TFGG01: SOUTH OSSETIA, ABKHAZIA LEADERS SEEK

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 MOSCOW 002415 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PREL PGOV RS GG SUBJECT: TFGG01: SOUTH OSSETIA, ABKHAZIA LEADERS SEEK INDEPENDENCE AND RUSSIAN GUARANTEES AGAINST GEORGIA (U) Summary. In an August 14 press conference in Moscow, South Ossetia leader Eduard Kokoity and Abkhazia leader Sergey Bagapsh declared their intentions to work with Russia towards seeking international recognition of their independence, in accordance with international law, but stressed they were not asking for immediate recognition by Russia. They confirmed that they would negotiate under the 6-point plan proposed by France, but only with Russian guarantees and reconsideration of previous security zone boundaries. They said Western countries were morally responsible for Georgia's aggressions on South Ossetia, both because of their military support and because of the biased media reporting on the conflict. End summary. Independence Under International Law -------------- (U) Bagapsh said that the two nations would seek recognition of their independence under international law. He announced that on August 15, "Foreign Ministers" of Abkhazia and South Ossetia would travel to Moscow to coordinate efforts with Russia and discuss the next steps in gaining recognition. Both leaders said that their main obstacles would be dual standards and a lack of understanding from Western countries. Bagapsh insisted that "the two republics are not a threat to Georgia's territorial integrity anymore," and in fact the two regions will support Georgia's territorial integrity in the future (but without them). He also stressed that if dialogue on the two region's self-determination was possible before Georgia's attack, now it was not possible at all, saying that "only the nations of South Ossetia and Abkhazia will decide their own future, not America and Europe." (U) Kokoity said he believed South Ossetia's chances of achieving independence were very high because of the Kosovo precedent, and the fact that they were not asking for immediate recognition by Russia of their independence; instead they would like to achieve international recognition "without any problems" from Russia or the West. The two leaders stressed that their peoples were part of Europe with European culture just like Georgia and Russia, and their "contribution to stability in Europe could be very significant." He said that the leaders had the support of their people based on past referenda. Negotiation Only With Russian Guarantees -------------- ;(U) The leaders said that they had agreed to discuss all parts of the 6-point plan with Georgia's corrections, but only with Russian guarantees. They insisted that they would refuse Georgian peacekeepers, and only Russian peacekeepers should operate in the two zones, but observers from the OSCE, the UN, and the Group of Friends could be discussed. However, they said that these observers could only be deployed in Georgian territory, not South Ossetia or Abkhazia. Kokoity said that previously-agreed security zones should be reconsidered, saying that during the conflict, Russian troops deployed to places in Georgia from which the Georgian military had fired on South Ossetia and it was very important for the Russian troops to remain there in the future as a "buffer zone." He lauded the efforts of the Russian peacekeepers and said that Russia intervened to protect all nations: South Ossetia and Abkhazia from Georgia and vice-versa. He said that President Medvedev told him on August 14 that "we won because w e were right," and promised his support for any decision of South Ossetia or Abkhazia. West Morally Responsible for Georgian Attack -------------- (U) Both leaders blamed the West for its support of Georgia, and said that the United States and Europe had a moral responsibility for the death of South Ossetians. They said that they had evidence that Western countries were involved in the planning of President Saakashvili's attack, because U.S. weapons were found along with detailed military maps. Furthermore, Kokoity said that the American journalist who came in with the Georgian side was further evidence of Western planning, saying that the American told him he was "there to report on the Georgian blitzkrieg." When asked whether there were any foreign fighters among the Georgians, Kokoity responded that there were "mercenaries from Ukraine, Baltic countries, and blacks." He said that Georgia did not MOSCOW 00002415 002 OF 002 report all of their troop losses because they employed these mercenaries among their ranks. (U) The leaders also noted that the West's war of information was suspiciously well prepared, with U.S. and U.K. news sources profiting heavily from their one-sided coverage. Kokoity said that this coverage "should be considered as direct participation in the genocide." They reiterated that Saakashvili should be prosecuted for war crimes, and lamented the double standard of the West in its reporting and support for only Georgian people and not those of South Ossetia. They said that they could not trust the West. RUBIN