GEORGIA: GUIDANCE REQUESTED ON REMOVAL OF

C O N F I D E N T I A L TBILISI 002085

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 09/24/2018
TAGS: KNNP PARM PGOV PREL GG GR
SUBJECT: GEORGIA: GUIDANCE REQUESTED ON REMOVAL OF
RADIOACTIVE SOURCES FROM SUKHUMI

REF: A. STATE 117568

B. 07 STATE 170386

C. 07 TBILISI 2088

D. 07 TBILISI 1240

E. 07 TBILISI 846

F. 07 STATE 4780

G. 06 STATE 186211

H. 06 TBILISI 2931

Classified By: Charge d'Affaires a.i. Kent Logsdon for Reasons 1.4 (b)
and (d).


1. (U) This is an action request. Please see paragraph 5.


2. (C) Summary and Comment: In spite of the August conflict
and loss of official Georgian access to the Abkhazia
separatist region, MFA officials continue to seek U.S.
assistance to develop a plan to remove four high-level
radioactive sources which remain in an inadequately secured
facility in Sukhumi in the territory of Abkhazia, Georgia.
Agreements between the governments of Russia and Georgia
stalled in 2007, and previous approaches have now been
overtaken by the events of August 2008, when the Russian
Federation invaded Georgia and subsequently recognized the
territories of Abkhazia and South Ossetia as independent
states. Because neither the Government of Georgia nor the
USG currently has access to Abkhazia, the way forward is not
clear. The use of a middleman, such as the IAEA, will likely
be necessary; another direct USG approach to Russia is also a
possibility.

PREVIOUS PLANS FOR REMOVAL DISRUPTED


3. (C) For more than two years, Post has sought to facilitate
the removal of four high-level radioactive sources from
Sukhumi due to inadequate security. Although an agreement in
principle was obtained in 2006 to remove the sources to a
U.S.-funded storage facility in Mtskheta, this process later
stalled when Abkhaz de facto authorities said that the
director of the Russian Federal Atomic Energy Agency
(ROSATOM) had agreed to fund a storage facility in Abkhazia.
The ROSATOM director later informed Embassy Moscow that
ROSATOM had not in fact agreed to this, but would remove the
sources to the Russian Federation at its own expense, rather
than leave them in Georgia. Embassy Moscow demarched the
Russians in 2007, encouraging them to officially propose the
removal of the high-level radioactive sources to the Russian
Federation to the Georgians through a formal letter (ref B).
It appears that such a letter was never delivered to the
Government of Georgia, but, regardless, this approach has now
been overtaken by the events of August 2008. For full
background details, see refs B and C.

GEORGIAN OFFICIAL EXPRESSES CONCERN


4. (C) In a meeting in September 2008 with PolOff and on the
margins of the Nuclear Smuggling Outreach Initiative (NSOI)
meeting on October 16, Nikoloz Rtveliashvili, Director,
Security Policy and Euro-Atlantic Integration Department,
MFA, queried U.S. officials on the status of the removal
process and plans for moving forward. Rtveliashvili
indicated that Georgia seeks resolution of the issue, and he
sought U.S. guidance. He will likely seek a reply during a
November 19 meeting between NSOI and Georgian
non-proliferation experts.


5. (U) Action Request. Post seeks guidance on how to respond
to the Georgia query in preparation for the November 19
meeting. Embassy POC for this issue is Nicole O,Brien,
Political/Economic Officer.
LOGSDON