GEORGIA: POTENTIAL POLISH MANPADS SALE TO GEORGIA

C O N F I D E N T I A L TBILISI 002024 SIPDIS SIPDIS DEPARTMENT FOR EUR/NCE BART PUTNEY, EUR/CARC ELIZABETH ROOD, EUR/PRA LISA BENTHIEN AND TIM KATSAPIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 08/13/2017 TAGS: PARM MASS ETTC PGOV PREL GG PL SUBJECT: GEORGIA: POTENTIAL POLISH MANPADS SALE TO GEORGIA DEMARCHE DELIVERED REF: A. SECSTATE 112014 ¶B. SECSTATE 72899 ¶C. WARSAW 1625 ¶D. WARSAW 1631 Classified By: CHARGE D'AFFAIRES MARK X. PERRY FOR REASONS 1.4 (b) & (d ) ¶1. (U) On August 11 Charge delivered reftel demarche to Deputy Foreign Minister Nikoloz Vashakidze. Foreign Minister Gela Bezhuashvili received the message from EUR Assistant Secretary Daniel Fried in a telephone conversation on August SIPDIS ¶10. ¶2. (U) Vashakidze responded that the MFA understood the US position from our previous demarche on this subject. The MFA supports the US position; the message was passed, and as far as they knew the deal with Poland was stopped at that time. Charge responded it was our understanding that the deal with Poland was proceeding and that is why we are delivering the US position once again. Charge said that he knew President Saakashvili is personally involved in this issue. Charge offered that he would be happy to deliver the demarche to the President personally to be sure he fully understands the US position. Vashakidze said that is not necessary; he would speak with Bezhuashvili right away and in turn, Bezhuashvili would discuss with the President. Charge stressed how important this issue is to the US Government and requested that he get back to us with the Georgian Government,s response as soon as possible. Charge was assured that Bezhuashvili would get back to us with the Georgian Government's response as soon as possible. ¶3. (C) Vashakidze raised the Georgian Government,s concern about the MANPADS in the hands of separatist forces in South Ossetia and Abkhazia. He said these have been supplied to them by the Russians. He noted the irony that South Ossetian forces fired a MANPAD at a Russian aircraft in the August 6 incident. Vashakidze outlined four reasons why this has created a very dangerous situation: the criminality of the South Ossetian de facto authorities, the lack of any known proper controls on the handling of these MANPADS, the fact that the South Ossetians have fired them at Georgian aircraft, and the fact that civilian air traffic routes pass very close to South Ossetian air space. Vashakidze said the Georgians intend to raise this issue once again with the Russians. PERRY