GERMANY: NO PLANS FOR FORMAL REJECTION OF RUSSIAN

C O N F I D E N T I A L BERLIN 001273 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 09/16/2018 TAGS: PHUM GG RS GM XG XH SUBJECT: GERMANY: NO PLANS FOR FORMAL REJECTION OF RUSSIAN GENOCIDE CLAIM REF: STATE 98030 Classified By: POLITICAL MINISTER COUNSELOR JEFF RATHKE. REASONS: 1.4 ( B) AND (D). ¶1. (U) POLOFF delivered reftel points to Head of the Russia and Ukraine Division Ernst Reichel September 14. ¶2. (C) While agreeing that the Russian claim was unfounded, Reichel said the GOG viewed it as unnecessary to issue a formal statement. At this time, Germany also has no intention of pushing for the EU formally to refute the Russian claim of genocide. However, Germany is ready to refute Russian genocide claims in international fora (e.g. in the UN Human Rights Council). Reichel said Germany would view a stand-alone response as giving the Russian claim more "attention than it deserves." He further argued that the GOG taking up the issue (other than in direct response to Russian assertions) now could have the perverse effect of increasing the credibility of the claim. KOENIG