FRENCH MFA OFFICIAL DISCUSSES GENEVA CONFERENCE ON

C O N F I D E N T I A L PARIS 001914 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/17/2018 TAGS: PREL PGOV PINS PINR PHUM EUN FR RS GG SUBJECT: FRENCH MFA OFFICIAL DISCUSSES GENEVA CONFERENCE ON GEORGIA, FRANCE-RUSSIA RELATIONS REF: PARIS 1908 Classified By: Political Minister Counselor Kathleen Allegrone for reas ons 1.4. (b),(d). ¶1. (C) MFA A/S-equivalent for Continental Europe, Galharague told us October 17 that the fact that the Geneva meeting took place qualifies it as a success for the French. No one had any illusions that the Geneva meeting would be easy, given the Russian threat not to participate if South Ossetian and Abkhazian officials were not permitted to attend and given Georgian reluctance to commit when FM Kouchner visited Tbilisi October 10-11. While French media have largely focused on the negative aspects of the Geneva meeting, Galharague maintained that it was a step forward and a follow-on meeting has already been scheduled for November ¶18. ¶2. (C) The crisis in Georgia, meanwhile, has moved on to a second phase, according to Galharague. Russia has mostly withdrawn its forces from Georgia in accordance with the September 8 agreements, and, although it cannot be said that everything is going well in Georgia, &the crisis is behind us.8 ¶3. (C) Galharague noted that planning for the EU-Russia summit on November 14 in Nice is running parallel to the November 18 follow-up conference on Georgia, which will again be held in Geneva. He said EU members began discussing overall relations with Russia during the October 15-16 European Council meeting, but a new EU-Russia partnership accord is not a foregone conclusion. The EU has to pursue discussions with Russia, and no one wants to give Moscow the impression that achieving an accord is the EU,s top priority right now. Although the EU could begin drafting a new accord at any time before or after the EU-Russia summit, such an agreement is not inevitable. As for the summit itself, Galharague opined that it would be "the usual quick affair," not lasting more than a few hours. ¶4. (C) Finally, Galharague mentioned that the interplay between the next meeting on Georgia and the EU/Russia summit is "interesting," as Russia continues to want to discuss security issues with the EU that often contradict the security issues it brings up when discussing the situation in Georgia. ¶5. Comment: Galharague,s comments on the relative "success" of the Geneva meeting are similar to those Advisor Damien Loras (Ref A) made in an October 16 meeting with the DCM and indicate Paris,s continued preference to stress the positive, however much a stretch it may be, during France,s EU Presidency. Galharague,s refusal to outline a concrete schedule for a new EU-Russia PSA, however, points to at least some French reluctance to return to a "business as usual" relationship with Russia in spite of Moscow,s recent troop withdrawals. Interestingly, Galharague had nothing to add to press reports about the reputed poisoning of Russian human rights advocate and attorney Karinna Moskalenko in the eastern French city of Strasbourg. As of the writing of this cable, it has not come up in the French MFA's daily press briefing. End comment STAPLETON