C O N F I D E N T I A L USNATO 000186 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/22/2017 TAGS: NATO PREF PTER PREL AF IT SUBJECT: DEMARCHE RESPONSE: RELEASE OF TALIBAN PRISONERS REF: A. SECSTATE 36204 B. USNATO 183 Classified By: Ambassador Victoria Nuland, for Reasons 1.4 (b) and (d) ¶1. (C) SUMMARY. Anticipating reftel A, Ambassador Nuland, during the March 21 North Atlantic Council meeting, joined the UK in criticizing the evident Taliban-for-hostage exchange in the release of kidnapped Italian journalist Mastrogiacomo. She also raised the issue separately with SYG de Hoop Scheffer, who will address it with PermReps in a more restricted forum, but is leaning toward pushing for an Alliance-wide hostage policy. USNATO believes NATO consensus on a common policy will be hard to achieve, but the subject is worth discussing to raise awareness. END SUMMARY. ¶2. (C) During the March 21 NAC meeting, Ambassador Nuland reinforced criticism by the UK Charge and noted strongly the intrinsic dangers of bargaining with terrorists, plus concern for all Allies if the Taliban thought that hostage taking was a route to future prisoner exchanges (ref B). She and the UK Charge also asked the Secretary General and Chairman of the Military Committee if ISAF had been consulted over the process of Mastrogiacomo's release. Both committed to investigate. The Italian Charge declined to comment on how the journalist was freed without more details from capital, but expressed the Italian government's gratitude to Karzai for his help. ¶3. (C) SYG de Hoop Scheffer told PermReps during the March 21 NAC that he intends to raise this issue at an informal lunch or coffee gathering of PermReps in the near future. In a separate conversation with Ambassador Nuland, he said he is leaning toward pushing for an Alliance-wide hostage policy. ¶4. (C) COMMENT: Raising awareness on this issue among NATO Allies is important and necessary, with the goal of reaching agreed guidelines. However, achieving consensus on a binding NATO hostage policy, similar to NSPD 12, for example, will be very difficult. Few Allies are likely to want a discussion like this which they consider sovereign to be collectively decided. END COMMENT. NULAND
Fonte: http://www.wikileaks.ch/
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