VZCZCXRO1784
PP RUEHAG RUEHAST RUEHDA RUEHDF RUEHFL RUEHIK RUEHKW RUEHLA RUEHLN
RUEHLZ RUEHROV RUEHSR RUEHVK RUEHYG
DE RUEHPOD #0240/01 2561532
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P R 121532Z SEP 08
FM AMEMBASSY PODGORICA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 0952
INFO RUEHNO/USMISSION USNATO 0080
RUEHZL/EUROPEAN POLITICAL COLLECTIVE
RUEHPOD/AMEMBASSY PODGORICA 1039

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 PODGORICA 000240 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPT FOR EUR/SCE AND EUR/RPM 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PREL MARR MW
SUBJECT: MONTENEGRO PRESSES AHEAD WITH NATO ACTIVITIES 
 
REF: (A) PODGORICA 217 (B) STATE 83856 
 
PODGORICA 00000240  001.2 OF 003 
 
 
¶1. (SBU) Summary: An informal working group, consisting of GOM 
and Embassy representatives, has started regular meetings to 
monitor Montenegro's progress toward NATO (REF A).  The group 
will consider, inter alia, GOM steps to make progress on the 
eleven priority goals laid out in REF B and accepted by the GoM. 
 A meeting of the group September 8 revealed that GoM has made 
the most progress on the specifically defense-related goals but 
lags in the civilian sector, notably information security and 
effective public outreach. The GoM has already initiated action 
to meet its information security goals, and we plan to address 
other gaps when the group meets on 6 October or in smaller 
meetings before then. End Summary. 
 
 
 
Eleven Priority Goals:  First Six on Track 
 
----------------------------------------- 
 
¶2. (SBU) On September 8, in its first meeting, the informal 
working group agreed to monitor Montenegro's progress in 
intensifying its relationship with NATO, particularly in the 11 
priority goals identified in REF B. The group also agreed to 
meet regularly, at least every three weeks, to review progress. 
Members also plan to meet individually on specific issues.  On 
the Montenegrin side, the group is led by Deputy Ministers for 
Defense and Foreign Affairs, Drasko Jovanovic and Dragana 
Radulovic, with senior representatives from the General Staff, 
Prime Minister's public affairs staff, Ministry of Justice and 
Information Security Agency. 
 
 
 
¶3. (SBU) The group identified six goals in which significant 
progress is already being made: 
 
 
 
-- Make significant progress in destruction of surplus small 
arms and light weapons: 
 
 
 
Thus far the GoM completed destruction of 1500 Strela Man 
Portable Air Defense Systems in June 2008. In August 2008, 
17,940 Anti-Diver Mines were destroyed.  The GoM agreed to 
provide the U.S. team with details of the ongoing weapons 
destruction projects as needed. 
 
 
 
-- Participate in at least two NATO Partnership exercises: 
 
 
 
Montenegro has already formally participated in one exercise, 
Combined Endeavor in May 2008, and also is participating in the 
planning conferences for several more exercises over the next 
year.  In June 2009, Montenegro will host its first NATO 
exercise planning conference. 
 
 
 
-- Prepare a NATO-interoperable unit, as part of a long-term 
defense reform plan, for an international peacekeeping mission: 
 
 
 
The Montenegrin Armed Forces have organized two peacekeeping 
platoons, which have begun intensive English language and 
physical fitness training in Danilovgrad. 
 
 
 
-- Invest in NATO-interoperable equipment: 
 
 
 
Several Tenders are presently under consideration, and the MoD 
will provide DAO information regarding purchases that already 
have been made. 
 
 
 
-- Continue to spend at least two per cent of GDP on defense 
 
 
 
 
PODGORICA 00000240  002.2 OF 003 
 
 
The GoM team assured us that the defense budget allocations are 
currently above two per cent and that those will not change. 
 
 
 
-- Participate in NATO activities identified in Montenegro's 
Individual Partnership Plan (IPP) 
 
 
 
Montenegro is currently signed up for 48 IPP activities and has 
completed 29 of them (60 percent). 
 
 
 
...But Major Challenges Remain 
 
------------------------------ 
 
 
 
¶4. (SBU) All agreed that the remaining priorities need close 
attention. 
 
 
 
-- Develop plans to achieve its NATO Partnership Goals: 
 
 
 
Because this goal alone represents a sizeable collection of 
tasks, post recommended to the Montenegrins that individual 
meetings before 6 October would be more productive. 
 
 
 
-- Implement the Law on the Protection of Secret Data and meet 
requirements of the Security of Information Agreement with NATO: 
 
 
 
DCM met separately on 12 September with Jovanovic and the newly 
designated director of the Information Security Agency, 
currently a senior advisor in MoD.  They believe they will be 
ready to request NATO certification of their facilities within 4 
- 6 weeks. (Comment: The designation of a new director this week 
is itself an improvement, in comparison to the previous one who 
was not from MoD. He is expected to be officially appointed next 
week. End comment) Nevertheless, the agency itself still lacks a 
budget and permanent staff, apart from the director.  It 
currently operates with temporary support from the MoD. 
 
 
 
-- Make progress in addressing rule of law concerns, including 
legislative improvements: 
 
 
 
The Ministry of Justice representative asserted that GoM has 
already made significant progress in reforms of the criminal 
justice system.  He also said this process would continue in 
accord with a five-year judicial reform plan, inaugurated after 
passage of the new constitution last year.  This includes an 
action plan, proposed budgets and indicators of progress.  The 
MoJ representative also highlighted Montenegro's cooperation 
with ICTY and actions taken to resolve Montenegro's own war 
crimes cases.  The U.S. side requested a briefing from MoJ to 
review the rule of law issues in greater detail. 
 
 
 
-- Increase public support for NATO membership: 
 
 
 
For a baseline, the group agreed to use the latest poll which 
shows 28 percent support for Montenegro's membership in NATO. 
The GoM has formed an interagency team to coordinate its 
communication strategy for boosting public support for NATO. 
Its efforts so far have been mainly technical, such as designing 
a website and billboards, and soliciting outside marketing 
consultants. Actual outreach has been limited to academic 
seminars and a NATO "summer camp" at a mountain resort. There 
are plans for future TV spots and billboards targeting mass 
audiences, but we have seen no signs yet that the GoM leadership 
plans a broader campaign to appeal directly to the public.  We 
intend to discuss this directly with the coordinating team. 
 
 
PODGORICA 00000240  003.2 OF 003 
 
 
 
 
-- Reaching out to NATO allies early and often, including, but 
not solely through the NATO Contact Point Embassy, to seek input 
and provide updates on the progress of reforms. 
 
 
 
The GoM also assured us that the PM, MoD and MFA will continue 
to brief officials of NATO governments, as they did in the 
run-up to the Bucharest Summit.  The Intensified Dialogue 
process -- reportedly started in earnest over the summer --also 
will facilitate regular and results-oriented communication 
between the GoM and NATO. 
 
 
 
Comment 
 
------- 
 
 
 
¶5. (SBU) Even at this early stage, the GoM members of the 
working group are acutely aware of the urgency of their task. 
Pressure is no doubt coming from the government's top 
leadership, which has made it clear that it wants to see 
concrete results across the board.  The MoD and MFA are without 
question committed to pushing ahead full steam.  We hope that 
the efforts of the working group, via its reports to the 
leadership, will produce the same level of commitment from other 
parts of the GoM. 
MOORE