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C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 OSLO 000527 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 08/25/2019 
TAGS: PREL PGOV MARR MOPS PARM RU NO
SUBJECT: USNATO AMBASSADOR DAALDER'S MEETING WITH NORWEGIAN 
FOREIGN MINISTER STOERE 
 
Classified By: CDA James Heg for reasons 1.4(b) and (d) 
 
¶1. (C) SUMMARY:  In discussions August 17 with visiting 
USNATO Ambassador Ivo Daalder, Norway's Minister of Foreign 
Affairs Jonas Gahr Stoere and MFA DG for North America and 
Security Policy Steffen Kongstad said the GON would welcome a 
new U.S. Missile Defense strategy that emphasized a 
multilateral approach.  They also noted the importance of 
keeping the door open for discussions with Russia, while 
developing a more unified NATO consensus through 
working-level dialogue.  On Norway's Core Initiative idea 
regarding potential NATO exercises in Norway, Stoere 
cautiously espoused a ""High North, low tension"" viewpoint, 
based on what Norway sees as a comprehensive approach to 
environmental, economic, and security challenges presented by 
the melting Arctic ice.  The Foreign Minister endorsed future 
NATO exercises in the High North if they fell under the 
rubric a new NATO Strategic Concept as detailed in the 
September 2008 Norwegian Non-paper presented at NATO. (USNATO 
Ambassador Daalder's discussions with the Deputy Defense 
Minister are being reported septel.) End Summary. 
 
Missile Defense - NATO context welcome 
-------------------------------------- 
 
¶2. (C) USNATO Ambassador Ivo Daalder, accompanied by Charge 
d'affaires Heg and pol-mil officer, met with FM Stoere, MFA 
Director General Kongstad, and Norway's NATO Ambassador Kim 
Traavik over dinner August 17 after a full day of meetings in 
Oslo that included Ambassador Daalder's speech at the 
Norwegian foreign policy institute NUPI on ""Resetting 
NATO-Russia Relations.""  FM Stoere welcomed a new, 
multilateral discussion on Missile Defense (MD), saying that 
MD can provide an increase in protection for geographical 
areas only if it actually enhances security and does not 
provoke an arms race. (Norway opposed the previous U.S. 
administration's MD policy in the past.)  He supported the 
idea of a NATO-wide approach to MD policy, since in the 2005 
- 2008 period it clearly became a ""bilateral and not a 
NATO-based issue.""  He also added that it would be important 
to analyze Russia's reaction to the MD discussions, as 
Moscow's reaction would likely signal behavior of NATO allies 
in future discussions on MD within the Alliance.  He 
estimated that there is a careful balancing act that needs to 
be achieved between informing Russia while ensuring it does 
not determine the evolution of NATO MD policy.  Stoere 
believed it would likely take beyond December 2009 to reach a 
consensus on MD, as the exact threat remains unclear. 
However, he agreed with USNATO Amb. Daalder that action needs 
to be taken soon to ensure sufficient time for systems to 
become operative before Iran could pose a real threat to NATO 
countries. 
 
Uneasy NATO-Russia Relations 
---------------------------- 
 
¶3. (C) Stoere referred to Russia's confrontational approach 
at the NATO-Russia Council as ""ritualistic,"" with their 
negative reactions to NATO issues embedded in their ""blood 
and veins.""  The NATO decision to close down the NATO-Russia 
dialogue last August was, nevertheless, a ""bad decision"" in 
Norway's view, and one which provided a hook for other 
countries that would like to ensure that future discussions 
on Russia issues do not move forward.  Stoere said that, 
despite Russia's inherent dislike of NATO, it is important to 
keep this communication channel open, in particular if NATO 
countries can develop a consensus-based approach on dealing 
with Russia.  Stoere recommended increasing working-level 
contacts on Russia issues within NATO as a path to achieving 
additional agreement on how to move forward.  Stoere noted 
that Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov acts ""almost normal"" in 
non-NATO fora, such as the Arctic Council and Barents 
Council;  he suggested that such fora could also provide an 
opening for coping with Russia on several matters Norway sees 
as areas for NATO concern in the Arctic High North.  He noted 
that Norway, although sometimes viewed as too soft in its 
approach to Russia, is very firm on jurisdiction issues and 
the future of Svalbard. 
 
Strategic Concept: Way Forward on NATO Reform 
--------------------------------------------- 
 
OSLO 00000527  002 OF 002 
 
 
 
¶4.  (C) Stoere expressed disappointment about the 
Composition of the new Experts Group announced by NATO SYG 
Anders Fogh Rasmussen.  He thought Rasmussen would give 
higher consideration to the NATO Nordic allies.  He agreed 
that there appears to be general uncertainty on how Strategic 
Concept discussions will evolve, juggled between NATO 
Director for Policy Planning Jamie Shea, the Experts Group, 
and the NAC.  The minister offered that Norway would seek to 
host a Strategic Concept dialogue in the coming months, in 
order to ensure Norwegian input into the discussion and to 
supplement the Core Areas Initiative non-paper Norway 
submitted to NATO in September 2008.  Stoere emphasized that 
as part of the Strategic Concept discussions, it is 
critically important to ensure NATO's enlargement strategy is 
re-defined to address the ""unfinished business in the 
Balkans.""  He expressed concern over the NATO SYG's apparent 
lack of interest in addressing Balkan issues. 
 
¶5.  (C) FM Stoere concluded by emphasizing the importance of 
developing a relevant, easy-to-read Strategic Concept that 
would be within the public's grasp, in order to ensure 
continued public support for NATO.  He said it must reflect 
contemporary challenges and demonstrate NATO is not only 
about Russia, Iran, and terrorism.  He cited as an example 
the two and a half page document on the financial crisis 
prepared by the London School of Economics for Queen 
Elizabeth as an excellent example of how clear and concise 
the new Strategic Concept needs to be. 
 
NATO Exercises: ""High North, Low Tension"" 
---------------------------------------- 
 
¶6.  (C) On potential NATO re-flagging of bilateral and 
multilateral exercises in Norway, Stoere cautiously espoused 
a ""High North, low tension"" viewpoint, based on what Norway 
sees as a comprehensive approach to environmental, economic, 
and security challenges presented by the melting Arctic ice. 
He supported the idea of future, small-scale NATO exercises 
in the High North, if they fell under the rubric of a new 
NATO Strategic Concept as detailed in the September 2008 
Norwegian Non-paper presented at NATO.  Stoere particularly 
emphasized the point that NATO should avoid ""unnecessarily 
provoking"" the Russians. 
 
¶7.  (C) Stoere opined that Norway has a unique status as both 
a NATO founding member country, on the one hand, and Russia's 
neighbor, on the other, which provides Norway with insights 
on new allies' perspectives.  Norway feels a special kinship 
with the Baltic states, he said, and shares their viewpoints 
about containing Russia's potential threat to their 
sovereignty.  Stoere described how, during his March 2009 
visit to Moscow, he thanked FM Lavrov for making it so much 
easier for him to justify the Joint Strike Fighter purchase 
to the Norwegian public, given Russia's regular military 
flights up and down Norway's coast.  In summing up Norway's 
approach to Russia, Stoere offered that Norway remains 
vigilant regarding the threat Russia poses, but added that he 
is in favor of further analysis of the several challenges 
with which Norway must grapple with due to the melting of 
Arctic ice before endorsing large NATO military exercises in 
the High North. 
 
¶8. (C ) Comment:  In separate discussions with Amb. Daalder 
earlier the same day (reported septel), Deputy Defense 
Minister Barth-Eide and MOD DG for Security Policy Svein 
Efjestad shared similar concerns about potentially provoking 
Russia, but had no hesitation in recommending NATO 
re-flagging of existing training and exercises in the High 
North in the near term.  They were confident such exercises 
could be presented as part of the normal, routine training 
for NATO's defense of Article 5 guarantees throughout Europe. 
HEG