SLOVAKS SUPPORT EU-FLAGGING BMO IN GEORGIA

C O N F I D E N T I A L BRATISLAVA 000106 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 02/07/2015 TAGS: PREL PGOV LO GG SUBJECT: SLOVAKS SUPPORT EU-FLAGGING BMO IN GEORGIA REF: SECSTATE 21669 Classified By: CDA Scott N. Thayer for reasons 1.4(b) and (d) ¶1. (C) Poloff delivered reftel demarche February 7 to Lubomir Rehak, European Correspondent at the MFA. Rehak said Slovakia will support the EU-flagging of the Border Monitoring Operation (BMO) in Georgia and expects consensus at the February 8 COREPER. The GOS does not oppose a continued OSCE BMO but is "very skeptical" the Russians will remove their objection to a continued OSCE presence. Rehak said the EU mission should be similar in size and purpose to the OSCE mission and only the umbrella organization should change. The GOS will support retaining its three or four members of the observation team in Georgia under a EU-flagged BMO. The GOS supports sending at least an urgent fact finding mission before the February GAERC meeting. ¶2. (C) The GOS is worried about a possible Russian attack on Georgian territory based on the alleged premise of searching for Chechen terrorists. Rehak said that the Russian Embassy in Tbilisi's January 17 statement on "Chechen and foreign terrorists" in Georgia is just one example of a possible Russian pretext to attack. Rehak called the border a "sensitive area" with a "high probability of conflict." ¶3. (C) Rehak expects consensus at the February 8 COREPER and has received information from the Baltic states, the UK, France, and Poland supporting the EU-flagged mission. He said the Swedes have recommended Bush and Putin discuss this issue at the Bratislava Summit. Rehak said it would be prudent to "involve the Russians somehow" so as to not alienate them and "jump into their sphere of influence." Rehak welcomed U.S. offers of support and said it would be very useful in promoting stability on the border. THAYER NNNN