EUR A/S DANIEL FRIED'S 9/23/2008 MEETING WITH

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 STATE 106585 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 09/24/2018 TAGS: PREL EAID UP GG MD AJ SUBJECT: EUR A/S DANIEL FRIED'S 9/23/2008 MEETING WITH GUAM FOREIGN MINISTERS Classified By: Classified by EUR A/S Daniel Fried. Reason: 1.4 (b,d). ¶1. (U) September 23, 2008; 2:00 p.m.; New York, New York. ¶2. (U) Participants: U.S. EUR Assistant Secretary Daniel Fried UNGA Senior Area Advisor for Europe William Pope Robert Gonzales (EUR/UMB Notetaker) GUAM GUAM Secretary General Valeri Chechelashvili Georgian Foreign Minister Eka Tkeshelashvili Ukrainian Foreign Minister Volodymyr Ohryzko Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov Moldovan UN Permanent Representative Alexandru Cujba ¶3. (C) SUMMARY. EUR A/S Daniel Fried met with GUAM representatives September 23 to discuss progress on existing GUAM-U.S. cooperation and how GUAM can adapt to confront the challenges it faces following the recent conflict in Georgia, including development of a strategic dimension. While GUAM representatives were unsure how to expand their strategic cooperation, Fried encouraged the group to use GUAM as a forum for discussion and cooperation on common strategic threats to the degree they were comfortable. Fried and the GUAM representatives agreed to hold the next GUAM-U.S. meeting on the margins of the December 4-5 OSCE Ministerial Council meeting in Helsinki. END SUMMARY. -------------- GUAM APPRECIATIVE OF U.S. SUPPORT -------------- ¶4. (SBU) EUR Assistant Secretary Daniel Fried met with GUAM Organization for Democracy and Economic Development Foreign Ministers on September 23, 2008. (Moldova was represented by its UN Permanent Representative.) Georgia, the current GUAM chair, led the session in which countries thanked A/S Fried for U.S. support in the establishment of the GUAM Secretariat in Kyiv (expected to open in November 2008 or later). They also expressed appreciation for U.S. aid to GUAM's existing programs in the fields of law enforcement, drug smuggling, human trafficking and border security. The group said GUAM's activities should keep pace with existing challenges and agreed that continued USG financial support and technical assistance would be helpful. Fried told the group that the U.S. stands ready to consider funding future projects and offer further technical assistance. -------------- COOPERATION AFTER THE GEORGIA CONFLICT -------------- ¶5. (C) Each GUAM representative said the conflict in Georgia has brought new urgency to focusing international attention on the region, given its strategic location as an energy and transport corridor. Fried stressed U.S. support for GUAM in two areas: existing practical cooperation and a strategic dimension. He noted U.S. concern about the region in the wake of the recent conflict in Georgia and highlighted the series of visits by U.S. officials, including Vice President Cheney's recent trip to Baku and Kyiv, as a demonstration of ongoing support and interest. While GUAM need not develop a military orientation at this time, Fried continued, it should remain a forum for discussion and cooperation on common strategic threats. ¶6. (C) Georgian Foreign Minister Tkeshelashvili stressed that GUAM is not "anti-any country." However, the recent conflict in Georgia necessitates consideration of how GUAM can serve a common purpose in both the strategic and economic realm. All representatives agreed that military cooperation is a sensitive issue. Fried replied that there is no need to rush discussions on a strategic security dimension, but it is important to move forward with existing programs. -------------- - BRINGING INTERNATIONAL ATTENTION TO THE REGION -------------- - STATE 00106585 002 OF 002 ¶7. (SBU) Participants also emphasized the need to bring international attention to protracted conflicts in the GUAM region in an effort to bring about peaceful settlements. The group agreed to highlight this in the GUAM-U.S. joint statement, noting that GUAM and the U.S. discussed current areas of cooperation and noted the "conviction of the international community to intensify efforts" to resolve conflicts in the GUAM region, as well as the need for cooperative responses to future challenges. Fried and the GUAM representatives agreed that the U.S. and GUAM would next meet on the margins of the December 4-5 OSCE Ministerial Council meeting in Helsinki. RICE