Keep Us Strong WikiLeaks logo

Currently released so far... 51122 / 251,287

Articles

Browse latest releases

Browse by creation date

Browse by origin

A B C D F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W Y Z

Browse by tag

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

Browse by classification

Community resources

courage is contagious

Viewing cable 08MUNICH52, OVERVIEW OF THE 44TH MUNICH CONFERENCE ON SECURITY POLICY

If you are new to these pages, please read an introduction on the structure of a cable as well as how to discuss them with others. See also the FAQs

Understanding cables
Every cable message consists of three parts:
  • The top box shows each cables unique reference number, when and by whom it originally was sent, and what its initial classification was.
  • The middle box contains the header information that is associated with the cable. It includes information about the receiver(s) as well as a general subject.
  • The bottom box presents the body of the cable. The opening can contain a more specific subject, references to other cables (browse by origin to find them) or additional comment. This is followed by the main contents of the cable: a summary, a collection of specific topics and a comment section.
To understand the justification used for the classification of each cable, please use this WikiSource article as reference.

Discussing cables
If you find meaningful or important information in a cable, please link directly to its unique reference number. Linking to a specific paragraph in the body of a cable is also possible by copying the appropriate link (to be found at theparagraph symbol). Please mark messages for social networking services like Twitter with the hash tags #cablegate and a hash containing the reference ID e.g. #08MUNICH52.
Reference ID Created Released Classification Origin
08MUNICH52 2008-02-12 06:31 2011-08-24 01:00 UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY Consulate Munich
VZCZCXYZ0001
PP RUEHWEB

DE RUEHMZ #0052/01 0430631
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 120631Z FEB 08
FM AMCONSUL MUNICH
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 4268
RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHDC PRIORITY
INFO RUEHZL/EUROPEAN POLITICAL COLLECTIVE
RHMFIUU/COMSOCEUR VAIHINGEN GE
RHMFISS/CDRUSAREUR HEIDELBERG GE
RHMFIUU/HQ USAFE RAMSTEIN AB GE
RHMFISS/HQ USEUCOM VAIHINGEN GE
RUEKDIA/DIA WASHINGTON DC
RUEKJCS/JOINT STAFF WASHINGTON DC
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHINGTON DC
RUEHRL/USDAO BERLIN GE
UNCLAS MUNICH 000052 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR EUR EUR/AGS, SECDEF FOR OSD - RICHARD DOTSON 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PREL PARM MARR NATO GM
SUBJECT: OVERVIEW OF THE 44TH MUNICH CONFERENCE ON SECURITY POLICY 
 
REF: MUNICH 17 
 
SENSITIVE BUT UNCLASSIFIED.  NOT FOR INTERNET DISTRIBUTION. 
 
1. (U) The 44th annual Munich Conference on Security Policy, under 
the theme "The World in Disarray - Shifting Powers - Lack of 
Strategies?" took place February 8-10, 2008 at the Bayerischer Hof 
hotel in Munich, Germany.  Invited guests included more than 200 
heads of state, foreign ministers, defense ministers, parliamentary 
delegations and journalists from around the world, including Serbian 
President Tadic, Turkish Prime Minister Erdogan, U.S. Defense 
Secretary Gates, and Russian Deputy PM Ivanov.  Afghanistan and the 
 
SIPDIS 
need for greater Allied solidarity in meeting the demands of the 
ISAF mission was the main topic of discussion (septel), but other 
highlights included Russian Deputy PM Sergei Ivanov's relatively 
positive speech about Russia's plans to develop its economy and its 
desire for greater cooperation with the West.  The speech stood in 
stark contrast to President Putin's hostile remarks at last year's 
conference, in which he accused the U.S. of trying to start an arms 
race by deploying a missile defense system in Europe. 
 
Afghanistan gets top billing 
---------------------------- 
 
2.  (SBU) In his prepared remarks at the conference, "The Future 
Development of Afghanistan," Secretary Gates set down a marker that 
NATO could not "become a two-tiered Alliance of those who are 
willing to fight and those who are not."  Gates, who had come to 
Munich straight after the February 7-8 informal NATO defense 
ministerial meeting in Vilnius, said that "such a development, with 
all its implications for collective security, would effectively 
destroy the Alliance."  Along the same lines, Gates also warned 
against a division of labor where some allies would opt "only for 
stability and civilian operations, forcing other Allies to bear a 
disproportionate share of the fighting and dying."  While German 
interventions continued to demonstrate defensiveness and 
insecurities regarding their efforts in Afghanistan, Secretary Gates 
noted that he was not singling out particular countries, but rather 
underscoring the need of the Alliance as a whole to do more to 
ensure success. 
 
Opening dinner speech by Tadic 
------------------------------ 
 
3.  (SBU) The opening dinner on February 8 included a speech by 
Serbian President Boris Tadic, who urged attendees to continue 
pushing for additional dialogue on the Kosovo question while 
outlining Serbia's EU aspirations.  "We cannot accept the 
dismembering of our country," he said, adding that the optimal 
solution "is for Serbia -- including Kosovo -- to become a member of 
the European Union."  The speech was described by some attendees as 
"what's expected at this stage" and "flat." 
 
Opening conference speech by Erdogan 
------------------------------------ 
 
4. (SBU) Turkish PM Erdogan opened the conference with a speech 
entitled "Turkey's Foreign Policy and Security Interests, which 
focused on Turkey's EU aspirations and rejected the idea of 
privileged partnership ("after four decades of efforts and promises 
one cannot change the rules of the game").  Erdogan also reviewed 
Turkish policy and initiatives in Central Asia, the Middle East, and 
Iran.  Questions focused on the Armenian genocide issue, Cyprus, and 
concern about Turkish integration into the EU.  Regarding the 
Armenian genocide question, Erdogan was defensive, but noted that 
establishment of a joint commission of experts to study the Ottoman 
Empire archives may help resolve the issue. (Septel will report on 
Erdogan's full visit to Germany.) 
 
The conference panels 
--------------------- 
 
5. (SBU) Panel Topic 1:  "The Atlantic Alliance: Bucharest and 
Beyond" 
(German DefMin Franz Josef Jung, NATO Secretary General Jaap de Hoop 
Scheffer, French DefMin Herve Morin, Polish FM Radoslav Sikorski, 
and U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham).  Speeches focused on Afghanistan, 
Russia and missile defense, NATO expansion, and Iraq.  German 
parliamentarians urged more openness from the government to convince 
the public of why continued efforts in Afghanistan are so important. 
 NATO SYG noted that he could not "intellectually understand Russian 
concerns with twenty missiles in Poland" which elicited some 
applause from the otherwise subdued crowd. 
 
6. (SBU) Panel Topic 2:  "From Cooperation to Confrontation?  The 
Future of Arms Control" (German FM Frank-Walter Steinmeier, Senator 
Joseph Lieberman, IAEA DG Mohamed ElBaradei, and Kenneth Roth of 
Human Rights Watch).  While Steinmeier and ElBaradei pressed their 
arms control agenda, Senator Lieberman noted that the unique threats 
emanating from the Islamic Republic of Iran merited a "uniquely 
powerful response."  Interestingly, no questioners asked for a 
greater explanation.  Unfortunately, ElBaradei barely mentioned Iran 
during his speech.  See SEPTEL. 
 
7. (SBU) Panel Topic 3:  "A Challenge to European Stability" 
(Macedonian President Branko Crvenkovski, Moldovan President 
Vladimir Voronin, Georgian President Saakashvili, and Slovenian FM 
Dimitrij Rupel).  Described by many as the most interesting 
give-and-take of the day, Crevenkovski went head-to-head with the 
Greek representative over the Macedonian name issue and Saakashvili 
battled it out over Abkhazia and Kosovo with several members of the 
Russian Duma.  Following the day's talks, dinner was hosted by 
Bavarian Minister-President Guenther Beckstein at the Bavarian 
Residence where conference chair Horst Teltschik was thanked for his 
efforts over the past ten years on the occasion of his retirement as 
conference chair. 
 
8. (SBU) Panel Topic 4:  "Where is Russia going? A New Attempt for 
an 
All-European Security Order" (Russian Deputy PM Sergey Ivanov, EU 
Representative for Common Foreign and Security Policy Javier 
Solana, Romanian FM Adrian Cioroianu).  As last year, Ivanov again 
painted a rosy picture of Russia's economic and political future and 
mostly avoided any polemic issues.  He agreed that corruption and 
the lack of respect for the law are two problems Russia must deal 
with as it continues its development.  Solana, notably, stated his 
"regret" that Russia has become less constructive on certain issues, 
particularly on Kosovo.  He also urged Russia to abide by its treaty 
commitments such as CFE. 
 
9. (U) Panel Topic 5:  "Asia: Building International Stability" 
(Japanese FM Masahiko Koumura, Indian NSA M.K. Narayanan, Singapore 
DefMin Teo Chee Hean) was the final panel of the day and the 
conference.  The panel focused on abstract issues of cooperation in 
Asia, mainly focusing on institutions such as ASEAN.  During the 
Q&A, MFA State Secretary Boomgarden, whose portfolio includes Asia, 
described the panel as the most interesting one, and suggested that 
a panel on Africa should be added to the conference next year. 
 
Ischinger takes over from Teltschik 
----------------------------------- 
 
10. (U) Following the final panel, a concluding luncheon was held 
and Teltschik's successor as chairman, German Ambassador Wolfgang 
Ischinger, 61, was named.  It was also announced that the conference 
would remain in Munich next year, ending rumors that it might be 
moved to Berlin following Teltschik's retirement.  A career 
diplomat, Ischinger served as ambassador to the United States from 
2001 to 2006 and is currently ambassador to the UK.  Most recently, 
he won kudos on both sides of the Atlantic by serving as the EU's 
representative to the Troika process, which sought a mutually 
agreeable solution to the Kosovo status question. 
 
Getting CODEL and Bundestag members together 
-------------------------------------------- 
 
11. (U) Mission Germany prioritized efforts this year to bring the 
Secretary of Defense and members of CoDel Lieberman (Senator Lindsey 
 
SIPDIS 
Graham and Representatives Chris Shays, Jane Harman, and Jim 
Marshall) together with members of the German Parliament 
(Bundestag).  The SecDef hosted an event with the CoDel and a select 
group of German Parliamentarians.  We also organized a number of 
opportunities to bring other members of the U.S. Delegation 
(including EUR A/S Dan Fried, VCI A/S Paula DeSutter, and NATO 
Ambassador Victoria Nuland) together with German Parliamentarians, 
including a roundtable between the two Assistant Secretaries and 
roughly ten members of the Bundestag to discuss security policy, 
arms control and the transatlantic relationship.  As opportunities 
arose, Mission Germany assisted CoDel members throughout the 
conference in meeting German Parliamentarians of interest. 
 
12. (U) For more information on the 44th Conference and past 
conferences, visit: "http://www.securityconference.de" and 
"http://munich.usconsulate.gov." 
 
13. (U) This report has been coordinated with Embassy Berlin. 
 
14. (U) Previous reporting from Munich is available on our SIPRNET 
website at www.state.sgov.gov/p/eur/munich/. 
 
NELSON