DEMARCHE: NOTIFICATION OF U.S. TRANSPORTATION OF

C O N F I D E N T I A L STATE 090979 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 08/22/2018 TAGS: EAID GG MARR PHUM PREL RS SUBJECT: DEMARCHE: NOTIFICATION OF U.S. TRANSPORTATION OF HUMANITARIAN ASSISTANCE IN THE BLACK SEA Classified By: Assistant Secretary Dan Fried, EUR, for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d). ¶1. (U) This is an action request. Please see paragraph 3. ¶2. (C) Embassy Moscow is requested to inform immediately appropriate senior Russian officials concerning U.S. ships in the Black Sea transporting humanitarian assistance to Georgia. Currently, USS McFaul is scheduled to reach the Georgian port of Batumi on August 24 or 25. Follow-on ships dedicated to the humanitarian assistance mission to Georgia are USCGC Dallas and USS Mt. Whitney, which are expected to arrive in Georgia in the next two weeks. Planning is underway to determine if the port of Poti is accessible for follow-on ships. If so, the Department will notify Embassy Moscow to relay to GOR officials. USS Taylor will also be in the Black Sea participating in a NATO Standing Maritime Group exercise. This cable and this notification to the GoR are intended to cover all future shipping of humanitarian assistance; therefore, the Department does not plan to send additional demarches for follow-on humanitarian assistance shipping. As usual, the GOR will be notified of the transit of U.S. ships through the Turkish straits through the normal Montreux Convention notification process. ¶3. (SBU) Embassy Moscow should draw on the following points in providing this information to the GOR: -- The United States is providing emergency humanitarian assistance supplies to the people of Georgia to assist with the large numbers of injured and displaced persons in Georgia. -- U.S. Navy and Coast Guard ships are traveling through the Black Sea, in accordance with the Montreux Convention, en route to Georgian ports to deliver humanitarian assistance. These humanitarian assistance missions will occur regularly for the forseeable future. -- We are providing this information in order to be as clear as possible about U.S. intentions. As these ships are acting in accordance with international norms, we assume the GOR will take no action concerning these ships and allow unimpeded transit and swift delivery of the humanitarian assistance to and inside Georgia. ¶4. (U) Embassy Moscow is requested to respond immediately on results of this demarche. RICE