RUSSIAN PERMREP LINKS KOSOVO AND ABKHAZIA

UNCLAS USUN NEW YORK 000216 SIPDIS SENSITIVE SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PGOV PREL GG UNMIK YI SUBJECT: RUSSIAN PERMREP LINKS KOSOVO AND ABKHAZIA ARRIA-STYLE MEETINGS REF: A)USUN 00195 B) SECSTATE 32648 ¶1. (U) Sensitive but unclassified -- please protect accordingly. ¶2. (SBU) On March 14, at the end of P5 meeting on Iran, Russian Permrep Churkin protested a UK proposed Arria-style meeting for Kosovo President Sejdiu that he said he had been informed of earlier in the day. Churkin produced a faxed invitation from the UK mission and complained that the title "Kosovo Final Status" was inappropriate. "More importantly", Churkin asserted, "Russia still has not been able to arrange a meeting for the 'Abkhaz Foreign Minister' even though the Abkhaz are an internationally recognized party to a conflict and have the right to make their case at the United Nations." "Russia is sick and tired of having to speak on Abkhazia's behalf," he continued. Churkin stated that he would remove his objection to the proposed Kosovo meeting, provided that Abkhaz de facto Foreign Minister Shamba receives a visa. ¶3. (SBU) On March 15 in a morning Security Council session, Churkin returned to this topic under other matters and criticized the title of the meeting and its timing, which he said was motivated by a desire to pre-empt debate in the Council on an important issue. Churkin also alleged that the proposed Arria-style meeting was an exercise in "double standards" that amounted to a violation of U.S. host country obligations. Churkin sought assurances that an Arria style with the Abkhaz would be facilitated prior to the UNOMIG mandate renewal in April or Russia would continue to oppose the UK meeting with the Kosovars and would consider opposing the practice of Arria-style meetings generally, which he insisted were based on agreement among Council members. While apologizing for the title of the meeting and calling it "unfortunate", UK Permrep Jones Parry defended the right to hold it, pointing out that Arria-style meetings were not official Council sessions and did not require a Council consensus and that invited members were free not to attend. Ambassador Wolff supported the UK Permrep's arguments and firmly rejected Churkin's accusation that the U.S. was not observing its host country obligations. ¶4. (SBU) Comment: As USUN noted in reftel A, Arria-style meetings are not official and can be hosted by any member of the Security Council. Issuance of visas for non-member participants is at the discretion of the U.S. and despite Russian objections we can wait until the right moment to issue a visa to Shamba but should carefully consider how all of our equities run together. End comment. WOLFF