GEORGIA INTENDS TO CONTINUE WORKING IN JCC

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 TBILISI 002029

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

DEPT FOR EUR DAS BRYZA AND EUR/CARC

E.O. 12958: DECL: 08/13/2017
TAGS: PGOV PREL GG
SUBJECT: GEORGIA INTENDS TO CONTINUE WORKING IN JCC

REF: TBILISI 1994

Classified By: Charge d'Affaires Mark X. Perry for reasons 1.4(b&d).

Summary
--------------

1. (C) Georgian officials tell us they plan to continue
working in the Joint Control Commission (JCC) on the South
Ossetia conflict, even as they push for other mechanisms that
they believe would be more effective. Although the South
Ossetians torpedoed a planned JCC meeting in Tbilisi August
9-10, citing alleged security concerns, all sides have once
again agreed in principle to a meeting in Tbilisi, which is
now expected to occur in the second half of September. End
Summary

See You in September
--------------

2. (C) OSCE Political Advisor Gantcho Gantchev told us August
13 that following consultations the previous week involving
Russian Special Envoy Yuri Popov, there was a "common
agreement" to hold a JCC meeting in Tbilisi in the second
half of September. Gantchev said he was hopeful the meeting
would take place. He noted that the South Ossetian side had
indicated that it would expect "international security
guarantees," but he thought that this ambiguous request was
most likely an effort by the South Ossetians to refute
suggestions that they had backed down on their earlier
refusal to travel to Tbilisi. Gantchev said he also did not
entirely understand comments by Georgian State Minister for
Conflict Resolution, mentioning in the context of the JCC the
need for Russia to cooperate with the investigation of the
August 6 missile incident, but he did not expect this to be a
major obstacle to a JCC meeting.

Georgia Pursuing JCC and Other Tracks
--------------

3. (C) Georgia's newly appointed JCC co-chair, Deputy State
Minister for Conflict Resolution Dimitri Manjavidze,
confirmed to us August 13 Georgia's continued "interest,
readiness, and commitment" to work in the JCC, as well as
other formats. Reviewing the events of the previous week,
Manjavidze said he had told Popov and Russian Security
Council representative Kuzin in a private dinner August 6
that Georgia would continue working in the JCC, although he
added on a more general level that he thought the JCC
mechanism was not working, and it would be worth it to
consider moving at least some parts of the negotiation
process to the "Authorized Delegations of the Sides" format.
Popov replied that he had never refused to work in the
Authorized Delegations, but his priority was the JCC.
Manjavidze also shared with Popov his thoughts on the Joint
Peacekeeping Force (JPKF),noting that some of its activities
-- such as the establishment of new checkpoints -- were in
fact more positive than Georgian officials would sometimes
admit.


4. (C) Manjavidze said Popov then traveled to Tskhinvali for
meetings August 7, where he somewhat mis-characterized his
discussion with Manjavidze, including in a press release
suggesting Georgia agreed with Russia on the importance of
the JCC. To clear up the issue, Manjavidve said, State
Minister Bakradze had recently disseminated the
correspondence from these negotiations to the diplomatic
corps. In a raucous August 8 meeting of the "Union of Elders
of South Ossetia and North Ossetia," separatist leader
Kokoity announced that South Ossetian JCC co-chair Boris
Chochiev would not attend the meeting in Tbilisi, where a
planned terrorist attack certainly awaited him (reftel).
(Note: The correspondence shows that the Georgians did in
fact promise diplomatic immunity to the South Ossetian
delegation, in accordance with the JCC terms of reference.
End Note.) Manjavidze told us that, after this low point,
Popov did manage to get all sides to agree in principle to a
Tbilisi meeting. Manjavidze said Georgia agreed, but
Bakradze also raised the pending need for Russia to cooperate
with the investigation of the missile incident (septels).
Manjavidze stressed that Georgia had not made this an
"immediate condition" for the meeting, but took the
opportunity to stress the importance of the investigation and
the possibility that future developments in it could affect
the JCC. He said Georgia "did not refuse" Popov's proposed
timing of the second half of September, but he thought final
agreement on such details would have to wait for Popov to
complete a monthlong vacation.

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

5. (C) While the Georgians have expressed some concerns and
comments in connection with the next JCC, Manjavidze stressed
repeatedly to us that Georgia sees the JCC process as a part

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of its plan for the future. It was the South Ossetians who
refused to attend the meeting planned for August 9-10, after
several rounds in which they agreed to go and then pulled
back. Both sides have now endorsed a September JCC in
principle, but also left themselves a little wiggle room.
This seemingly endless process of talks about whether to have
talks will likely resume after the summer holidays. We will
continue to stress to the Georgians that they should be
careful not to leave themselves open to charges of failing to
work in the JCC format, even as they pursue the use of other
(perhaps more effective) formats to negotiate a peaceful
resolution of the conflict.
PERRY