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### Viewing cable 09OSLO527, USNATO AMBASSADOR DAALDER'S MEETING WITH NORWEGIAN

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Reference ID | Created | Released | Classification | Origin
--- | --- | --- | --- | ---
09OSLO527 | 2009-08-26 13:45 | 2011-05-12 13:30 | CONFIDENTIAL | Embassy Oslo

Appears in these articles:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/newsnight
http://www.bbc.com/news/
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/programmes/newsnight/9483790.stm
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-13378567
http://www.greenpeace.org.uk
http://www.greenpeace.org/usa/en/news-and-blogs/campaign-blog/new-wikileaks-revelations-shed-light-on-arcti/blog/34736
http://www.thenation.com/blog/160631/wikileaks-news-and-views-blog-thursday-day-166
http://blogs.ft.com/energy-source/2011/05/12/the-battle-over-greenlands-oil/
http://www.google.com/hostednews/canadianpress/article/ALeqM5ihhnQuXHwVOFswGcLlhFwiCs9gRQ?docId=6832936
http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5jchSEXNkbkPvlAB4mJOcmsY2WddA?docId=CNG.4232f6ae19eb54c58c9d35b7f0b4995b.861

`

    VZCZCXRO1572
    OO RUEHDBU RUEHFL RUEHKW RUEHLA RUEHNP RUEHROV RUEHSL RUEHSR
    DE RUEHNY #0527/01 2381345
    ZNY CCCCC ZZH
    O 261345Z AUG 09
    FM AMEMBASSY OSLO
    TO RUEHNO/USNATO BRUSSELS BE IMMEDIATE
    RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 7737
    INFO RUEHXP/ALL NATO POST COLLECTIVE IMMEDIATE
    RUEHZL/EUROPEAN POLITICAL COLLECTIVE IMMEDIATE
    RUEHZG/NATO EU COLLECTIVE IMMEDIATE
    RUEHBUL/AMEMBASSY KABUL IMMEDIATE 0208
    RUEHMO/AMEMBASSY MOSCOW IMMEDIATE 4064
    RUFOADA/JAC MOLESWORTH RAF MOLESWORTH UK IMMEDIATE
    RUEPGAA/US SURVEY DIV SHAPE BE IMMEDIATE
    RHMFISS/HQ USEUCOM VAIHINGEN GE IMMEDIATE
    RHEFDIA/DIA WASHINGTON DC IMMEDIATE
    RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHINGTON DC IMMEDIATE

` `

    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

`