DFM KARASIN ON UPCOMING RUSSIAN DIPLOMATIC EFFORTS

C O N F I D E N T I A L MOSCOW 009415

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 08/28/2016
TAGS: PREL MD UP BO RS
SUBJECT: DFM KARASIN ON UPCOMING RUSSIAN DIPLOMATIC EFFORTS
IN THE CIS


Classified By: Ambassador William J. Burns. Reason 1.4 (b, d)


1. (C) Summary: After DFM Karasin briefed Friends of Georgia
Chiefs of Mission August 28 (Septel),he met with Ambassador
Burns bilaterally. They discussed upcoming travel and
visits. Karasin favors an end October-early November date
for his own meetings in Washington. Karasin briefed on
Russian diplomatic activity with Moldova, Ukraine and
Belarus. End Summary.

Visits
--------------


2. (C) Following up on the preceding session with the Friends
of Georgia, Karasin noted that DFM Denisov will soon visit
Tbilisi to pay a courtesy call on his new opposite number DFM
Chechelashvili. Karasin said he may visit Tbilisi in
September or October. Karasin expects to visit Almaty in
mid-September for a meeting of Russia's ambassadors in
Central Asia, and may also visit Astana and/or Bishkek for
talks with government officials. Karasin said he might also
visit Chisinau in late September.


3. (C) Ambassador said Washington is eager to schedule a
Karasin visit, and Karasin said the very end of October or
first days of November looked good, if convenient for
Washington.

Moldova
--------------


4. (C) After Karasin inquiries on Lebanon and Iran, the
Ambassador asked about the August 8 visit of Moldovan
President Voronin. Karasin replied that Putin was happier
with this last visit than with previous ones. Putin wants to
make the bilateral relationship more transparent. On
Transnistria, there is some movement on papers and exchanges
of ideas, though none of them are very new. Ambassadors
Kenyaikin and Nesterushkin were leaving for Chisinau that day
to consult on what new movement could produce on Transnistria
in working with Moldova and Ukraine.


5. (C) Karasin said he was not sure why his European and
American colleagues were so nervous about the planned
September 17 referendum in Transnistria. It was no more or
less than a plebiscite for Smirnov. The "general scenery"
would be no different September 18. Voronin had not been
much concerned with it when he visited. "Life will go on,"
Karasin said.


6. (C) Karasin stressed that in all the conflicts (Comment:
i.e., Abkhazia, about which he had just been talking to the
Friends, and South Ossetia. End comment) Russia wanted to
make the sides understand and trust one another. Russia was
just there to assist and put the sides together; but the
sides themselves had to decide their own future. Thus, he
added, all ideas to enlarge the circle of negotiations (read:
include more Western participants) were "only an imitation
of activity" that could decide nothing. Ambassador responded
that if there were actual progress in the negotiations, there
would be less temptation for others to get involved.

Ukraine
--------------


7. (C) Karasin responded to the Ambassador's question on
Ukraine by calling the new PM's visit "productive."
Yanukovich had asked down-to-earth, practical questions,
though the answers were not always what he wanted to hear.
The Bilateral Commission planned to pull all the
subcommittees together in September and October to facilitate
a meeting of the Economic Committee, headed by the Prime
Ministers, by the end of the year. No decision has yet been
taken on whether Putin will head the Russian delegation to
the Babi Yar commemorations in Ukraine.

Belarus
--------------


8. (C) Karasin said there was little new on Belarus. Russia
continues to insist on bringing market prices to the energy
sector. There might be exceptions from time to time, but the
logic was there. The Union Treaty was not on the immediate
agenda, though perhaps there might be some discussion on the
"joint government" in October.
BURNS