VZCZCXRO4067
OO RUEHIK RUEHLN RUEHPOD RUEHVK RUEHYG
DE RUEHNO #0293/01 2321651
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
O 191651Z AUG 08
FM USMISSION USNATO
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 2167
INFO RUEHXD/MOSCOW POLITICAL COLLECTIVE IMMEDIATE
RUEHZG/NATO EU COLLECTIVE IMMEDIATE
RUEHMO/AMEMBASSY MOSCOW IMMEDIATE 6066
RUEHSI/AMEMBASSY TBILISI IMMEDIATE 5655
RUEHVEN/USMISSION USOSCE  IMMEDIATE 0495
RUEKJCS/JOINT STAFF WASHDC IMMEDIATE
RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK IMMEDIATE 0777
RHMFISS/HQ USEUCOM VAIHINGEN GE IMMEDIATE
RHEFDIA/DIA WASHDC IMMEDIATE
RHEHNSC/NSC WASHDC IMMEDIATE
RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHDC IMMEDIATE
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHDC IMMEDIATE
RUEHNO/USDELMC BRUSSELS BE IMMEDIATE
RHMFIUU/USNMR SHAPE BE IMMEDIATE

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 USNATO 000293 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PREL MARR NATO MOPS GG RU
SUBJECT: TFGG01: TEXT OF THE NORTH ATLANTIC COUNCIL 
STATEMENT ON GEORGIA 
 
¶1. (U) The North Atlantic Council released the following 
statement following its August 19 Special Ministerial to 
address the ongoing crisis in Georgia.  Begin text of 
statement: 
 
STATEMENT BY THE NORTH ATLANTIC COUNCIL 
AT THE LEVEL OF FOREIGN MINISTERS 
 
19th AUGUST 2008 
 
¶1.    The North Atlantic Council met in special Ministerial 
session on 19 August 2008, expressed its grave concern over 
the situation in Georgia and discussed its wider implications 
for Euro-Atlantic stability and security.  A peaceful and 
lasting solution to the conflict in Georgia must be based on 
full respect for the principles of Georgia,s independence, 
sovereignty and territorial integrity recognized by 
international law and UN Security Council resolutions.   We 
deplore all loss of life, civilian casualties, and damage to 
civilian infrastructure that has resulted from the conflict. 
We are assisting humanitarian relief efforts.  We met with 
the Chairman in Office of the OSCE, Finnish Minister of 
Foreign Affairs Mr. Alexander Stubb, to discuss the key 
issues which he believed needed to be addressed. 
 
¶2.    We welcome the agreement reached and signed by Georgia 
and Russia, through the diplomatic efforts of the European 
Union, the OSCE and the United States, to end the hostilities 
and to bring about a political solution to the conflict.  We 
stand fully behind these efforts.  We stress the urgency of 
swift, complete, and good faith implementation of the 
agreement, including a new international mechanism to monitor 
respect for these engagements.  Military action must cease 
definitively and military forces must return to their 
positions held prior to the outbreak of hostilities.  Fully 
international discussions must begin on the modalities for 
security and stability in Abkhazia and South Ossetia. 
Economic activity in Georgia, including international 
aviation and shipping, must not be hindered. 
 
¶3.    We are gravely concerned by the humanitarian situation. 
 Allied governments are working together, and in concert with 
international organizations and others in the international 
community, to ensure that the civilian populations affected 
by the conflict have the assistance they need to meet 
immediate and ongoing humanitarian needs.  We call on all 
parties, in accordance with their obligations under 
international humanitarian law, to ensure access for 
international humanitarian relief efforts to all affected 
populations. 
 
¶4.    We have also agreed today to support Georgia, upon its 
request, in a number of areas.  In addition we have agreed to 
task the North Atlantic Council in Permanent Session to 
develop with Georgia rapidly the modalities for a 
NATO-Georgia Commission.  This commission will supervise the 
process set in hand at Bucharest, including the measures of 
support agreed at today,s meeting.  These measures are 
intended to assist Georgia, a valued and long standing 
Partner of NATO, to assess the damage caused by the military 
action and to help restore critical services necessary for 
normal public life and economic activity.  Georgia's 
recovery, security and stability are important to the 
Alliance.  NATO will continue to cooperate with Georgia in 
the framework of the Partnership for Peace and Georgia,s 
Individual Partnership Action Plan with NATO, and will review 
any additional Georgian requests for assistance.  We also 
welcomed the fact that a number of our governments have 
indicated that they will actively support measures to help 
the economic reconstruction of Georgia. 
 
¶5.    The conflict between Georgia and Russia has compromised 
regional stability and security.  We deeply deplore the use 
of force in the conflict between Georgia and Russia.  We 
reiterate that there is no military solution to the 
unresolved conflicts.  We remind all parties that peaceful 
conflict resolution is a key principle of the Partnership for 
 
USNATO 00000293  002 OF 002 
 
 
Peace Framework Document. 
 
¶6.    We remain concerned by Russia's actions during this 
crisis and remind Russia of its responsibility for 
maintaining security and order in the areas where it 
exercises control, especially in light of continuing reports 
of Russia,s deliberate destruction of civilian 
infrastructure.  Russian military action has been 
disproportionate and inconsistent with its peacekeeping role, 
as well as incompatible with the principles of peaceful 
conflict resolution set out in the Helsinki Final Act, the 
NATO Russia Founding Act and the Rome Declaration.  We call 
on Russia to take immediate action to withdraw its troops 
from the areas it is supposed to leave under the 
six-principle agreement signed by President Saakashvili and 
President Medvedev (Note: Official text contains a footnote 
at this point: &As complemented by President Sarkozy,s 
letter dated 16 August 2008 and subsequent correspondence on 
this issue." End note).  The Alliance is considering 
seriously the implications of Russia,s actions for the NATO 
Russia relationship.  In 2002, we established the NATO Russia 
Council, a framework for discussions with Russia, including 
on issues that divide the Alliance and Russia.  We have 
determined that we cannot continue with business as usual. 
We call on Moscow to demonstrate ) both in word and deed ) 
its continued commitment to the principles upon which we 
agreed to base our relationship. 
 
¶7.    We reaffirmed our commitment to the decisions taken by 
Heads of State and Government at the Bucharest Summit in 
April 2008, including those regarding Georgia,s 
Euro-Atlantic aspirations, and we will continue our intensive 
engagement with Georgia to address in December the questions 
pertaining to its Membership Action Plan application, taking 
into account developments until that time. 
 
End text of statement. 
VOLKER