UZBEKISTAN: FRENCH RESPONSE TO DEMARCHE

C O N F I D E N T I A L PARIS 004801

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 07/08/2015
TAGS: PGOV PREL UZ KG FR UNSC
SUBJECT: UZBEKISTAN: FRENCH RESPONSE TO DEMARCHE

REF: STATE 124041

Classified By: Political Minister Counselor Josiah Rosenblatt
for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d).


1. (C) Poloff delivered reftel points to MFA IO central Asia
action officer Alice Guitton July 5 and followed up with
Uzbekistan desk officer Bertrand Buchwalter July 8 as Guitton
was unreachable. Buchwalter said that the MFA's Eastern
European division still needed to coordinate a final position
with the IO directorate. He offered as a preliminary
response that France was very concerned about the situation
in Uzbekistan and the Uzbek refugees in Kyrgyzstan and had
made a number of demarches to both governments, and had also
taken the lead in putting the issue on the EU agenda.
Buchwalter said that the issue would again be on the agenda
for the next EU GAERC on July 18 with a view to instituting
certain sanctions against Uzbekistan.


3. (C) Buchwalter said that the GoF was looking at
progressive, targeted, sanctions, hoping not to isolate
Uzbekistan, while keeping other sanctions as leverage.
Buchwalter said that the GoF wanted to work with the USG on
this issue and envisioned several options, including
discussion by the UNSC and/or at the UNGA and the OSCE.
Buchwalter said that the GoF favored using the Moscow
mechanism.


3. (C) Pressed on involving UNSYG Annan, Buchwalter said that
the U.N. should play a role, but that the refugee crisis was
only part of the problem in the region. He promised that he
or the IO directorate would contact us early in the week of
July 11 to provide a more definitive GoF position.
STAPLETON