PEACEKEEPING ACCIDENT SPURS DISPUTE OVER MOSCOW

C O N F I D E N T I A L TBILISI 002170

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

DEPARTMENT FOR DAS BRYZA AND EUR/CARC

E.O. 12958: DECL: 08/30/2017
TAGS: PGOV PREL GG
SUBJECT: PEACEKEEPING ACCIDENT SPURS DISPUTE OVER MOSCOW
AGREEMENT


Classified By: AMBASSADOR JOHN F. TEFFT. REASONS: 1.4 (B) AND (D).


1. (C) SUMMARY: On August 28, a CIS Peacekeeping Force
(PKF) contingent collided with a civilian minibus in the
Georgian city of Khobi. According to the UN, Georgian police
responded and detained 14 CIS PKF, 6 of whom the Georgians
claimed were Chechens armed with silencers. The Georgian
police took the PKF to the local police station and after a
period of detention, released them later that night. The
Georgians claim that the PKF violated the Moscow Agreement by
traveling into the Restricted Weapons Zone (RWZ) without
prior agreement by the Georgians; the Russians deny this
although the Office of the Georgian State Minister for
Conflict Resolution claims that it received a hand-written
note from the PKF Chief of Staff which apologized for the
violation and promised to inform of such movements in future.
The UN is reviewing whether a violation took place with
regard to the movement of the PKF. End summary.


2. (C) At approximately 4:00 p.m. on August 28, a CIS
Peacekeeping Force GAZ-66 truck collided with a civilian
minibus in the Georgian city of Khobi. (Note: Khobi is on
the southern edge of the Georgian side of the Restricted
Weapons Zone. End note.) Georgian police responded and
found 14 PKF in the truck, 6 of whom they claimed were
Chechens armed with silencers. The Georgians took the
peacekeepers to the local police station and detained them
until around 1200 a.m., at which time the Georgians released
the detainees. When asked by the UN for the reason of the
detention, the Georgians said that the detention was a result
of the suspicion aroused by the peacekeepers origin and
armaments. According to the Georgians, the Chechens could
not answer even basic questions about the mandate of the PKF.
The UN was unable to verify these allegations or press
reports that the peacekeepers were inebriated because the
Georgians did not allow UN personnel access to the detainees.


3. (C) Ruslan Abashidze, the Deputy Minister for Conflict
Resolution, reported to Poloff on August 30 that the PKF
Chief of Staff sent a hand-written note on plain paper to
Minister Bakradze which apologized for the violation and
promised to inform the Georgian authorities of such movements
in future. Abashidze claimed that the movements of the PKF
were a violation of Article 2 of the Moscow Agreement.
(Note: Article 2 (f) of the Moscow Agreement requires that
"the movement of units or subunits of the peace-keeping force
and of the international observers outside the security zone
in the relevant areas shall be subject to agreement with the
parties." Separately, the UN told Poloff that the UN is
reviewing whether or not a violation took place with regard
to the movement of the PKF. UNOMIG quoted the Protocol to
the Moscow Agreement which states that the PKF "shall enjoy
freedom of movement in the security zone and the
restricted-weapons zone..." which indicated some area for
interpretation.


4. (C) COMMENT: As we have seen regarding issues related to
Upper Kodori, the Moscow Agreement is unclear and open to
interpretation. Tensions in Georgia with regard to its
relations with Russia are heightened following the August 6
missile incident. Accidents like these have the potential to
spiral out of control. We will urge the UN to work with both
sides to agree on a common interpretation of the Moscow
Agreement to prevent future such incidents. END COMMENT.
TEFFT