US embassy cable - 05VILNIUS560

UNCLAS VILNIUS 000560 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE PASS TO EUR/NB AND EUR/RPM 
NSC FOR DAMON WILSON 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PREL, PGOV, MOPS, MARR, LH, HT17 
SUBJECT: LITHUANIA'S ESDP CONTRIBUTION NO THREAT TO NATO 
COMMITMENTS 
 
 
1.  GOL Defense Minister Gediminas Kirkilas and 
representatives of Germany, Latvia, Poland, and Slovakia on 
May 23 signed a declaration in Brussels to create a joint 
battle group to serve in the EU Rapid Reaction Force. 
Kirkilas announced that the joint force will assume its first 
rotation in 2010.  This commitment will bring to 13 the 
number of battle groups participating in European Security 
and Defense Policy (ESDP).  Gediminas Varvuolis, head of the 
MFA's NATO Division, confirmed that this contribution to ESDP 
will not hinder or reduce Lithuania's participation in the 
NATO Reaction Force (NRF).  Varvuolis said that the GOL 
strongly supports the NATO position that nations not allocate 
the same assets to ESDP and the NRF at the same time. 
 
2.  Comment: Lithuania firmly considers NATO the cornerstone 
of Euro-Atlantic security and has no intention of robbing 
from NATO to pay ESDP.  While the GOL recognizes it needs to 
be active in the emerging European security identity, we do 
not anticipate that its participation will lead to a reduced 
commitment to NATO, in general, or the NRF, in particular. 
Mull