US embassy cable - 05PARIS6934

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 PARIS 006934 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/06/2015 
TAGS: PREL, MARR, MOPS, AF, FR, NATO 
SUBJECT: AMBASSADOR'S MEETING WITH DEFENSE MINISTER: FRENCH 
RAISE U.S. DEPLOYMENTS IN KOSOVO AND AFGHANISTAN; INQUIRE 
ABOUT "DECLARATION OF PRINCIPLES" AND CATAPULT TECHNOLOGY 
 
REF: PARIS 6694 (NOTAL) 
 
Classified By: Ambassador Craig Stapleton, Reason 1.4 B/D 
 
1. (C) Summary: In an introductory meeting with the 
Ambassador, Defense Minister Michele Alliot-Marie conveyed 
French support for NATO operations in Kosovo and Afghanistan, 
as well as the NATO Response Force (NRF).  The minister 
emphasized that NATO and European defense (ESDP) are not 
mutually exclusive, but complementary.  She stated that 
mil-to-mil bilateral relations were excellent.  Her own good 
contacts with U.S. counterparts have allowed her to better 
explain those areas of security policy where France and the 
U.S. disagree.  Alliot-Marie also conveyed French concerns 
that OEF and ISAF missions should remain distinct under the 
joint NATO command proposal until the security situation in 
Afghanistan improved, and cautioned that NATO must not 
prematurely withdraw its forces from Kosovo due to ongoing 
instability in that region.  She noted that to make a real 
difference in Afghanistan, the international community will 
need to address the drug production/trafficking problem, 
which is not a NATO, but more a World Bank or UN 
responsibility.  Alliot-Marie took the opportunity to inquire 
about the status of France's request to sign a "Declaration 
of Principles," an umbrella military agreement which governs 
government and industry cooperation through the harmonization 
of relevant laws, regulations and policies, as well as of 
France's request to purchase U.S. catapult technology for its 
planned new French carrier.  In addition to thanking the 
Minister for French assistance following hurricane Katrina, 
the Ambassador reassured her of the U.S. Government's 
long-term commitment to security in Afghanistan and the 
Balkans.  The Ambassador said he would seek Washington 
guidance on the status of the Declaration of Principles and 
voiced optimism that progress was being made on the catapult 
technology sale.  End summary. 
 
Bilateral Relationship 
---------------------- 
 
2. (C)  During an October 3 introductory meeting, Defense 
Minister Alliot-Marie (MAM), referring back to past 
U.S.-French differences on Iraq, told the Ambassador that she 
was pleased with the much-improved state of bilateral 
relations.  She explained that she valued her good contacts 
with the Secretary, Secretary Rumsfeld, and the Ambassador, 
in part, because she was able to convey directly to them 
French thinking, especially in those instances where our 
policies differed.  MAM also took the opportunity to observe 
that while France and the U.S. enjoy excellent mil-to-mil 
relations, there are a few outstanding issues she wished to 
raise, notably the status of France's request to sign a 
"Declaration of Principles" with the U.S., an umbrella 
military agreement which governs government and industry 
cooperation through the harmonization of relevant laws, 
regulations and policies.  She also asked for an answer to 
her earlier request in Washington for catapult technology for 
a planned aircraft carrier.  Alliot-Marie said the CHOD also 
had raised the Declaration of Principles with his 
interlocutors last September in Washington.  On consultations 
on the design and engineering of the catapult, she noted that 
France wanted a U.S. compatible system for its carrier and 
that the MOD has been waiting for a further response from the 
Pentagon.  The Ambassador observed that progress was being 
made on the catapult and that he would update the status on 
the Declaration of Principles with Washington.  He took the 
opportunity to thank the minister for French relief 
assistance in the wake of hurricane Katrina. 
 
NATO/ESDP 
--------- 
 
3. (C) Alliot-Marie said France supports both NATO and 
Europe's own defense planning (ESDP).  France continues to be 
a major contributor to NATO operations and is a keen 
proponent of NATO transformation, including the development 
of the NATO Response Force (NRF), she added.  By way of 
example, she observed that France was a significant 
contributor to the first four iterations of the NRF.  She 
acknowledged differences with Washington on how best to use 
the NRF, with France preferring to use the NRF to respond to 
crises, as it was originally envisioned, and not as a force 
provider for general NATO missions.  She fears that, if 
misused, the NRF would not be adequately prepared to respond 
to crises and would draw resources from contributing NATO 
members.  Additionally, Alliot-Marie made a point of 
emphasizing that NATO and ESDP are not in competition, but 
are in fact complementary and serve to strengthen Europe's 
defense capabilities.  While public opinion may not see this 
distinction, one should not doubt GOF support for NATO, she 
stated.  The Ambassador agreed that ESDP should complement 
NATO and that our joint focus should be on dealing with 
common threats. 
 
NATO and Kosovo and Afghanistan 
------------------------------- 
 
4. (C) MAM expressed concerns with respect to two ongoing 
NATO operations - Kosovo and Afghanistan.  She noted that 
extremists in Kosovo continue to pose problems, as they had 
done in the Spring of 2004, which made it essential that U.S. 
forces remain engaged in that area and not draw down 
prematurely.  Without an adequate KFOR presence, violence 
could spread in the region, the minister emphasized.  She 
also noted that she had conveyed to SACEUR that the Nordic 
Task force at KFOR was in need of additional communications 
and intelligence support. 
 
5. (C) On Afghanistan, Alliot-Marie reiterated her views 
against an ISAF/OEF command merger.  She said she 
communicated this position to Afghan President Karzai in 
Paris (septel).  She is opposed to a unified command that 
does not maintain the distinction between the two operations 
(reftel), adding that OEF is focused on counter-terrorism, 
while ISAF's priority is stabilization.  Synergy between the 
operations is essential, but the two operations must remain 
distinct, she added.  Afghans need to see the merger as a 
sign of progress.  There need to be  visible signs on the 
ground of the transition between OEF and ISAF, she stated. 
(Comment: The defense minister has been very forward in the 
GOF in voicing reservations about the proposed command 
merger.  After the meeting, in response to our request for 
clarification, Alliot-Marie's diplomatic advisor Bernard 
Besancenot explained that MAM accepts, in principle, the 
proposed ISAF/OEF command merger at NATO, to include a 
double-hatted role, but that she continues to believe that 
the security situation on the ground is not stable enough to 
move forward on the merger at this time.  He also added that 
to make progress on the merger, NATO should also take action 
on providing additional resources to ISAF.   End comment.) 
 
6. (C) In terms of France's commitment to ISAF and 
Afghanistan, she reasserted that France is planning to take 
command of the Kabul region with Turkey in 2006.  MAM also 
raised the problem of drug cultivation and trafficking in 
Afghanistan, observing that President Karzai is trying to 
take action, but progress is unlikely this year or the next, 
especially as good weather had ensured a "good" opium 
harvest.  The international community, i.e. the UN or the 
World Bank, needs to do more for Afghanistan, especially on 
identifying and supporting alternative crops for the Afghan 
economy.  This is not a NATO mission, she stressed.  She 
noted her unsuccessful efforts in 2004 to generate 
international interest in a conference to deal with 
Afghanistan's drug cultivation/trafficking problem. 
 
7. (C) The Ambassador agreed with MAM that drug cultivation 
and trafficking threaten Afghanistan's success and the 
progress we have made to date.  In terms of force commitments 
to NATO, he acknowledged that both the U.S. and France have 
extensive overseas force commitments, hence it was important 
that we continue to consult on prospective next steps in 
Kosovo and Afghanistan.  He reassured her of the U.S. 
government's long-term commitment to Afghanistan and the 
Balkans. 
 
French training program for Iraq 
-------------------------------- 
 
8. (C) In response to the Ambassador's request for an update 
on France's offer to train some 1,500 Iraqi security forces, 
Alliot-Marie indicated that France continues to support the 
NATO training mission, through financial contributions (trust 
funds), but that it did not envision French forces on the 
ground in Iraq.  In terms of the bilateral French offer to 
train Iraqis outside Iraq, France was awaiting word from 
Iraq.  France had made its offer, Iraqi experts came to Paris 
to consult on the offer, but that no further response had 
been received from the Iraqi government. 
Please visit Paris' Classified Website at: 
http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/eur/paris/index.c fm 
STAPLETON