GEORGIA: SITREP 24: GEORGIANS WELCOME VICE

C O N F I D E N T I A L TBILISI 001513

SIPDIS

DEPT FOR EUR/CARC

E.O. 12958: DECL: 09/04/2018
TAGS: PGOV PREL PHUM RU GG
SUBJECT: GEORGIA: SITREP 24: GEORGIANS WELCOME VICE
PRESIDENT CHENEY AND U.S. AID

REF: A. TBILISI 1506

B. TBILISI 1496

C. TBILISI 1482

D. TBILISI 1474

Classified By: AMBASSADOR JOHN F. TEFFT FOR REASONS 1.4 (B) AND (D)


1. (C) Summary. President Saakashvili warmly welcomed Vice
President Cheney to Georgia, with the visit receiving
extensive local coverage. The September 3 announcement of a
one-billion-dollar U.S. aid package was also well received,
with some calling it a Marshall Plan for Georgia. The OSCE
was refused access to Akhalgori for the first time September

4. Some experts question the extent of mining of Georgian
bases in the west. The Russian Embassy has stopped
operating, but Ambassador Kovalenko remains in Tbilisi. End
Summary.

THE VICE PRESIDENT ARRIVES; AID PACKAGE PRAISED
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2. (U) Almost all the local TV channels covered Vice
President Cheney's visit to Tbilisi, focusing on the joint
statement with President Saakashvili. The Vice President
held a long one-on-one meeting with Saakashvili, followed by
a lunch and then a stop-by at an incoming humanitarian
assistance flight at the airport prior to departure for Kyiv.


3. (U) Washington's announcement of one billion dollars in
assistance for Georgia was praised extensively in the local
press, with some commentators calling it Georgia's "Marshall
Plan." The European parliament's 35-point resolution on the
situation, along with the Budget Committee's proposal to
freeze 60 million euros in assistance to Russia, also
received broad approval in local media. During his September
3 visit to Tbilisi, Italian Foreign Minister Frattini
reportedly offered to mediate between Georgia and Russia,
inviting Presidents Saakashvili and Medvedev to an
international conference in Rome on September 18.

RUSSIAN REFUSE OSCE ACCESS TO AKHALGORI
--------------


4. (C) After another inconclusive meeting with General
Kulakhmetov on access beyond Russian checkpoints on September
3, the OSCE saw a Russian checkpoint refuse one of its
patrols access to Akhalgori on September 4. The Russian
checkpoints south of Akhalgori were established quite
recently and described as temporary measures (see refs C and
D),and the OSCE has not had difficulty passing them in the
past. The OSCE plans to meet with Kulakhmetov again on
September 4 to discuss access to Akhalgori.


5. (SBU) To clarify the numbers reported in ref B, the OSCE
explained that 19 additional monitors have arrived in
Georgia, to bring the current total to 27, with one more
(from Austria) due to arrive shortly. Discussions at senior
levels continue on the modalities for an additional 80.
Local OSCE contacts stressed the importance of including them
under the same mandate as the current group, in order to
avoid difficulties stemming from South Ossetian "authorities"
claiming that the newer monitors are not covered by earlier
agreements and therefore do not enjoy the same level of
access.

CLEANUP CONTINUES, BUT EXTENT OF MINING QUESTIONED
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6. (C) The press reports that demining operations continue in
Vaziani, Poti, Kopitnari and elsewhere. Bombs of sizes 1.5
tons, 1 ton, and 500 kilograms were reportedly found along
the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan pipeline in the vicinity of Vaziani
airport. U.S. partners report that, while extensive mining
has been found in the Gori region, limited mining is evident
so far in such western locations as Senaki and Kutaisi,
despite government claims.

RUSSIAN AMBASSADOR STILL IN TOWN
--------------


7. (U) Although the Russian Embassy has closed all
operations, including consular services, Ambassador Kovalenko
reportedly remains in Tbilisi. At the same time, the press
also reported that consular operations were still available
at the Russian embassy for applicants who had requested
services before September 1.
TEFFT