Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
07TBILISI2413
2007-09-26 11:54:00
UNCLASSIFIED
Embassy Tbilisi
Cable title:  

DIPLOMATS TURN OUT FOR CONFERENCE IN SOUTH OSSETIA

Tags:  PREL PGOV GG 
pdf how-to read a cable
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RUEHLN RUEHLZ RUEHPOD RUEHROV RUEHSR RUEHVK RUEHYG
DE RUEHSI #2413 2691154
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 261154Z SEP 07
FM AMEMBASSY TBILISI
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 7733
INFO RUEHZL/EUROPEAN POLITICAL COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
UNCLAS TBILISI 002413 

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PREL PGOV GG
SUBJECT: DIPLOMATS TURN OUT FOR CONFERENCE IN SOUTH OSSETIA

REF: TBILISI 2266

UNCLAS TBILISI 002413

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PREL PGOV GG
SUBJECT: DIPLOMATS TURN OUT FOR CONFERENCE IN SOUTH OSSETIA

REF: TBILISI 2266


1. Summary: On September 21, the Georgian State Ministry
for Conflict Resolution held a conference for the western
diplomatic corps in the village of Tamarasheni, a
Georgian-controlled village in the South Ossetian zone of
conflict. The purpose of the conference was to share
information with diplomats and the population of the conflict
zone about Georgia's reforms, with a particular focus on the
European Neighborhood Policy (ENP). State Minister for
Conflict Resolution David Bakradze and head of the temporary
administrative unit of South Ossetia Dimitri Sanakoyev
co-hosted the conference. Representatives from all of the
major western diplomatic missions in Georgia, including the
British, French, German, Dutch, Italian, and European
Commission Ambassadors attended. (The Russian Ambassador, in
contrast, publicly denounced the conference on Georgian
television and refused to attend.) The start of the
conference was delayed when Russian peacekeepers stopped the
convoy from Tbilisi at a checkpoint along the Georgian bypass
road to Tamarasheni, claiming that the Georgian government
had not notified the peacekeepers in advance. After 20
minutes, the convoy was allowed to proceed without further
incident. South Ossetian de-facto president Eduard Kokoiti
issued a statement following the conference saying that he
would not meet with Ambassadors accredited in Georgia who
traveled to Tamarasheni. End Summary.

JPKF delay diplomats' access to Tamarasheni
--------------


2. The convoy of approximately 20 vehicles from the
diplomatic corps and Georgian government were stopped at a
Russian JPKF checkpoint on the bypass road leading to the
Georgian-controlled enclave of Tamarasheni. The Russian
commander of the JPKF, Marat Kulakhmetov, reportedly claimed
that the Georgians had not informed them in advance of the
trip, and refused to let the convoy pass through the
checkpoint. After 20 minutes of negotiations with OSCE
acting Head of Mission Veselin Nikolaev, the convoy was
allowed through.

Sanakoyev warmly welcomes ambassadors to conference
-------------- --------------


3. The Ambassadors and other diplomats, including a U.S.
Embassy Poloff (attending because the Ambassador was in
Istanbul at a regional COM conference and the DCM had another
pressing commitment),were met by Sanakoyev at the front of a
newly constructed theater, a symbol of the changes that the
Georgian-backed administration is trying to bring to South
Ossetia. (Comment: all of the major Georgian media outlets
covered the conference, and made a particular point of
filming Sanakoyev shaking hands with all the European
Ambassadors. End comment). The conference participants,
including prominent MPs, Deputy Foreign Minister Manjgaladze,
and leading NGOs, gave the audience of locals and diplomats a
broad overview of Georgia's Euro-Atlantic aspirations,
including closer cooperation with the EU through the ENP and
Georgia's entrance into NATO. They discussed Georgia's
social, legal, and military reforms aimed at bringing Georgia
in line with NATO standards. South Ossetian de-facto
president Eduard Kokoiti issued a statement following the
conference saying that he would not meet with Ambassadors
accredited to Georgia who had traveled to Tamarasheni, adding
that the Ambassadors "shared responsibility for Georgia's
terrorist policy."

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


4. Though the conference agenda presented nothing more than
a broad (and widely known) overview of Georgia's aspiration
to join western institutions, the attendance of the major
western Ambassadors and their interaction with Sanakoyev was
effective in conveying the perception of greater legitimacy
for the Sanakoyev administration. The conference also helped
the Georgian government show the local population that the
international community is interested in their situation and
supports the government's path. It remains to be seen
whether de-facto president Kokoiti will follow through on his
threat to refuse to meet with western Ambassadors attending
the conference. If so, it will cut him off from nearly all
major western Ambassadors, including some who often support
greater engagement with the de-facto authorities.
TEFFT