GEORGIA: REBUTTING SPURIOUS RUSSIAN CLAIMS

C O N F I D E N T I A L STATE 090980 E.O. 12958: DECL: 08/22/2028 TAGS: PREL PGOV KPKO MARR GG RU SUBJECT: GEORGIA: REBUTTING SPURIOUS RUSSIAN CLAIMS REGARDING THE CEASEFIRE AGREEMENT Classified by EUR A/S Daniel Fried; reason: 1.4 (b) and (d). Ref: Moscow 2522 (NOTAL) ¶1. (U) This is an action request for all posts, see end of para 2. ¶2. (C) Reftel lays out Russian efforts to misinterpret the August 12 Georgia ceasefire agreement mediated by French President Sarkozy. Among other things, Russia is claiming that the ceasefire allows for creation of a ?buffer zone? around South Ossetia, gives Russian forces unlimited rights to "implement additional security measures" in and outside of South Ossetia, and allows Russia to "blue helmet" an unlimited number of forces to implement these additional security measures. ACTION REQUEST: These Russian assertions are blatantly false, and posts should strongly rebut them with host country officials and media, using the facts laid out in the following paragraphs. As the French negotiated these documents and are in the lead in ensuring that they are being carried out, Posts should not take the initiative in deploying these points (i.e. public releases, opeds, other press, diplomatic demarches),but rather draw on them immediately if/when issues related to Georgia are raised by host governments, media, etc., as well as in explaining our larger Georgia policies. END ACTION REQUEST. ¶3. (SBU) Posts should be careful not to openly characterize President Sarkozy’s or other French positions, but rather provide factual information. ¶4. (SBU) Sarkozy made clear in his August 14 letter to Georgian President Saakashvili and in supplementary paragraphs attached to that letter that "?additional security measures" are limited to "patrols" (not a ?buffer zone? or even checkpoints) by Russian peacekeeping forces that were in South Ossetia prior to the outbreak of hostilities on August 7, and that these patrols are limited to an area "not further than a few kilometers" outside of South Ossetia, excluding other parts of Georgia, the city of Gori and other significant urban zones, and must not impede freedom of movement on major highways and railways. ¶5. (SBU) Russia?s actions and statements in recent days raises suspicions that it does not intend to respect these restrictions on its forces in Georgia, and is in fact angling to retain a larger zone of control than held prior to the invasion. These actions include Russian forces -- not peacekeepers from pre-August 7 -- digging into positions in and around Poti (200 kilometers from South Ossetia),north of Gori and other locations outside the zone prescribed for patrols; Russian military checkpoints impeding movements at the port of Poti, near the main East-West highway, and near Gori and other urban areas; and continued Russian destruction of civilian and military infrastructure. ¶6. (U) Posts are encouraged to review the following documents: the August 12 ceasefire agreement, the August 14 letter from Sarkozy to Saakashvili, and the supplemental paragraphs attached to the August 14 letter. All of these documents are now in the public domain. These documents are also available at www.intelink.sgov.gov/wiki/Portal:Crisis_Geor gia . ¶7. (U) Begin text of August 12 ceasefire agreement: Agreed Protocol (1) No resort to force. (2) A definitive halt to hostilities. (3) Provision of free access for humanitarian assistance. (4) Georgian military forces must withdraw to the places they are usually stationed. (5) Russian forces must withdraw to their positions prior to the outbreak of hostilities. While awaiting an international mechanism, Russian peacekeeping forces will implement additional security measures. (6) Opening of international discussions on security and stability modalities in Abkhazia and South Ossetia. For the European Union, The French Presidency s/s Nicolas Sarkozy End text ¶8. (U) Begin text of Sarkozy letter to Saakashvili: Paris, 14 August 2008 Mister President: Regarding point 5 of the six-point accord to which you ? after President Medvedev ? gave your approval 12 August during our meeting in Tbilisi, and which states that "Russian military forces should withdraw to positions prior to the outbreak of hostilities"? and that "while waiting for an international mechanism, Russian forces will implement additional security measures," I wish to share with you the following points for the sake of precision: -- As I made clear at our joint press conference in Tbilisi, these "additional security measures" may only be implemented in the immediate proximity of South Ossetia to the exclusion of any other part of Georgian territory. -- More precisely, these "measures"? may only be implemented inside a zone of a depth of a few kilometers from the administrative limit between South Ossetia and the rest of Georgia in a manner such that no significant urban zone would be included ? I am thinking in particular of the city of Gori. Special arrangements must be defined to guarantee the liberty of movement and traffic along the length of the major highways and railways of Georgia. -- These "additional security measures"? will take the form of patrols undertaken solely by Russian peacekeeping forces at a level authorized by existing agreements, with other Russian forces withdrawing to their positions prior to 7 August in conformity with the agreed protocol; -- These "measures" will have a provisional character while awaiting the establishment as quickly as possible of the ?international mechanism? whose nature and mandate are still the subject of discussion by different international entities, in particular the OSCE, the European Union, and the United Nations. Armed with these points of precision, I ask that you confirm the agreement that you gave me and that you announced publicly in Tbilisi while affixing your signature at the bottom of the six-point agreed protocol that I had myself signed as a witness and guarantor in the name of the European Union. President Medvedev yesterday assured me that your signature would lead to the withdrawal of Russian forces pursuant to the accord concluded. I ask that you accept, Mister President, the assurance of my highest consideration. s/s Nicolas Sarkozy End text. ¶9. (U) Begin text of supplementary paragraphs attached to August 14 Sarkozy letter to Saakashvili: -- In the letter accompanying the cease-fire document, the mentioned territory is defined as in the immediate proximity of the zone of conflict, as defined by previous agreements, to the exclusion of any other part of Georgian territory. Any measure referred to in this document shall be implemented within an area not further than a few kilometers, around Tskhinvali within the zone of conflict. -- In no way can these measures limit or jeopardize freedom of movement and traffic along the length of the major highways and railways of Georgia. -- Other aspects of the conflict resolution process will be discussed in the near future. End text. RICE