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