success in Afghanistan is 
not guaranteed, and we have been pushing Allies hard to 
provide NATO military commanders the resources and forces 
they say they need to take the fight to the Taliban this 
spring, and to deliver the follow-up assistance necessary to 
secure military gains.  President Bush,s $10.6 billion 
request to Congress for Afghanistan development and security 
force training funds, announced here by Secretary Rice at the 
January 26 ministerial, was a clarion signal to Allies to of 
U.S. commitment.  While leading by example, we need to keep 
urging Allied leaders and legislators to dig deep and follow 
 
USNATO 00000095  002 OF 002 
 
 
up on the commitment made by Heads of State and Government at 
the Riga Summit: to ensure that ISAF has the forces, 
resources, and flexibility needed to ensure the mission,s 
continued success. 
 
-- Kosovo:  NATO remains firmly engaged in Kosovo through the 
NATO-led Kosovo Force (KFOR) which is the Alliance,s second 
largest military mission, with over 16,000 troops from more 
than 25 countries participating.  On February 2, U.N. Special 
Envoy Ahtisaari presented his proposal for the resolution of 
Kosovo,s status to Belgrade and Pristina and plans to have 
both parties engage on the document over the next couple of 
weeks.  SYG Jaap de Hoop Scheffer will travel to the region 
on February 15 with a message of NATO unity behind Ahtisaari. 
 Current planning is focused on providing a safe and secure 
environment during the concluding phase of the status 
process, as well as preparing for NATO,s post-status role as 
both security provider and in mentoring and training a new 
Kosovo security force.  The U.S. remains committed to peace 
and stability in the Balkans with approximately 1,650 troops 
in Kosovo and assists the other countries in the region on 
defense reform. 
 
-- Global Partnership:  At NATO,s Riga Summit, the Alliance 
agreed to expand its partnerships to interested democratic 
Contact Countries, to open the Partnership for Peace (PfP) 
"toolbox" to these new global partners, and to improve 
political consultations with all partners through new, more 
flexible "26 n" formats.  This has already led to high-level 
consultations, including January visits by the Japanese and 
Pakistani Prime Ministers respectively to brief the NAC, as 
well as the first stages of opening all PfP tools to 
Mediterranean Dialogue and Istanbul Cooperation Initiative 
participants and to other contributors to NATO-led 
operations, from Australia to Argentina. 
 
-- Enlargement:  Reflecting NATO,s open door policy, the 
Alliance at Riga invited Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, 
and Serbia into NATO's Partnership for Peace program and 
looks forward to fostering further reform efforts in those 
respective countries.  The Alliance continues to actively 
engage both Georgia and Ukraine to deepen their respective 
reform efforts as they move closer to Euro-Atlantic 
integration.  Albania, Croatia, and Macedonia are all working 
hard to make the grades in 2008. 
 
-- Russia:  The NATO-Russia Council (NRC) continues to foster 
engagement with Russia as we have moved forward on joint 
initiatives such as counter-narcotics training in Central 
Asia, nuclear emergency drills, and some theatre missile 
defense work.  For the first time in history, a Russian 
warship served under a NATO flag last year as part of 
Operation Active Endeavor, the Alliance,s Article V 
counter-terrorism operation in the Mediterranean.  The 
Russians intend on participating again in Active Endeavor and 
will supply another warship this year. However, differences 
between Russia and the Alliance continue, particularly over 
NATO,s partnership with Georgia and over Kosovo,s final 
status.  At the recent Munich Security Conference, President 
Putin signaled a more robust assertion of Russian national 
interests and blasted NATO's enlargement, evidence that 
2007-2008 may be complex years for the NRC. 
 
 
¶4.  (SBU) As always, we,re working on a rich and ambitious 
agenda in support of U.S. global interests, and I look 
forward to welcoming you to Brussels and discussing this 
agenda with you this weekend.  As usual, we'll put you to 
work pushing your Allied counterparts to support NATO 
strongly, particularly in Afghanistan where both the stakes 
and opportunities are enormous this year. 
NULAND