Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
08TBILISI277
2008-02-19 10:28:00
CONFIDENTIAL
Embassy Tbilisi
Cable title:  

GEORGIA RESPONDS TO KOSOVO'S INDEPENDENCE

Tags:  PREL PGOV PHUM KDEM GG RU 
pdf how-to read a cable
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PP RUEHFL RUEHKW RUEHLA RUEHROV RUEHSR
DE RUEHSI #0277/01 0501028
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
P 191028Z FEB 08
FM AMEMBASSY TBILISI
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 8905
INFO RUEHZL/EUROPEAN POLITICAL COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 TBILISI 000277 

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

DEPT FOR EUR DAS BRYZA AND EUR/CARC

E.O. 12958: DECL: 02/13/2018
TAGS: PREL PGOV PHUM KDEM GG RU
SUBJECT: GEORGIA RESPONDS TO KOSOVO'S INDEPENDENCE

Classified By: Ambassador John F. Tefft for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d).

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 TBILISI 000277

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

DEPT FOR EUR DAS BRYZA AND EUR/CARC

E.O. 12958: DECL: 02/13/2018
TAGS: PREL PGOV PHUM KDEM GG RU
SUBJECT: GEORGIA RESPONDS TO KOSOVO'S INDEPENDENCE

Classified By: Ambassador John F. Tefft for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d).


1. (SBU) Summary: Following Kosovo's unilateral declaration
of independence on February 17, most Georgian leaders, from
President Saakashvili to the Patriarch, stated publicly that
Kosovo does not constitute a precedent that can be followed
by other breakaway regions, including Abkhazia and South
Ossetia. All voices warned Moscow against taking advantage
of the situation in the conflict regions. No public calls
were made to recognize Kosovo's independence. The opposition
demanded the government not recognize Kosovo, adding this
item to other demands on the government. FM David Bakradze
advised the Ambassador that Georgia fears Russia may begin a
"devastating creeping annexation" of Abkhazia and South
Ossetia. One hour after Secretary Rice's press release from
the Department on February 18, Embassy Tbilisi released its
statement on Kosovo. End Summary.

--------------
Kosovo no Precedent, Russia Warned
--------------


2. (U) Georgian leaders were united in opposing Kosovo as a
precedent for recognition of Abkhazian and South Ossetian
independence:

-- President Saakashvili stated that he will give an "active
response" to any steps toward recognition of Abkhazian and
South Ossetian independence following the situation in
Kosovo. He said, "I want our people and the international
community to understand that we have the power" to respond to
any such recognition in this context. Saakashvili continued,
"We shall eradicate any provocation, therefore we do not
advise anyone to exacerbate relations with us in the issue of
Georgian territorial integrity. We want to resolve all
issues peacefully -- we do not need any unrest now -- but
Georgia will not step back."

-- In a sermon on February 17, Patriarch Ilia II of the
Georgian Orthodox Church slammed Russia's rhetoric regarding
Abkhazia and South Ossetia. He said, "Everyone in Georgia is
united on this issue. Georgia has been and should remain a

unified state. I have told the Russian authorities several
times that separatism is like a transmittable disease and
everyone should remember this."

-- Speaker of the Parliament Nino Burjanadze said that Kosovo
cannot serve as a precedent for the Georgian conflict areas,
because "there was ethnic cleansing and genocide in Kosovo."
Any comparison is "groundless and unacceptable." She added
that Russia should be aware that its actions would backfire,
damaging its own interests.

-- On February 18, MP Giga Bokeria, an influential
Saakashvili insider, said "Georgia has no plans to recognize
Kosovo's independence." Senior MPs from the majority party
concurred with Bokeria's statement.

--------------
Opposition Calls for No Recognition
--------------


3. (U) The United National Council of Opposition (UNC),and
the opposition New Rightists and Labor parties, also jointly
demanded the government refuse to recognize Kosovo's
independence on February 18. UNC leader Levan Gachechiladze
said Georgian recognition of Kosovo's independence "would be
disastrous for Georgia." This consensus view was added to 17
other pending UNC demands of the government (regarding
parliamentary elections),driving this issue into internal
Georgian politics. The UNC also said that should the U.S.
request Georgia recognize Kosovo in exchange for Georgia's
membership in NATO, the request should be denied. UNC leader
Kakha Kukava said Abkhazia and South Ossetia are "priceless."
He continued, "If Russia recognizes Abkhazia's independence,
hostilities will start in Georgia as well. It makes no
difference who will be the first to start."

--------------
FM Bakradze and Ambassador Speak
--------------


4. (C) On February 18, the Ambassador spoke with FM David
Bakradze and told him Embassy Tbilisi would issue a statement
following Secretary Rice's statement on Kosovo. In light of
Russian comments regarding their relations with the conflict
regions, Bakradze told the Ambassador that Georgia fears
Russia may begin a "creeping annexation" of Abkhazia and
South Ossetia. Bakradze said this approach would avoid an
immediate Russian "blowup" with the West and Georgia, but it
could be "equally devastating for Georgia."

TBILISI 00000277 002 OF 002



--------------
Embassy Tbilisi Statement on Kosovo
--------------


5. (U) At local time 2145, approximately one hour after
Secretary Rice's statement on Kosovo was released, Embassy

SIPDIS
Tbilisi released the following Statement on Kosovo:

Today the United States recognized the independence of
Kosovo. The United States has long held that each separatist
conflict anywhere in the world is unique. Indeed, the
situation in Kosovo is a special case and does not serve as a
precedent for other regions, including the Abkhazia and South
Ossetia regions of Georgia.

The unusual combination of factors involved in Kosovo
includes a specific UN Security Council Resolution
envisioning a status process and an extended period of
transitional UN administration. UNSC Resolution 1244 was
intended to help determine Kosovo's future status through a
political process that contemplated the possibility of
independence. This makes the Kosovo case fundamentally
different from all other existing cases.

In sharp contrast, UN Security Council Resolutions on Georgia
that have been issued on a regular basis since 1993,
including most recently UNSCR 1781 of October 2007, reaffirm
the commitment of the United States, Russia, the United
Kingdom, France, China, and all Security Council members to
the sovereignty, independence, and territorial integrity of
Georgia within its internationally recognized borders. The
United States reasserts the importance of resolving the
Abkhazia and South Ossetia conflicts through peaceful
negotiations and within a unified Georgia in accordance with
the above principles.

In the wake of these latest developments in Kosovo, we call
on all members of the international community to avoid any
public statements that could undermine the chances for
peaceful, negotiated settlements of the Abkhazia and South
Ossetia conflicts. Any attempt to resolve these conflicts
other than through a negotiated compromise risks undermining
peace and stability throughout the Caucasus. Instead, we
urge all state to reaffirm their support for Georgia's
sovereignty and territorial integrity within its
internationally recognized borders, consistent with the
repeated resolutions of the UN Security Council.
TEFFT