US embassy cable - 04BRUSSELS4688

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 BRUSSELS 004688 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPARTMENT FOR EUR/RPM AND EUR/ERA 
SARAJEVO FOR AMB MCELHANEY 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/01/2014 
TAGS: PREL, BK, MOPS, NATO, EUN, USEU BRUSSELS 
SUBJECT: DSACEUR BRIEFS NAC-PSC ON TRANSFER OF SFOR TO 
OPERATION ALTHEA 
 
REF: SARAJEVO 02663 
 
Classified By: USEU polmil officer Jeremy Brenner for reasons 1.4 (b) a 
nd (d) 
 
1. (C) Summary: DSACEUR, General Sir John Reith briefed the 
NAC-PSC Ambassadors on the progress of the December 2 SFOR 
handover to the EU's Operation Althea.  Delineation of tasks 
has been worked out between commanders on the ground, and 
Headquarters staffs are more than 80 percent filled. General 
Reith -- and the EU -- are determined to make Althea succeed, 
and have addressed concerns over clarity of decision-making 
and bureaucratic interference.  The EU's entire ESDP 
apparatus has worked hard for several months to ensure a 
successful post-SFOR mission. End summary. 
 
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DSACEUR 
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2. (C)  The New Deputy Supreme Allied Commander Europe, 
General Sir John Reith briefed the NAC-PSC October 25 on the 
state of preparations for the December 2 end of the NATO SFOR 
mission and the beginning of the EU's Operation ALTHEA. 
Wearing both his NATO and EU hats as operational commander of 
the EU mission in Bosnia-Herzegovina, Reith noted that steady 
progress was being made. While shortfalls remain in 
intelligence and aviation assets, both the NATO Headquarters 
and EUFOR HQ were staffed at better than 80 percent.  The 
commanders on the ground recently agreed to a delineation of 
tasks in further evidence of their positive working 
relationship. The final confirmation of the agreed 
delineation of tasks will be made November 4 during DSACEURs 
visit to Sarajevo. 
 
3. (C)  General Reith noted that he was the only person in 
the room who works for both NATO and the European Union. He 
reminded the assembled Ambassadors that he is NATOs Strategic 
Coordinator with the EU, and he suggested he would ask the EU 
to make him their Strategic Coordinator with NATO. 
 
4. (C)  DSACEUR assured the political bodies of the two 
organizations that cooperation is going well.  He said this 
is the case within SHAPE, where the EU OHQ cell is "well 
embedded" and is able to draw on full staff support.  The EU 
Command Element within JFC Naples is working well, and 
COMSFOR and COMEUFOR have excellent relations on the ground. 
 
5. (C)  General Reith reiterated the need for the force 
commander on the ground to have maximum flexibility in 
concentrating his forces where they are needed.  National 
caveats restrict this ability and should be avoided if 
possible.  Reith urged that in cases where legal 
interpretations or logistical limitations made caveats 
necessary, nations declare them from the outset so the 
commander knows the restrictions under which he must work. 
 
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Common NATO Assets 
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6. (C) EU Council HiRep, Javier Solana, said the PSC had 
approved a list of assets and capabilities that the EU would 
be requesting from NATO to support EUFOR under the auspices 
of Berlin Plus.  USNATO Ambassador Burns, after thanking 
General Reith for his informative brief, announced that the 
US has informed the government of Bosnia-Herzegovina that it 
would accept its offer to remain in Tuzla at Camp Eagle after 
the end of SFOR. 
 
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UNSCR 
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7. (C)  British Permanent Representative to NATO, Amb. Peter 
Ricketts, informed the NAC-PSC that while work continued in 
NY on drafting a new UNSCR, it was unlikely that it would be 
complete before the British turned over the UNSC presidency 
to the US.  Several Ambassadors noted the importance of a new 
resolution and urged that it be completed and approved 
quickly. 
 
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Comment 
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8. (C) The EU political leadership is keenly aware of the 
pitfalls and historical baggage that face them in 
Bosnia-Herzegovina (reftel).  EU officials at all levels 
stress the robustness of the mission -- an answer to concerns 
about IFOR hesitancy.  DSACEUR's detailed outline of the 
liaisons and the positive working relationships among 
commanders should help assuage concerns over crossed lines of 
authority or muddled decision-making.  EU military officials 
have made clear that COMEUFOR will have the necessary 
authority -- without micromanagement from Brussels -- to work 
out areas of overlapping responsibilities with NATO HQ. The 
entire ESDP apparatus within the EU -- political and military 
-- from Solana on down has been consumed for months with the 
sole focus on ensuring a seamless and successful mission.