GOR ON OSCE: UNRELENTING BUT MEASURED CRITICISM

C O N F I D E N T I A L MOSCOW 004419

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 09/07/2017
TAGS: PREL PGOV PHUM RS
SUBJECT: GOR ON OSCE: UNRELENTING BUT MEASURED CRITICISM


Classified By: Political M/C Alice G. Wells. Reasons 1.4 (B/D).


1. (C) Summary. Spanish Foreign Minister Moratinos's August
30 visit to Moscow gave the GOR another chance to air its
grievances against the OSCE. This time, the GOR's criticisms
were less sharp and there was no hint of Russia's departure
from the organization. FM Lavrov, while calling the OSCE an
organization without clear, unified operational codes and too
bogged down with "politicized" agendas, praised the 2008
Spanish Chairmanship and the OSCE's constructive and
productive contributions. The two sides discussed Russian
concerns: the OSCE Charter, ODIHR's election monitoring
methodology, the need to give more weight to the
political-military dimension, the adapted CFE, and
Kazakhstan's bid for the 2009 Chairmanship. GOR officials
warned that the OSCE might be without a chair in 2009 if the
Madrid Ministerial rejects Kazakhstan. End summary.

Not Leaving but "Fixing" It
--------------


2. (U) FM Lavrov, during an August 30 press conference,
praised the Spanish Chairmanship for its efforts to make the
OSCE "more relevant" and to reinforce its role in European
politics. He reiterated Russian proposals on:

--the OSCE Charter, without which, "it cannot transform
itself to a Qll-fledged international organization."
--basic principles that should govern the election monitoring
method of the Office for Democratic Institutions and Human
Rights (ODIHR).
--ways to strengthen the political-military dimension.

Lavrov reaffirmed the GOR's support for Kazakhstan's bid for
the 2009 chairmanship.

Long List of Grievances; No Kazakh, No Chair
--------------


3. (C) MFA OSCE Coordinator Vladimir Yanin shared with us
September 5 a list of the OSCE's alleged weaknesses that
needed to be rectified. Using much stronger language than
Lavrov, Yanin singled out ODIHR, the CFE, Kazakhstan's bid
for the 2009 chairmanship and field missions. How the ODIHR
conducts its operation is "close to our heart" and decisions
about its operational basis should be made through an
intergovernmental process, not by the bureau's
"functionaries." The GOR believes that decisions made
during the Brussels Ministerial have not been faithfully
followed by ODIHR during the year. Key decisions on ODIHR's
role in the Russian elections would be made during the
upcoming September visit of ODIHR Director Christian Strohol
in his meeting with the Central Election Commission Chairman
Churov.


4. (C) Continuing with the GOR list of demands, Yanin
insisted that the CFE Treaty be delinked from the Istanbul
Commitments, as the two documents are of "different nature."
If the Madrid Ministerial rejected Kazakhstan, a year without
a chair and difficulties with the Lithuanian bid for the 2010
chairmanship could not be excluded. According to Yanin, the
GOR felt that OSCE field missions should be reorganized on a
rotational basis along thematic issues, disregarding the
geographical dichotomy that exists now. The GOR opposed the
current "unwritten but standing" practice of ignoring the
host nation's concerns about field mission activities and the
practice of closing field missions once the host country
joins NATO or the EU.

Spanish See a Slight Softening of Rhetoric
--------------


5. (C) Spanish Embassy Poloff Carlos Abela noted that during
Moratinos's visit, Lavrov did not hint at the possibility of
Russia's departure from the organization, as he had
previously done with other OSCE representatives. Despite the
hardline presented by Yanin, the Spanish Embassy was pleased
with the visit and felt that the GOR has softened its
position on the OSCE. Abela agreed that the GOR genuinely
sought reform of the organization and was therefore focused
on the OSCE Charter and field mission procedures.

Comment
--------------


6. (C) With many obstacles to consensus on key issues, it is
unclear how Russia will behave during the Madrid Ministerial.
Although GOR complaints are less strident, we see little
lessening of its anti-OSCE rhetoric. Discord on the
chairmanship and the lack of a strong chairmanship may
embolden Russia even more.
Burns