CANADA SUPPORTS UNIFIED APPROACH TO GEORGIA AND

UNCLAS OTTAWA 003458 SIPDIS SIPDIS STATE FOR EUR/RPM E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PREL PBTS EUN NATO OSCE MO GG RU CA SUBJECT: CANADA SUPPORTS UNIFIED APPROACH TO GEORGIA AND MOLDOVA CONFLICTS REF: STATE 190264 ¶1. (U) Urgent action request. Please see para four (4). ¶2. (SBU) We conveyed reftel demarche on November 22 to Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade (DFAIT) Political Director Colleen Swords, and on November 24 to OSCE Desk Officer Neil Brennan. Canada is in strong agreement with the U.S. on how best to ease tensions in Georgia and Moldova, Brennan said. Nevertheless, Canadian officials doubt there will be agreement on a ministerial declaration or a regional statement at the OSCE Ministerial in December. Instead, Brennan said, the Chair will probably issue a political declaration that tracks with U.S. and Canadian preferences. ¶3. (SBU) Brennan agreed to convey our demarche to the GOC delegation in Vienna and to instruct its members to support the views expressed therein. He ended the meeting with a request for a copy of the Russian draft text that referred to separatist regimes as "republics" (reftel). ¶4. (U) Post requests Department send a copy of the Russian text noted in para 4 to Brennan immediately upon receipt of this message at: Neil.Brennan@INTERNATIONAL.GC.CA or via FAX at 613-992-2482. Visit Canada's Classified Web Site at http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/wha/ottawa WILKINS