Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
08TBILISI388
2008-03-07 14:49:00
UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY
Embassy Tbilisi
Cable title:  

GEORGIA STRONGLY PROTESTS RUSSIA'S WITHDRAWAL FROM

Tags:  PREL PGOV GG 
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RUEHLZ RUEHPOD RUEHROV RUEHSR RUEHVK RUEHYG
DE RUEHSI #0388/01 0671449
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 071449Z MAR 08
FM AMEMBASSY TBILISI
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 9046
INFO RUEHZL/EUROPEAN POLITICAL COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 TBILISI 000388 

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DEPT. FOR EUR/CARC

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PREL PGOV GG
SUBJECT: GEORGIA STRONGLY PROTESTS RUSSIA'S WITHDRAWAL FROM
CIS SANCTIONS ON ABKHAZIA

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 TBILISI 000388

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SENSITIVE

DEPT. FOR EUR/CARC

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PREL PGOV GG
SUBJECT: GEORGIA STRONGLY PROTESTS RUSSIA'S WITHDRAWAL FROM
CIS SANCTIONS ON ABKHAZIA


1. (SBU) Summary: On the evening of March 6, President
Saakashvili told the Ambassador that Russia had unilaterally
announced its withdrawal from the 1996 Decision by CIS member
states to impose sanctions against Abkhazia. Saakashvili
condemned the action, which he believed would lead to the
Russian annexation of Abkhazia. Georgian officials also
reacted strongly publicly. Foreign Minister Bakradze called
Russia's decision "illegal and very dangerous" and Speaker of
Parliament Burjanadze characterized it as "unacceptable."
Minister for Reintegration Yakobashvili, speaking at a March
7 meeting with the Group of Friends of the Secretary General,
reaffirmed Georgia's support for the proposals for economic
development of Abkhazia that he presented at the recent Group
of Friends meeting in Geneva, but said Russia could no longer
be considered by anyone to be an honest broker in Abkhazia.
Also on March 7, the Georgian MFA released a statement
accusing Russia of infringing on Georgia's sovereignty and
territorial integrity. While the media has focused on the
economic impact of the removal of sanctions, the 1996
Decision also explicitly prohibits many other linkages to
Abkhazia including the sale or transfer of military equipment
to Abkhazia and the establishment of official diplomatic or
representational offices in Abkhazia. End summary.

Georgian government deeply concerned about Russian withdrawal
-------------- --------------


2. (SBU) On the evening of March 6, President Saakashvili
called the Ambassador to tell him that the Russians had
formally announced their withdrawal from the 1996 Decision by
CIS member states to impose sanctions on Abkhazia. He also
told the Ambassador that his military experts had informed
him that the Russian PKF were digging trenches in the Abkhaz
conflict zone, which suggested that they were preparing for
reinforcements. Saakashvili said the Georgians are viewing
these actions with grave concern and feared they might
precipitate a crisis. Following his conversation with
Saakashvili, the Ambassador spoke with Special Representative
of the Secretary General, Jean Arnault, who expressed alarm
at the Russian actions, noting that the 1996 Decision not
only applied to economic activities but military supplies and

equipment as well. He told the Ambassador that UNOMIG has
been monitoring the trench digging and would provide an
update. On March 7, a UNOMIG official played down the issue
of the trenches, noting that their patrols have seen Abkhaz,
not the Russian PKF, doing maintenance work on existing
positions with the exception of one position. He did not
believe that the trench digging constituted a violation of
the 1994 Moscow Cease Fire Agreement.


3. (SBU) Other Georgian government officials also reacted
strongly to the Russian decision. Deputy Minister for
Reintegration Ruslan Abashidze told us on March 7 that the
Russian Foreign Ministry statement calling for the
establishment of transport, economic and social links with
Abkhazia sounds like establishing links between two
independent states, despite Russian claims that its action
was not a violation of Georgian sovereignty. He said Russia
had no legal right to unilaterally pull out of a decision by
the CIS Council of Heads of State. Abashidze speculated that
the Georgian government might reconsider its position on the
CIS peacekeeping mandate, adding that it was clear that
Russia was a side in the conflict. He also noted that Russia
was reportedly asking other CIS members to take the same
steps with regard to the Decision. Publicly, both Foreign
Minister Bakradze and Speaker Burjanadze strongly condemned
Russia's decision. In a statement to the media, Bakradze
called the decision "illegal and very dangerous" and warned
that it would move Georgia-Russian relations to "a totally
new dimension and Russia will bear the full responsibility
for it." Burjanadze, speaking to the media in Brussels,
echoed Bakradze's comments, calling Russia's decision
"unacceptable."

Yakobashvili: Russia no longer an 'honest broker' in Abkhazia
-------------- --------------


4. (SBU) At a March 7 meeting with the Group of Friends
(including Russia),Minister for Reintegration Yakobashvili
called the Russian MFA statement declaring Russia's
withdrawal from the 1996 Decision to be "hostile" and
"destructive," and said the reasons justifying the decision
were simply not true. He said there has been no UNSC
Resolution or Group of Friends decision that would remotely
justify the Russian decision and he asked the western Friends
to condemn the Russian MFA statement. The Georgian
government particularly does not understand why Russia wants
to open the possibility of arms exports to Abkhazia, he said,
and argued that this demonstrates that Russia could no longer

TBILISI 00000388 002 OF 002


be considered by anyone to be an honest broker in Abkhazia.
They are a "side" to the conflict, he said, and Georgia will
consider them as such. At the same time, Yakobashvili
emphasized that the Georgian government would continue to
support the economic development proposals that he presented
at the recent Group of Friends meeting in Geneva. (Note:
These proposals encourage development in Abkhazia through
Abkhaz-Georgian cooperation rather than lifting sanctions,
which the Georgians believe ultimately support desires for
Abkhaz independence rather than peaceful reintegration within
Georgia. End note). Georgia is ready to begin joint police
patrols of Gali with the Abkhaz, he said, and for the
resumption of the Quadripartite meetings between the sides.
He noted that the recent release of Georgian journalists
after extensive talks between Georgian and Abkhaz officials
showed that both sides can work together, quietly, "below the
press radar."

CIS Sanctions not only economic, but military, political
-------------- --------------


5. (U) While the media, and the Russians themselves, have
emphasized the economic and social impact of lifting the
sanctions, the 1996 Decision clearly lists a far broader
range of prohibited activities than have been reported
publicly, including:

-- a prohibition of all CIS member states to sell or supply
arms, military equipment of all types, spare parts,
ammunitions, military vehicles and equipment by their
citizens or from their respective territories, or through
their ships and aircraft to the conflict zone;

-- a prohibition of any technical consultations, assistance
or services in the field of staff training or on other issues
relating to military arms and equipment to the Abkhaz side;

-- a mandate to prevent enlisting in the service of military
forces of the CIS member-states the citizens permanently
residing in the territories under the control of the Abkhaz
side;

-- an article calling on CIS member states to prevent the
recruitment of their citizens and their detachment to the
conflict zone for participation in the activity of any armed
formations;

-- a prohibition against the functioning of representatives
of the authorities of the Abkhaz side in CIS member state
territory and against any official CIS member state
representative serving in an official capacity in Abkhazia.


Comment
--------------


6. (SBU) The Russian decision to withdraw from the 1996 CIS
Decision, while not completely unexpected, has only served to
inflame Georgian fears of a "creeping annexation" of Abkhazia
by Russia. Russia already heavily invests in both conflict
zones despite the decisions. Still, the formal lifting of
the sanctions by Russia will not only open up the possibility
of increased economic activity between Abkhazia and Russia -
particularly important for Russia as it prepares for the 2014
Winter Olympics in neighboring Sochi - but also the potential
for closer diplomatic, and possibly military, cooperation
between the two sides, which would only exacerbate tensions
in the volatile region. Interestingly, Russian Lieutenant
General Valery Yevnevich was quoted March 6 saying that the
all-Russian CIS peacekeeping force would not withdraw from
the Abkhaz conflict zone unless instructed to do so by the
CIS Council of Heads of State, which gave the peacekeepers
their mandate. The Georgians are likely to ask why, if
Russia can unilaterally pull out of a CIS decision on
sanctions, they cannot renounce the CIS mandate for
peacekeeping.

TEFFT