GEORGIA: FRIENDS OF SYG DISCUSS FOLLOW-UP TO BONN

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 TBILISI 002043

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 08/09/2017
TAGS: PREL PGOV GG
SUBJECT: GEORGIA: FRIENDS OF SYG DISCUSS FOLLOW-UP TO BONN
MEETING

REF: TBILISI 1604

Classified By: CDA Mark X. Perry for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d)


1. (C) Summary: On August 7, Deputy Special Representative
of the Secretary General (D/SRSG) Ivo Petrov briefed
representatives of the Group of Friends of the UN Secretary
General (U.S., Germany, France, Britain, and Russia) on
progress by the sides in implementing steps agreed to during
their June 27-28 meeting in Bonn, Germany. Petrov said that
the sides did not resume Quadripartite meetings (QPM) on law
enforcement in July as agreed and there has been no further
discussion between the sides on the issue. Cooperation on
African Swine Fever (ASF) has also not moved forward, he
said, and there has been no progress on the establishment of
maritime communication between Trabzon, Turkey and Sukhumi.
He noted that some progress had been made on the
investigation into the disappearance of David Sigua and the
ICRC initiative on missing persons. He said UNOMIG
established an observation team base in Kodori on July 18,
but UNOMIG's other three proposals for monitoring Kodori -
allowing UNOMIG patrols outside the zone of conflict (ZOC),
unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) patrols of the gorge, and
placement of artillery radar - have not yet been agreed upon.
End Summary.

Georgians look to change QPM format
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2. (C) Petrov told the Friends that the sides did not
reconvene a QPM on law enforcement in July as originally
agreed in Bonn. He said that the Abkhaz and CIS PKF have
responded to a draft terms of reference for future
Quadripartite meetings, but the Georgians have not yet
responded. In a July 19 meeting at the State Ministry for
Conflict Resolution, Petrov said that the Georgians told him
that the QPM composition was not how it was discussed in
Bonn. The Georgians told him that they wanted the EU, OSCE,
and Group of Friends to also participate, which Petrov
characterized as a change of format that was not agreed to in
Bonn. German Ambassador Flor responded by saying that the
Friends should continue to press the Georgians to resume the
QPM meetings, adding that there was no doubt in Bonn that the
sides agreed to technical level meetings with no mention of a
format change. (Note: The Georgians are currently reviewing
the draft terms of reference in an interagency group process.
Some Georgian officials have expressed concern that the
draft would allow the CIS peacekeeping force to retain the
leading role in the QPMs. End note.)

UNOMIG Kodori proposals
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3. (C) On July 18, the UN established an observation post
in Kodori as one of the four CBMs proposed by UNOMIG in the
wake of the March 11 attack on Georgian government buildings
in upper Kodori. Petrov said that the remaining three
measures - UNOMIG patrols in Georgian and Abkhaz controlled
territory adjacent to the ZOC, UAV patrols of the gorge, and
placement of an artillery radar in the gorge - have not yet
been implemented. Petrov characterized UAV patrols and
artillery radar as more complicated issues that will require
further study by international experts prior to
implementation. He said they have asked UN headquarters in
New York to send an expert on artillery radar systems to
determine how well such a radar would work inside the steep
valleys of Kodori. British Ambassador Keefe suggested that
the Defense Attaches of the respective embassies could also
help, and proposed sending them to Kodori to also conduct
feasibility studies or provide support to the UN experts.
Petrov suggested that the DATTs raise the issue during their
meeting with UNOMIG Chief Military Observer, General Khattak,
the week of August 13.

No further steps on ASF, Maritime cooperation
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4. (C) Petrov said that there has been no further progress
on the establishment of maritime communications between
Trabzon, Turkey and Sukhumi. The Abkhaz have proposed a
meeting on ASF through the cooperative mechanism established
by the UN during the Avian Influenza outbreak last year, he
said, adding that the Abkhaz have had to kill all of their
pigs in the lower Kodori gorge after some pigs tested
positive for ASF. He said the Abkhaz claim that infected
pigs washed downriver from Georgian-controlled upper Kodori,
spreading the infection to their pigs. Despite this, he
said, the Abkhaz remain willing to cooperate on the issue.

Sigua investigation off to good start
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5. (C) Petrov said that the Joint Fact Finding Group (JFFG)
started its investigation into the disappearance of David
Sigua with a "substantive" meeting on August 6 in Gali. He
said the investigation included interviews with Sigua's wife
and nephew and a site inspection of Sigua's house to
determine possible routes Sigua's abductors may have taken.
Because most of the UN JFFG team are military experts, it
took some time to bring in outside experts with experience in
missing persons, causing a delay in the start of the
investigation. Nevertheless, he characterized the meeting as
a "good start." The next JFFG meeting is scheduled for
Friday, August 10. Separately, he said that the two sides
also had a productive Steering Committee meeting for the
EC-funded programs in Abkhazia on July 4 in Zugdidi. Both
sides made compromises during the meeting, he said, and are
now preparing their points for the third phase of the EC
economic rehabilitation program. The next Steering Committee
meeting is scheduled for early autumn.

ICRC initiative on missing persons moving forward
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6. (C) Petrov said both sides are close to agreement on an
informal working level meeting, hosted by the ICRC, in Cyprus
in September, to discuss the issue of Georgians and Abkhaz
still missing after the war. Minister of Refugees Giorgi
Kheviashvili is scheduled to attend for the Georgian side.
Petrov also said there may be a higher level meeting in
October, but no agreement has yet been reached.

Comment
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7. (C) Some of the lack of progress on the steps agreed to
in Bonn may be attributed to the absence of SRSG Arnault, who
has been away on vacation, and the seeming ineffectiveness of
his deputy, Petrov, to push the sides to fulfill their
agreements. Petrov's unwillingness to assume responsibility
on these issues was clearly evident during the meeting, where
he repeatedly deferred questions to Khattak or Arnault, who
returned on August 13. We hope that Arnault's return will
reinvigorate the process and will continue to work with him
to push the sides to implement their Bonn agreements.
PERRY