VZCZCXRO4590
OO RUEHSL RUEHSR
DE RUEHLO #2535 3141507
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
O 101507Z NOV 09
FM AMEMBASSY LONDON
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 3955
INFO RUEHNO/USMISSION USNATO IMMEDIATE 1302
RUEHXP/ALL NATO POST COLLECTIVE PRIORITY

C O N F I D E N T I A L LONDON 002535 
 
NOFORN 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPARTMENT FOR EUR/WE 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 09/22/2019 
TAGS: PREL NATO PARM MARR KTIA UK
SUBJECT: UK IN BROAD AGREEMENT ON NATO ENLARGEMENT 
PRIORITIES 
 
REF: SECSTATE 113840 
 
Classified By: Political Minister Counselor Greg Berry, reasons 1.4 (b, d).  

¶1. (C/NF) Summary.  The Head of the Foreign Office's NATO Team expressed broad UK agreement with U.S. goals for NATO enlargement as regards Bosnia and Macedonia; indicated that HMG ministers were discussing the UK position on MAP for Montenegro, but that the UK would likely align itself with the U.S. on the issue; and expressed hope that Russia could be persuaded to support a more effective work program in the NATO-Russia Council.  End summary.  

¶2. (C/NF) Poloff met with Omar Daair, Head of the Foreign Office's NATO Team, on November 9 to discuss reftel NATO enlargement points in advance of the NATO Ministerial next month.  Daair indicated that the UK's position was broadly aligned with that of the U.S., and that "enlargement should be a bit easier this year."   

UK Leaning to Montenegro MAP; Georgia & Ukraine Now More Pragmatic ------------------------------------  

¶3. (C/NF)  The original UK thinking on Montenegro, Daair said, had been to support the country's entry into MAP next spring -- after the results of the latest assessment of its reform efforts had been published.  Now, however, HMG ministers were reviewing the UK's policy on the issue and were likely to devise a position this week.  Daair implied that the UK position on Montenegro would likely align itself with the U.S. position (as per reftel).  Daair took the points that Georgia, Ukraine, and Macedonia should not see MAP for Montenegro as prejudicial to their own or others' aspirations to join NATO.  The UK had been lobbied by Ukraine to defer a MAP invitation to Montenegro beyond December, but Ukraine and Georgia had begun demonstrating "more pragmatism" on Montenegro's chances and were "coming around" to the fact that NATO consensus was developing around a MAP invite at next month's Ministerial.   

More Effective Work Program with Russia ---------------------------------------  

¶4. (C/NF)  Noting the plans for the meeting of the NATO-Russia Council on December 4, Daair indicated that HMG would like to push Russia to support a "more effective work program," particularly on military-to-military contacts and on Russia's potential assistance in Afghanistan.   

Concur on Bosnia & Macedonia ----------------------------  

¶5. (C/NF)  Daair indicated that HMG broadly concurred with the U.S. position on Bosnia's request to begin MAP.  It was unlikely, he said, that the UK would support the request without clear Bosnian progress on reforms and NATO's performance-based standards.  On Macedonia, the UK would continue its support for an invitation to join NATO once the country's name issue was resolved.  Visit London's Classified Website: XXXXXXXXXXXX 
Susman