UN TO USE UNOMIG RENEWAL TO MOVE SIDES FORWARD

C O N F I D E N T I A L TBILISI 000405 SIPDIS SIPDIS DEPARTMENT FOR DAS BRYZA AND EUR/CARC E.O. 12958: DECL: 02/28/2017 TAGS: PREL PGOV GG SUBJECT: UN TO USE UNOMIG RENEWAL TO MOVE SIDES FORWARD Classified By: AMBASSADOR JOHN F. TEFFT. REASONS: 1.4 (B) AND (D). ¶1. (C) On February 27, UN Special Representative to the Secretary General (SRSG) for Georgia Jean Arnault briefed the SIPDIS Friends of the Secretary General (FSG) on UN plans to use the April 15 deadline for renewal of the UN Observer Mission in Georgia (UNOMIG) to push the sides to fulfill their obligations under UN Security Council Resolution (UNSCR) ¶1716. On the Abkhaz side, he planned to press for opening the UN Human Rights Office (HRO) in Gali, allowing additional UN Civilian Police (CIVPOL) in Gali, and allowing instruction in Georgian in Gali. On the Georgian side, he planned to push for three issues on Upper Abkhazia: more joint patrolling, reduction of police, and an accounting of the heavy weaponry left by warlord Kvitsiani. He also planned to press for an airtight regime of notification and verification with the Georgians of everything moving into Upper Abkhazia. He hoped to have this agenda accomplished by the end of March, when the Mission would need to submit its report to the UN, and asked for the Friends support with the sides. End summary. ¶2. (C) At a meeting convened by the German Chair of the Friends of the Secretary General, UN SRSG Jean Arnault briefed the representatives of the Friends (Ambassador Tefft (U.S.),Ambassador MacLaren (UK),DCM Fabienne Drout-Lozinski (France) Ambassador Flor (Germany) and Ambassador Kovalenko (Russia)) on UN plans to use the April 15 deadline for UNOMIG renewal to push the sides to fulfill their obligations under UNSCR 1716. He noted that some things were impossible to conclude by the deadline, including signing the document on the non-use of force and return of internally displaced persons (IDPs) as well as a high level meeting between President Saakashvili and de facto president Bagapsh. But others, he thought, were possible to conclude before the Mission must submit its report to the UN by the end of March. These included: -- On the Abkhaz side, he would press for the opening of the UN HRO in Gali, allowing additional UN CIVPOL in Gali, allowing instruction in Georgian in Gali, and guaranteeing residency rights for ethnic Georgians living there. -- On the Georgian side, he would push for three items with regard to Upper Abkhazia: further joint CIS-UNOMIG patrolling, which he said had been agreed at a meeting that day for an extended two-day patrol the week of March 5 (he did not expect the Abkhaz to join this patrol because of its proximity to the Abkhaz parliamentary elections March 4); further rationalization of Georgian police forces, where he assessed there was room for additional downsizing from the estimated force of 250 officers; and an accounting of the weaponry left by warlord Emzar Kvitsiani, which he said included heavy weapons such as anti-aircraft artillery. He planned also to press for an airtight notification and verification regime with Georgia for everything moving into Upper Abkhazia from Zugdidi. ¶3. (C) Arnault asked that the Friends reinforce these requests with the Georgians and the Abkhaz in order to take advantage of the deadline posed by the UNOMIG mandate renewal. He thought that a message that responding to these requests would help contribute to a good UNSCR would have resonance with the parties, as they would be able to go to the renewal as parties in good standing with the UN. ¶4. (C) Arnault also updated on other outstanding issues in response to questions. On the UN HRO, he said that he hoped to have two UN Human Rights Officers in permanent offices in Gali by the week of March 5, and that he might suggest that the Friends travel there to inaugurate the new office. On the Georgian appointment to the Quadripartite Meetings, he said that he has received different names from different offices in the Georgian Government and hoped this would be resolved soon. On the UNHCR strategy, he said that initial indications from the Georgians were not positive - the current position is that the strategy can go forward without IDP verification (counting) - but argued against focus on this issue at this time. In response to a question, he said the Abkhaz are convinced the security incidents in Gali are the result of a Georgian Government backed operation, although the UN has no way to confirm or deny this allegation. TEFFT