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O 031643Z DEC 08
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UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 06 USNATO 000447 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR EUR/RPM 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: NATO MARR PARM PHSA PTER XG ZM XA XF
SUBJECT: COMMUNIQUE OF THE DECEMBER 2-3 NATO FOREIGN 
MINISTERS' MEETING, PART 2 OF 2 
 
¶1. (U) The following is part 2 of the Communique from the 
December 2-3 NATO Foreign Ministers' Meeting: 
 
CONTINUE TEXT: 
 
¶20.   We welcome the progress made by Bosnia and Herzegovina 
and Montenegro in their cooperation with the Alliance and the 
development of ambitious Individual Partnership Action Plans 
with both countries.  We expect both countries to maintain 
the momentum in implementing these Action Plans and note 
positively their intention to enhance integration through 
regional cooperation initiatives.  We welcome the start of an 
Intensified Dialogue with both countries on the full range of 
political, military, financial, and security issues relating 
to their aspirations to membership, without prejudice to any 
eventual Alliance decision.  Without prejudice to our future 
decision on Montenegro's request to participate in the MAP, 
we welcome Montenegro's interest to progress towards Euro 
Atlantic integration. 
 
¶21.   Despite progress in some areas, we are concerned by the 
deterioration in the political climate in Bosnia and 
Herzegovina over the past few months, which puts at risk the 
constitutional structure of the country as well as its Euro 
Atlantic integration prospects.  We encourage all political 
leaders in the country to take a more responsible stance and 
urge early implementation of recent agreements, such as on 
defence property.  We are deeply concerned by irresponsible 
political rhetoric and actions that weaken the Bosnian state 
and call into question the existence of its entities, 
including the break up of the state of Bosnia and 
Herzegovina, all of which could have profound implications. 
The 8 November 2008 political agreement between some Bosnian 
leaders is a welcome sign of dialogue.  We urge all political 
leaders in Bosnia and Herzegovina to implement concrete 
changes consistent with the Peace Implementation Council's 
requirements for closure of the Office of the High 
Representative.  NATO continues to remain vigilant and will 
closely monitor the political developments.  We deem it 
important that the international presence in Bosnia and 
Herzegovina take account of the political and security 
situation.  NATO remains committed to continuing to support 
Operation EUFOR ALTHEA through the Berlin Plus arrangements. 
As such, we attach utmost importance to efficient cooperation 
and consultations between the EU and NATO and non EU Allies. 
 
¶22.   In light of the new Serbian Government's stated 
commitment to Euro Atlantic values and partnership, NATO 
continues to support Serbia's integration into the Euro 
Atlantic community of nations.  We welcome Serbia's desire to 
pursue further practical cooperation with NATO, including 
through full use of Partnership for Peace (PfP).  The recent 
signature of the Agreement with NATO on the Security of 
Information represents an important step in this regard.  We 
stand ready to further develop our partnership, in particular 
through elaboration of an Individual Partnership Action Plan 
in accordance with the PfP principles of inclusiveness and 
self differentiation.  All NATO partnership opportunities for 
political consultation and practical cooperation remain open 
to Serbia.  We call upon Serbia to influence the parties 
concerned in Kosovo to abstain from violence. 
 
¶23.   We acknowledge Serbia's recent capture and extradition 
of the war crimes indictee Radovan Karadzic and urge Serbia 
 
USNATO 00000447  002 OF 006 
 
 
to continue its efforts, in particular to capture and 
extradite fugitive Ratko Mladic and other remaining 
fugitives.  We continue to expect Serbia and Bosnia and 
Herzegovina to cooperate fully with the International 
Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia and will closely 
monitor their respective efforts in this regard. 
 
¶24.   While we continue to believe in the importance for Euro 
Atlantic security of relations between NATO and Russia that 
are based on constructive dialogue - including on issues that 
divide the Alliance and Russia - and cooperation, recent 
Russian actions and statements have seriously diminished our 
confidence in Moscow's continuing commitment to the founding 
values and principles of the NATO Russia relations. 
Following Russia's disproportionate military actions during 
the conflict with Georgia in August, we determined that there 
could be no business as usual in our relations with Russia. 
Russia's subsequent recognition of the South Ossetia and 
Abkhazia regions of Georgia, which we condemn and call upon 
Russia to reverse, contravenes the OSCE principles on which 
the security of Europe is based and the United Nations 
Security Council resolutions regarding Georgia's territorial 
integrity which Russia endorsed.  We reaffirm our adherence 
to these values and principles and call on Russia to 
demonstrate its own commitment to them.  We call upon Russia 
to refrain from confrontational statements, including 
assertions of a sphere of influence, and from threats to the 
security of Allies and Partners, such as the one concerning 
the possible deployment of short range missiles in the 
Kaliningrad region.  We also call upon Russia to implement 
fully the commitments agreed with Georgia, as mediated by the 
EU on 12 August and 8 September 2008.   In the context of 
Georgia, we view Russia's withdrawal from the areas it has 
committed to leave as an essential step and welcome the steps 
taken thus far to implement those commitments, while 
underscoring the importance of full access by international 
monitors and reminding Russia of its responsibility in terms 
of security and order.  We express our support for the 
constructive exchanges between all the parties involved in 
the Geneva international discussions aimed at making progress 
rapidly on pending issues related to security and 
humanitarian matters.  We urge Russia, as well as all other 
relevant actors, to continue to engage constructively in the 
resolution of these outstanding issues as the Geneva talks go 
forward. 
 
¶25.   The NATO Russia partnership was conceived as a 
strategic element in fostering security in the Euro Atlantic 
area.  Dialogue and cooperation remain important for our 
joint ability to meet effectively common security threats and 
challenges.  We have not conducted business as usual in the 
NATO Russia Council (NRC) since August.  In a partnership 
based on common values, the lack of a shared commitment to 
those values must naturally cause the relationship and the 
scope for cooperative action to suffer.  That is reflected in 
the limited scope of our current practical cooperation. 
Taking this into account, we have agreed on a measured and 
phased approach: we have mandated the Secretary General to 
re-engage with Russia at the political level; agreed to 
informal discussions in the NRC; and requested the Secretary 
General to report back to us prior to any decision to engage 
Russia formally in the NRC. 
 
¶26.   NATO's policy of outreach through partnerships, 
 
USNATO 00000447  003 OF 006 
 
 
dialogue and cooperation is an essential part of the 
Alliance's purpose and tasks.  The Alliance's partnerships 
across the globe have an enduring value, contributing to 
stability and security in the Euro Atlantic area and beyond. 
We value highly the contributions that our partners are 
making to NATO's missions and operations. 
 
¶27.   We remain committed to substantive political 
discussions and effective cooperation within the Euro 
Atlantic Partnership Council (EAPC) and Partnership for 
Peace, based on shared values and principles.  NATO expects 
all Partners to fulfil their commitments to these values and 
principles.  We encourage and will continue to support 
further defence and other reforms, including in the 
strategically important regions of the Caucasus and Central 
Asia.  We are looking forward to the EAPC Security Forum to 
be held in Kazakhstan in June 2009. 
 
¶28.   We met yesterday with our seven Mediterranean partners 
to review the significant progress in the Mediterranean 
Dialogue process since our last meeting in 2007, and discuss 
other issues of common interest.  We look forward to building 
on this progress and further deepening our relationship 
through political dialogue and practical cooperation, 
including in the context of the NATO Training Cooperation 
Initiative and through the use of trust fund mechanisms, such 
as those with Jordan.  We consider peace and stability in the 
Mediterranean region as essential to our own security.  We 
welcome the offer of the Spanish Government to host the next 
Mediterranean Dialogue Ministerial meeting in Spring 2009. 
 
¶29.   We are pleased with the response by the four Gulf 
countries participating in our Istanbul Cooperation 
Initiative (ICI), including to the NATO Training Cooperation 
Initiative, and are determined to further intensify our 
cooperation in this and other areas.  The current deployment 
of NATO's Standing Maritime Group 2 in the Gulf region and 
the exercises it is undertaking with ICI partners demonstrate 
our mutual interest in developing our ability to operate 
together. 
 
¶30.   We are also pleased with the growing interest in many 
countries beyond the Euro Atlantic area in developing closer 
relations with NATO.  Many of these countries support our 
operations, are involved in practical cooperation with the 
Alliance in key areas such as education and training, and 
engage in regular consultations with NATO on issues such as 
the fight against terrorism and the proliferation of Weapons 
of Mass Destruction.  We are interested in NATO's engagement 
with partners across the globe and further developing our 
political dialogue and practical cooperation with these 
countries in areas of common interest. 
 
¶31.   NATO's transformation is a continual process which 
demands constant political attention and active management by 
the Allies.  We must ensure the provision of forces to allow 
the Alliance to conduct its full range of missions, including 
collective defence and crisis response operations, as 
envisaged in NATO's Strategic Concept and Comprehensive 
Political Guidance.  As an Alliance, we are committed to 
develop policies and capabilities to deal with emerging 
challenges and threats, taking into account regional and 
national considerations, and to address the immediate 
security concerns of all Allies.  To that end, we welcome the 
 
USNATO 00000447  004 OF 006 
 
 
decision taken on increasing political targets for 
deployability of land forces.  In addition, the Alliance will 
continue efforts to be able to deploy the NATO Response Force 
by providing the necessary forces.  The Alliance will, 
through NATO's evolving defence planning process, further 
develop the capabilities required to conduct the full range 
of our missions and to remedy specific shortfalls.  We will 
work particularly at improving strategic lift, enhancing the 
availability of mission capable helicopters, and further 
strengthening our cyber defence.  We remain committed to the 
development of a comprehensive policy for preventing the 
proliferation of Weapons of Mass Destruction and enhancing 
Alliance chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear 
defence. 
 
¶32.   Ballistic missile proliferation poses an increasing 
threat to Allies' forces, territory, and populations. 
Missile defence forms part of a broader response to counter 
this threat.  We therefore recognise the substantial 
contribution to the protection of Allies from long range 
ballistic missiles to be provided by the planned deployment 
of European based United States missile defence assets.  As 
tasked at the Bucharest Summit, we are exploring ways to link 
this capability with current NATO missile defence efforts as 
a way to ensure that it would be an integral part of any 
future NATO wide missile defence architecture.  Bearing in 
mind the principle of indivisibility of Allied security as 
well as NATO solidarity, Allies took note of progress on the 
development of options for a comprehensive missile defence 
architecture to extend coverage to all European Allied 
territory and populations not otherwise covered by the United 
States system for review at our 2009 Summit to inform any 
future political decision.  As all options include the 
planned deployment of European based United States missile 
defence assets, we note as a relevant development the 
signature of agreements by the Czech Republic and the 
Republic of Poland with the United States regarding those 
assets.  As Defence Ministers did at their Budapest 
Ministerial in October 2008, we also noted today the plan to 
complete the analysis of options for a comprehensive missile 
defence architecture by the Defence Ministerial in Krakow in 
February 2009.  A report on these options will be presented 
to Heads of State and Government for review at their next 
Summit.  We continue to support the work underway to 
strengthen missile defence cooperation between Russia and 
NATO, and remain committed to maximum transparency and 
reciprocal confidence building measures to allay any 
concerns, as stated at the Bucharest Summit.  We also 
encourage Russia to take advantage of United States missile 
defence cooperation proposals and we remain ready to explore 
the potential for linking United States, NATO and Russian 
missile defence systems at an appropriate time. 
 
¶33.   We reaffirm that arms control, disarmament and non 
proliferation will continue to make an important contribution 
to peace, security and stability, as part of a broader 
response to security issues.  We have noted the 
implementation report on raising NATO's profile in this 
field.  The report displays a broad range of activities being 
undertaken, including continuing efforts in preventing the 
spread of Weapons of Mass Destruction, and the destruction of 
excess small arms and light weapons and surplus munitions. 
We aim at achieving a higher level of public awareness of 
NATO's contribution in the field of arms control, disarmament 
 
USNATO 00000447  005 OF 006 
 
 
and non proliferation.  The Council in Permanent Session will 
keep these issues under active review. 
 
¶34.   We place the highest value on the CFE Treaty regime 
with all its elements.  We underscore the strategic 
importance of the CFE Treaty, including its flank regime, as 
a cornerstone of Euro Atlantic Security.  We reiterate the 
endorsement by Heads of State and Government at the Bucharest 
Summit of the statement of the North Atlantic Council of 28 
March 2008.  We reaffirm the Alliance's commitment to the CFE 
Treaty regime, as expressed in the Alliance's position 
contained in paragraph 42 of the 2006 Riga Summit 
Declaration, the final statement by Allies at the CFE 
Extraordinary Conference in Vienna and Alliance statements 
reflecting subsequent developments.  We are deeply concerned 
that, for nearly a full year, since 12 December 2007, Russia 
has continued its unilateral "suspension" of its legal 
obligations under the CFE Treaty.  Furthermore, Russia's 
actions in Georgia have called into question its commitment 
to the fundamental OSCE principles on which stability and 
security in Europe are based: principles which underpin the 
CFE Treaty.  These actions run counter to our common 
objective of preserving the long term viability of the CFE 
regime and we call upon Russia to resume its implementation 
without further delay.  Because of our commitment to 
cooperative security and fulfilment of international 
agreements as well as the importance we attach to the 
confidence that results from military transparency and 
predictability, we have continued fully to implement the 
Treaty despite Russia's "suspension".  However, the current 
situation, where NATO CFE Allies implement the Treaty while 
Russia does not, cannot last indefinitely.  Over a year ago, 
we offered a set of constructive and forward looking 
proposals for parallel actions on key issues, including steps 
by NATO Allies on ratification of the Adapted CFE Treaty and 
by Russia on outstanding commitments related to Georgia and 
the Republic of Moldova.  We continue to believe that these 
proposals address all of Russia's stated concerns.  We urge 
Russia to work cooperatively with us and other concerned CFE 
States Parties to reach agreement on the basis of the 
parallel actions package so that together we can preserve the 
benefits of this landmark regime. 
 
¶35.   We remain concerned with the persistence of regional 
conflicts in the South Caucasus and the Republic of Moldova. 
We continue to support the territorial integrity, 
independence and sovereignty of Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia 
and the Republic of Moldova.  Peaceful conflict resolution 
founded on these principles has gained increased relevance 
for overall stability in the region.  We will further support 
efforts to this aim, and stand ready to enter into 
consultations with these countries on matters of regional 
concern.  We will also support these countries in their 
efforts to make full use of the mechanisms for conflict 
prevention and peaceful conflict resolution. 
 
¶36.   We commend the initiatives to strengthen cooperation, 
security and stability in the Black Sea region and will 
continue to support the regional efforts to this end. 
 
¶37.   In line with the Bucharest Summit report on NATO's role 
in energy security, the Alliance has continued to consult on 
the most immediate risks in the field of energy security, as 
part of our concerns over the risk of disruption of the flow 
 
USNATO 00000447  006 OF 006 
 
 
of vital resources.  In Bucharest, Allies identified 
principles which govern NATO's approach in the field of 
energy security, and outlined options and recommendations for 
further activities.  The Alliance has accordingly started a 
process of implementation of activities in the five areas 
identified in the report, including through dialogue and 
practical cooperation on a case by case basis with its 
partners, relevant international organisations and the 
private sector, with a view to promoting energy security in 
those areas in which NATO can add value.  We note the 
progress achieved and look forward to a consolidated report 
on the subject of energy security for consideration at the 
2009 Summit. 
 
¶38.   We are determined to give new impetus to the reform of 
NATO Headquarters.  Our aim is to make the work of the 
Headquarters more effective, responsive, transparent and 
resource efficient to support our consensual decision making. 
 We welcome the work set in train by the Secretary General in 
response to the request of our Heads of State and Government 
in Bucharest, and note the substantial discussion in 
subsequent Defence Ministers' meetings in London and 
Budapest.  We look forward to the Secretary General reporting 
to the next meeting of Defence Ministers, as well as to our 
next meeting, on progress in this work and with further 
proposals to contribute to the Alliance's ability to conduct 
the full range of its operations and missions and to meet 
today's security challenges. 
 
¶39.   At our meeting today we have reviewed progress in 
implementing the Bucharest Summit decisions, discussed the 
key security challenges facing the Alliance, and agreed on 
measures to enhance Alliance operations.  We have set the 
stage for a successful 60th Anniversary Summit next year 
where our Heads of State and Government will adopt a 
Declaration on Alliance Security which will articulate the 
Alliance's vision of its role in meeting the evolving 
challenges of the 21st century and maintaining the ability to 
perform the full range of its missions, collectively 
defending our security at home and contributing to stability 
abroad. 
END TEXT 
VOLKER