Part III Everyday work of diplomats : Their Paper Work: 1) Types of diplomatic documents (internal and external) 2) Dissection (an analysis of DD)

Part III

Everyday work of diplomats :

Their Paper Work:

1) Types of diplomatic documents (internal and external)

2) Dissection (an analysis of DD)

Everyday work of a diplomat:

Internal Diplomatic correspondence

the types of internal diplomatic correspondence 1) Annual reports - about a development of political situation in

a country of residence, evaluations of mass-media, activity of an embassy;

2) Political report – a detailed evaluation of the definite political event in a county (social revolts, activity of an opposition)

3) Information letter ( In Russian, it is справка) and telegrams (cables)– an answer for a special request from the MFA;

4) “An extract from a personal diary of a diplomat”: the records of a diplomat about observations of public life, special events, attitudes, moods, etc;

5) Notes of conversations: Transcripts of the conversation, summary of a talk with the definite person, evaluation of a person; + comments

6) Theses for conversations: a possible questions and answers, which could be raised during the visit of a president, etc.

7) Memorandum is a comprehensive letter about specific situation to attract the attention of the MFA

8) Aides-Mémoire (memory helper) is a letter about specific person or problem from a diplomat to a diplomat (di-to-di)

The global criteria of qualified internal diplomatic documents

1. Reliability – is the important criterion of any document.

» It implies that the document must content only trustworthy info;

» any doubts must be specified;

» its clearness depends on the used facts;

There is the system of ties between the facts and argumentation to gain the main purpose of document is to convince the government.

2) Purposefulness -any document has its aim in terms of consequences.

3) Persuasiveness – there is no space for ambiguity.

the content like white and black without any other spectrum of colors.

4) Timeliness - the specifics of the diplomatic documents is to be in time, because if it is outdated, it will not use by the “…guys in the MFA…”

5) Simplicity -without complex grammar in the case when the immediate reaction for the activity is requested.

6) Briefness – is to be brief but comprehend.

It is possible to achieve if the document is elaborated profoundly.

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To turn to the future – to compromise the reality with perspectives of the development of the situation.

To emphasize the definite aspects to build the future relations.

The document must provide the diplomat or head with assurance, stable policy and logic of proposed acts.

The Russian criteria of qualified internal diplomatic documents

1) Actuality – the report must meet with actual and future problems

2) Objectivity – the report made of using several source of information leads to the objective character of it

3) Completeness – the report should not provoke the additional questions from the MFA

4) Newness - the report must introduce new facts, new political nuances, and new reactions from the public opinion

5) Secrecy >>

Everyday work of a diplomat Diplomatic telegrams: reading and understanding

• Telegrams are called – “Cable”, This is a title of the documents used by many countries

• Telegrams are drafted concisely. This is achieved by writing so called telegraphese style of lexical and grammatical specific features. Some words are omitted like verbs, articles and prepositions. Special abbreviations are used instead of words.

Diplomatic telegrams: reading and understanding

- cables style is lexical and grammatical specific features.

- special abbreviations are used instead of words. >>

Your task is to “translate” several phrases from cables:

The keys to Task 1

1) Your telex of May 21 with reference to Russian position in Iran question is received

2) Cable as soon as possible about the estimated time of arrival of Primakov in Iraq

3) Referring to your message # 57

4) American embassy post # 450: Offer of future meeting (appointment with somebody <Putin>) sent on the 31 of December is waiting of the decision of the Russian president Putin

II. Conversations (дипломатические беседы)

– Aim –• To get new information• To give explanation of a position

– Means to be engaged in a talk – • To invite a guest to an embassy • To get an invitation

– Mode of success: appropriate preparation• Thinking over the tactual transferring of information• Elaboration of questions • Accumulation of necessary information

Conversations: types

1) Conversation on the assignment: to resolve a problem with a government and to get new information (oppositional groups)

2) Conversation on the invitation of a government in a country of accreditation

3) Unexpected conversation

Conversations: Minutes, protocols (notes of conversations) in

• Diplomats’ diary • Documents, known as the Minutes of

conversation:– Free form of a documents, however– Introductory phrases: «I have visited (smb.) and got

with him (her) a talk according to the assignment» «В соответствии с поручением посетил (ук. Лица) и имел с ним беседу.»

– «I have said the following» «Сказал следующее»– a list of all participants – Accuracy of a transferred information– Problem with secrecy – Wikileaks -cannot happen in

such country as Russia: a denial of PC in diplomatic work

Dissection of diplomatic documents

INFORMAL MEETING OF THE NATO-RUSSIA COUNCIL AT THE LEVEL OF FOREIGN MINISTERS NATO HEADQUARTERS, BRUSSELS FRIDAY, 2 APRIL 2004

STATEMENT (1)683-03-04-2004

On 2 April 2004, Foreign Ministers of the NATO-Russia (2) Council (NRC) met in Brussels for the first time in an enlarged format "at 27".

Ministers welcomed (5) the participation of Bulgaria, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Romania, Slovenia and Slovakia. (3)

They reiterated the adherence of all NRC member states to the goals, principles and commitments contained in the Founding Act on Mutual Relations, Co-operation and Security, and in the Rome Declaration (6), as well as in past decisions taken in the NRC framework.

Ministers reaffirmed the 4 June 2003 Statement agreed by NRC Foreign Ministers in Madrid (6), and they recalled NATO's position on providing political assurances of restraint.

They also reaffirmed adherence to the Treaty on Conventional Armed Forces in Europe (6) (CFE) as a cornerstone of European security, and those NRC members who are States Parties to the Treaty reaffirmed their determination to fulfill the commitments reflected in the Final Act of the 1999 Conference of the States Parties to the CFE Treaty.

Calling upon all CFE States Parties to promote achievement of this shared goal, the NRC agreed to continue to work co-operatively toward ratification by all the States Parties and entry into force of the Agreement on Adaptation of the CFE Treaty (4), which would permit accession by non-CFE states.

Ministers welcomed the approach of the four non-CFE member states of the NRC, who have stated their intention to request accession (5)to the adapted CFE Treaty (3) upon its entry into force, and agreed that their accession would provide an important additional contribution to European stability and security.

10 steps of dissection

0) contextualization:

It is a reconstruction of relevant events happened around the documents:

when, who, why

The document: “Statement by Russian Minister of FA about informal meeting of the NATO-Russia Council…., 2 April 2004:

-text

-accumulation all possible information from the Web, Mass media concerned the event

-what has happened before?

On the 1 of April Bulgaria, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Romania, Slovenia and Slovakia became the members of EU and NATO >> strong concerns of Russia, because four of them had not adapted before the Treaty on Conventional Armed Forces in Europe.

10 steps of dissection: contextualization

-why the document was issued?

It was the result of the meeting of the Foreign Ministers of the NATO-Russia Council on the next day in Brussels.

dissection: the form of document

1) The form is the type of diplomatic document (treaty, conventions, agreements):

Why was this form selected by a diplomats?– The form is the Statement is to emphasize the concerns of

Russia, to clear the existing problem.

dissection: the actors of the document

2) Actors – those who participated in the event (in its final stage) and signed the document.

In the Statement:

“.. Foreign Ministers of the NATO, Russia…”

dissection: the paternity

3) Paternity is the authorship of the main articles or clause in the document:

We must attribute each clause to the participating sides >>– Which clauses are country A’s and which are country B's? – Which clauses are against country A and which are against

country B? – Help from Mass-Media (Briefings)The document:NATO’s “pressure”: “..Ministers welcomed the participation of Bulgaria, Estonia,

Latvia, Lithuania, Romania, Slovenia and Slovakia…”Russia's “pressure”:“Ministers welcomed the approach of the four non-CFE

member states of the NRC, who have stated their intention to request accession to the adapted CFE Treaty…”

dissection: the balance of interest

4) Balance of interest is a rough estimation of which of countries got the better deal:

From the group of clauses tagged "A" or "B" for each party it will be possible to examine:

which interests of each country are covered Which states got more for their national security

The Document:

Russia was compelled to recognize the fact of NATO enlargement

and, however, gained that “… NATO-Russia Council agreed to continue to work co-operatively toward ratification by all the States Parties and entry into force of the Agreement on Adaptation of the CFE Treaty….”

dissection: Trade-Offs

5) Trade-offs (swap) is the examination to what extent

one country will have concede more rights to the other in one area of the agreement in order to gain more positions in another sector which is more important in the national interest;

Can be found in the document or more often in media like press-conferences of participants.

The document:

Russia welcomed the participation of new member in NATO, but in exchange Russia has got assurance that new members will adopt the treaty and additional responsibilities.

dissection: Supporting disciplines

6) Supporting disciplines – are there references or links to previous agreements or international acts in the document?

aim is to examine the particular country's claims presented with the support of international law and previous agreements;

“respectable” documents have the links to the previous documents

The document:There is the indication without link to the full text and

without additional information:“…Rome Declaration….the 4 June 2003 Statement in

Madrid….Treaty on Conventional Armed Forces in Europe…” symbolize the hasty and emergent environment of preparation the document.

dissection: Media Coverage7) Media Coverage is the deep analysis of

Interviews, press-conferences, statements of the participants

General coverage of the event in newspapers of each respective countries >>

Additional information for the “balance of interests”, “contextualization” and others.

Document:Interviews with Lavrov: – Russia needs guarantees that nuclear

weapons….will not be deployed there and that no large troop contingents…. will be stationed there on a permanent basis…that the Baltic states will reaffirm about their adaptation of the Treaty …These circumstances create necessary conditions for continuing the work of the RNC in a normal constructive spirit….

The importance of mass-media analysis: the true concerns

1) press-conference of Lavrov about the Brussels meeting:“…We expressed our serious concern to the partners over the fact that

the present NATO enlargement has occurred out of the Treaty context, since four of the entrant countries are not parties to it;

…we need guarantees in the first place that the four nonparties to the Treaty who have entered into NATO will join it as soon as this becomes possible…;

…Question: Did you receive guarantees from the four countries which are not parties to the CFE Treaty regarding their subsequent accession to the treaty?

Answer: I did not say that we had received guarantees regarding the accession of the four countries to the CFE Treaty. (back)

The meaning of mass-media-analysis

The statement of NATO Secretary-General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer after meeting with Putin, April 8, 2004 in Moscow:

“…I can understand the Russian reaction to the expansion of NATO, and why ordinary citizens ask what this will lead to. I can understand this. I want to stress that a great deal of work lies before us in public diplomacy, to assure everyone that neither old or new NATO members have any intention to station significant numbers of troops on their territories….” (back)

The meaning of mass-media-analysis (the trade-offs, balance of interests)

Lavrov told on the press-conference about the Brussels meeting:

“…The Adaptation of the CFE Treaty is a binding document. Russia assumed obligations regarding the withdrawal of our military equipment from Moldova and concerning negotiation with Georgia on the questions of the procedure and timeframe for the withdrawal of the military bases from there…”

The meaning of mass-media-analysis (diplomatic trail)

Lavrov told on the press-conference about the Brussels meeting:

“…never favored NATO's expansion. As before, our attitude towards the expansion is negative. But we are not making a tragedy of this. We take the NATO expansion as a given, because at this moment the philosophy of NATO so far has not changed. But we did not welcome a single wave of enlargement.. (back)

dissection: Diplomatic Trail

8) Diplomatic trail is the reconstruction of the original motivations and factors influenced on the creation of the document and the causes.

It is possible to do if you have access to the drafting-process or look for additional information from Mass-media.

Document:

Russia was the initiator of the document to demonstrate the concerns and to make the NATO to recognize her concerns.

Russia of course officially welcomed the new members but it could happen and without Russia’ recognition.

dissection: Diplomatic Lever

9) Diplomatic lever is an evaluation of the pressure to get the diplomatic process started

It is possible to conclude if you have access to the diplomatic information;

Or through mass-media

Document:Russia started the process of talks through mass-media

diplomacy and gained the meeting.

Russia demanded the Joint communiqué or even convention but failed.

dissection: Partners, allies, opponents?

10) Is it possible to conclude that the sides become more closer to each other?

Joint press-conferences or unilateral activity Form of document Balance of interests and ets

Document:

Unilateral activities

It is clear that NATO and Russia try to tolerate each other