EU ENVOY MOREL BRIEFS THE AMBASSADOR ON LATEST

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 GENEVA 000837

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/08/2018
TAGS: PREL UNGA UNSC RS GG
SUBJECT: EU ENVOY MOREL BRIEFS THE AMBASSADOR ON LATEST
PLANNING FOR GEORGIA TALKS

REF: A. STATE 108163

B. STATE 104778

C. TBILISI 1838

Classified By: Ambassador Warren W. Tichenor, reasons 1.4 (b) and (d).

Summary
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1. (C) On October 9. EU Special Representative for the Crisis
in Georgia Pierre Morel briefed Ambassador Tichenor on the
preparations for the Georgia talks to be held in Geneva
October 15. He confirmed the plans for a plenary with two
working groups, one on security and stability, the other on
IDPs. In a compromise, the talks would be held in the UN
Palais des Nations, but the secretariat would be housed in
the EU Mission in Geneva. Georgia had yet to designate a
representative, said Morel, and he hoped Tbilisi would not
choose to send someone who would only focus on the political
level, as opposed to the practical goal of launching talks.
Each delegation would determine its own interaction with the
media, but the co-chairs (the EU, the OSCE, and the UN) would
not use the UN as a venue for any press statements, but
rather use the EU Mission in Geneva. Morel said he hoped the
talks would result in an assessment of the working groups
discussion, an agreement to meet again, and understanding of
how the part
icipants would communicate publicly. End summary.

Format - Plenary and Two Working Groups
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2. (C) Morel explained that there would be a plenary and two
working groups, one on IDPs, the other on security and
stability. The plenary would be a 1 3 format with country
or organization identification on the nameplates (EU, U.S.,
Russia, Georgia, OSCE, and UN). Working groups would include
a total of five individuals from each participating entity,
although those individuals would sit behind nameplates with
their names listed only, not their country.

Split Venue - EU and UN
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3. (C) Morel explained that the plenary and working group
discussions would take place at the Palais des Nations, while
the secretariat for the talks would be housed at the EU
Mission in Geneva. He acknowledged that the split venue was
a compromise, and something of a concession, but stressed
that it was largely necessary for practical reasons because
the EU facilities in Geneva do not have two large rooms with
interpretation facilities (interpretation will be in Russian,
Georgian, and English),which would have precluded the
working group meetings from occurring simultaneously. Bruno
Hanses, Premier Conseiller at the EU Mission in Geneva, will
be the head of the secretariat, said Morel.

Who's coming to town?
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4. (C) According to Morel Representatives of the six
participating entities would be: Russian Deputy Foreign
Minister Grigorii Karasin, A/S Fried, Finnish OSCE
Chairman-in-Office Representative Heikki Talvitie, UN Special
Representative for Georgia Johan Verbeke and Morel himself.
Morel said the Georgians had yet to identify their
representative. He expressed mild concern that Georgia might
decide to send someone who wished to speak on a political
level as opposed to the practical level Morel seeks to
achieve at the talks.


5. (C) Morel confirmed that Abkhazian and South Ossetian
leaders, either those supported by Moscow or Tbilisi, would
not participate in the plenary. As for the working groups,
because they used the old "salon des Ambassadeurs" format of
open invitations for the "informal" working group meetings,
the Georgian and Russian capitals could decide individually
who they wanted to have participate with them from the two
contested regions. On Friday, October 10, the EU will send
invitations to the six parties announcing the meeting.

Press
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6. (C) Morel stressed that no press event on the part of the
hosts would be held at the Palais des Nations and there would
be no joint statement; however, each national delegation
would be allowed to engage the media as they saw fit. Morel
said the co-chairs would issue a statement from the EU
Mission, noting that they had taken on the responsibility to
facilitate this dialogue. There will be a family photo at
the opening of the plenary, which would exclude the South
Ossetians and Abkhazians.

Expected Outcomes and Next Steps
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7. (C) The hoped-for conclusion of October 15 discussions,
said Morel, would be threefold: some kind of assessment,
which reflects the reporting from the working groups; an
agreement for further discussions; and an understanding of
the rules for communication with the public and other
parties. He said the idea of an October 24 follow-on meeting
was a possibility, but had to be confirmed by the parties to
the October 15 talks. Such a meeting could be held in
Geneva, or possibly elsewhere.

TICHENOR