DAS BRYZA'S MEETING WITH STATE MINISTER FOR

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 TBILISI 002063 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 07/30/2017 TAGS: PGOV PREL PHUM GG SUBJECT: DAS BRYZA'S MEETING WITH STATE MINISTER FOR CONFLICT RESOLUTION BAKRADZE Classified By: Charge d'Affaires, a.i., Mark X. Perry for reasons 1.4(b &d). Summary -------------- ¶1. (C) David Bakradze, Georgia's new State Minister for Conflict Resolution, told EUR DAS Bryza July 27 that the Georgian government was concerned UNOMIG and the Group of Friends had lost "strategic focus" over Abkhazia, as reflected in a recent UN report criticizing Georgia for minor issues, while the Abkhaz and Russians get relatively little criticism for obstructing conflict resolution at a broader level. Bakradze agreed with Bryza that Georgia can regain the initiative by focusing on the issue of internally displaced persons (IDPs) from Abkhazia, thereby drawing a clear distinction between Kosovo and Abkhazia as we head into UN Security Council discussion of renewing the mandate of the UN Observer Mission in Georgia (UNOMIG) in October. On South Ossetia, Bakradze said Georgia would continue its active efforts to engage the de facto authorities in the ongoing process of defining the region's autonomous status. End Summary. In Search of Momentum -------------- ¶2. (C) The newly appointed Bakradze told Bryza and Charge that the Georgian government, from President Saakashvili on down, was unhappy with the current dynamic regarding Abkhazia. He said Russian behavior in Abkhazia was becoming more aggressive by the day, with the most recent example being a Russian Deputy Prime Minister's statement that Russia would use Abkhazia in its plan for the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi. Bakradze said that all signs from Moscow -- including rhetoric in the Russian media -- suggested that Russia was approaching a "critical point" in Abkhazia, leading either to "military buildup or recognition." Bakradze acknowledged that it was unlikely the Russians genuinely wanted to recognize Abkhazia -- something that would worsen their internal headaches in the north Caucasus -- but he feared that Russian President Putin was becoming a hostage to his own rhetoric on the issue. In Bakradze's analysis, Putin may have raised the prospect of Abkhazia recognition as a tool to discourage Kosovo independence, but his comments have hardened Russian public opinion on Abkhazia, and at a certain point it may become impossible for Putin not to follow through on his threats. ¶3. (C) Given this danger, Bakradze said it was very disappointing that the UN Secretary General has chosen to focus on minor issues, such as the Georgians' establishment of a Patriot youth camp in Ganmukhuri, near the Abkhaz-controlled Gali region, and the disappearance of Gali de facto election official David Sigua. Bryza said the U.S. position is opposition to ethnic cleansing, and Bakradze strongly agreed. He said recent comments by Abkhaz "foreign minister" Sergei Shamba that Abkhaz and Georgians could not live together amounted to a continuation of ethnic cleansing: the de facto authorities had expelled the majority population, declared independence for those who remained, and were now calling on the international community to recognize it. Bryza agreed, noting that we were unwilling to permit Shamba to come to New York in the current circumstances. Bakradze expressed concern that the Abkhaz argument, however illogical, might make inroads among the Europeans. ¶4. (C) Bakradze agreed with Bryza that in the run-up to the October Security Council debate, Georgia should keep the focus squarely on the IDPs and the importance of not legitimizing ethnic cleansing. He said IDPs should have a genuine right of return to all of Abkhazia, stressing that the return of some Georgians to the Gali district was occurring only because the Abkhaz did not have the resources to prevent it, not because of Abkhaz goodwill. He expressed hope that with the help of the USG, the Georgian government could overcome the current sense of a loss of strategic direction by emphasizing the right of return for the IDPs, the human rights problems in Abkhazia, and the need for security mechanisms such as international police. Bakradze's deputy Ruslan Abashidze said Georgia would continue to push for "go and see" visits by IDPs to their properties in Abkhaz-controlled areas outside of Gali, as foreseen in a 1994 agreement. On the question of a UNHCR census of IDPs, Bakradze said Georgia had no objection to counting in principle, but was concerned that a count that started in Gali would be used politically by the Abkhaz authorities, and would miss the large numbers of IDPs who were now living outside of Georgia. Bakradze said he intended to travel to Berlin, Paris, and Washington prior to October, and would also work closely with Group of Friends ambassadors in Tbilisi. Spelling Out South Ossetian Autonomy TBILISI 00002063 002 OF 002 -------------- ¶5. (C) Bakradze noted that two key South Ossetia-related events on his calendar in his early days as Minister were a meeting of the Commission on South Ossetian autonomy in Kurta July 28, and a Joint Control Commission meeting in Tbilisi August 9-10. He also mentioned a Steering Committee meeting on August 2. He said the Georgians were using all channels -- public and private -- to appeal to the de facto authorities to take part in the autonomy discussions. In addition to written invitations, Bakradze said he had sent people to Tskhinvali to hold personal meetings, but they were stopped by de facto security forces. Bakradze stressed that Georgia was not undertaking the autonomy process as a vehicle for Dmitry Sanakoyev, but as something for the whole region; Sanakoyev, he said, was "already on our side" and the important thing now was to appeal to others in South Ossetia. American Corners and Quadripartite Meetings -------------- ¶6. (C) On other subjects, Bakradze's reaction was generally positive to the idea of opening one or more American Corners in Abkhazia, provided it did not in any way recognize the de facto authorities. He said the government was currently considering a similar proposal from the EU. He stressed that it should be made clear that any such initiatives were extensions of existing programs in Georgia, not new bilateral U.S.-Abkhaz programs. He said his Ministry was currently collecting comments from other ministries on proposed new terms of reference for a series of meetings to fill the role of the Quadripartite Meetings on the security situation in Gali. He said there would be a meeting on the Sigua investigation August 6, and it was important to get this investigation and the Quadripartite meetings started quickly. PERRY