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withdrawn its forces from Georgia in accordance with the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

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