NEW EU SPECIAL REP FOR GEORGIA MEETS WITH DAS

UNCLAS BRUSSELS 001430 SENSITIVE SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: EUN GG KZ OSCE PGOV PREL TU UZ SUBJECT: NEW EU SPECIAL REP FOR GEORGIA MEETS WITH DAS MERKEL ¶1. (SBU) The EU's new Special Representative for the Georgia Crisis, Pierre Morel, met with visiting Deputy Assistant Secretary David Merkel September 15. During their lunch, Morel got "the call" that his new position had been made official at the EU Foreign Ministers GAERC. Morel told Merkel that his role should be seen as an "ad hoc" mission, to focus on the crisis in Georgia. He suggested he would only remain in the position for six months, until February ¶2009. He said that he wanted to work in tandem with the EU Special Representative for South Caucasus Peter Semneby, with whom he planned to meet later September 15, partially to allay any concern regarding overlap in their respective roles. Morel also said that he planned to keep his current role as EU Special Representative for Central Asia. However, he said that the bulk of the French presidency's high profile work on Central Asia would take place at the September 18 EU-Central Asia Security Forum. He implied that following the forum, he would ease his own focus on Central Asia as well. ¶2. (SBU) Morel said that he was just reading into his new position and that he planned to use the week of UNGA in New York as well as two days in Washington September 24-25 to consider the "margins of maneuver" on the Georgia crisis and to prepare for the international conference in Geneva October ¶15. Morel cautioned that in his view, October 15 was too soon to expect a full-fledged diplomatic exercise and stressed the need to lower expectations. Morel said he hoped to have more clarity about his role and areas of focus by the time he traveled to New York and Washington, but said that the six point agreement, aid, and refugees would be priorities. ¶3. (SBU) Merkel outlined the USG three-pronged strategy toward the crisis: support Georgia; respond to Russian actions; and bolster regional allies. On the third point, Morel noted that the September 18 EU-Central Asia Security Forum in Paris would be a good opportunity to demonstrate to Central Asian partners their importance to the EU. The forum would include Foreign Ministers from all 27 EU member states and candidate countries (Turkey, Croatia, and Macedonia) as well as the five Central Asian countries. There would also be representatives present from international and regional organizations and development banks. The forum would focus on drug trafficking, counterterrorism, and energy and environmental issues. Morel said there would be no formal reference to Georgia in the outcome document, due to the difficulty of getting agreement by all participants, but that Georgia would be discussed in a restricted dinner with the EU troika September 17 and referenced in various speeches. He noted that the outcome document would contain a veiled reference to Iran by referring to "proliferation crises." Morel stressed that the important point was that the meeting take place and that Central Asian countries be seen as on the side of "concerned countries." ¶4. (U) This message has not been cleared by DAS Merkel. MURRAY .