Wikileaks - 09USNATO383

CONFIDENTIAL VZCZCXRO2649
PP RUEHDBU RUEHSL
DE RUEHNO #0383/01 2531627
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
P 101627Z SEP 09
FM USMISSION USNATO
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 3350
INFO RUCNCIS/CIS COLLECTIVE
RUEHXD/MOSCOW POLITICAL COLLECTIVE
RUEHZG/NATO EU COLLECTIVE
RUFGNOA/HQ USEUCOM EXERCISE VAIHINGEN GE
RHEFDIA/DIA WASHDC
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHDC
RHEHNSC/NSC WASHDC
RUEKJCS/JOINT STAFF WASHDC C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 USNATO 000383 
SIPDIS 

E.O. 12958: DECL: 09/10/2019 
TAGS: PGOV, PINR, NATO, RS 
SUBJECT: NATO SECRETARY GENERAL READY TO REACH OUT TO CSTO? 

REF: USNATO 348 

Classified By: Ambassador Ivo H. Daalder for reasons 1.4 (b/d). 

1. (U) This is an action request. See paragraph 4. 

2. (C) Summary: NATO Secretary General Rasmussen may be 
planning to take improved NATO-Russia relations to a new 
level by proposing that NATO engage with the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO).
The SecGen recently indicated that he has an "open mind" to such a course of 
action, has been in contact with the head of the CSTO, and 
plans to make a speech on NATO-Russia relations that would go 
beyond most Allies´ comfort zones. Engaging with an 
organization initiated by Moscow to counter NATO and U.S. 
influence would be counterproductive at a time when we should 
focus on enhancing relations with Russia bilaterally and as 
an alliance. NATO-CSTO engagement would likely lead to the 
same bloc-on-bloc dynamic that manifested during the Cold 
War, and further increase Moscow´s influence over our Central 
Asian partners, countries we should actively court through 
NATO´s Euro-Atlantic Partnership Council (EAPC). End 
summary. 

3. (C) NATO Secretary General Rasmussen may encourage NATO 
engagement with the Russian-led CSTO in order to advance his 
priority to improve NATO-Russia relations. We believe that 
the SecGen will soon broach this topic, possibly at a 
September 15 PermReps meeting devoted to Russia and/or during 
a speech on NATO-Russia relations the SecGen intends to give 
in the near future. Our supposition is based upon the 
following developments: 

-- The SecGen told the press on August 31 that he had an 
"open mind" toward "all ideas" intended to improve relations 
with Russia in response to a question about Zbigniew 
Brzezinski´s recent proposal that NATO reach a security 
cooperation agreement with the CSTO as a means to draw Russia 
closer into the Euro-Atlantic community. In the same 
interview, Rasmussen urged NATO to form a "strategic 
partnership" with Russia in order to address common security 
threats. 

-- The SecGen sent CSTO Secretary General Nikolay Borduyzha 
an August 24 letter thanking him for an earlier message in 
which Borduyzha offered Rasmussen congratulations on his 
appointment as NATO SecGen. We understand that Rasmussen had 
his letter delivered to Borduyzha through Russian Ambassador 
to NATO Rogozin. Rasmussen´s brief message (a copy of which 
was provided by a member of the NATO International Staff 
(strictly protect)) thanked the CSTO chief for his "kind 
letter" of August 1, noted that he had taken over NATO at a 
time when the "organization is faced with a wide range of 
challenges," and concluded that "NATO is well placed and well 
equipped to meet these challenges." We have not seen 
Borduyzha´s initial letter to Rasmussen. 

-- Rogozin encouraged NATO-CSTO engagement in the non-paper 
delivered to the SecGen during their August 11 meeting, 
during which the often pugnacious Rogozin appears to have 
charmed Rasmussen (reftel). The SecGen intends to discuss 
the response to the Russian non-paper at a September 15 
PermReps lunch devoted to NATO-Russia issues, and could 
propose following through on Rogozin´s NATO-CSTO initiative. 

-- Rasmussen intends to address the topic of improving NATO 
relations with Russia, one of his stated priorities as 
SecGen, in an upcoming speech that a member of the NATO 
International Staff told us would probably "go further than 
many Allies, including the United States, will be comfortable 
with." We do not have details on the speech, which is one of 
several thematic addresses the SecGen intends to give laying 
out his vision for NATO. (Note: Rasmussen is scheduled to 
give a speech on Russia at the Carnegie Center Brussels on 
September 18. End note.) 

4. (C) Should the SecGen propose NATO-CSTO engagement, this 
action will significantly up the ante on Rasmussen´s 
initiative to improve NATO-Russia relations. Understanding 
that arguments could be made for NATO to engage on some level 
with the CSTO, we believe that such a proposal, which would 
face significant resistance from some Allies, should be 
initiated through a consensus of NATO members rather than the 
SecGen. We request Department´s guidance in order to respond 
to any proposals the SecGen may make for NATO-CSTO 

USNATO 00000383 002 OF 002 

engagement. 

5. (C) Comment: We maintain that while NATO strives to 
enhance its engagement with Russia, including cooperation 
that could lead to practical results such as greater Russian 
assistance to Afghanistan, it would be counterproductive for 
NATO to engage with the CSTO, an organization initiated by 
Moscow to counter potential NATO and U.S. influence in the 
former Soviet space. To date, the CSTO has proven 
ineffective in most areas of activity and has been 
politically divided. NATO engagement with the CSTO could 
enhance the legitimacy of what may be a waning organization, 
contributing to a bloc-on-bloc dynamic reminiscent of the 
Cold War. Instead, we should focus our efforts on improving 
the U.S. relationship with Russia bilaterally and through 
NATO. 

6. (C) Comment continued: In addition, validation of the 
CSTO could further strengthen Moscow´s influence over our 
Central Asian and other partners in NATO´s EAPC. All the 
members of the CSTO are in the EAPC, which we believe is the 
proper venue in which to engage them. 
DAALDER 

 2009-09-10 16:27 PGOV (Internal Governmental Affairs)
PINR (Intelligence)
NATO
RS (Wrangel Islands) (Russia)