TBILISI EMERGENCY ACTION COMMITTEE MEETING - APRIL

UNCLAS TBILISI 000692 SIPDIS DEPT FOR DS/IP/EUR, DS/IP/ITA; YEREVAN, BAKU, AND ANKARA FOR RSO E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: ASEC GG SUBJECT: TBILISI EMERGENCY ACTION COMMITTEE MEETING - APRIL 22, 2008 SENSITIVE BUT UNCLASSIFIED - PLEASE PROTECT ACCORDINGLY ¶1. (SBU) Tensions have increased during the past couple of weeks due to Russian provocative actions toward Georgia. In particular, the Russian President has directed ministries to begin working with de facto authorities in the separatist regions of Abkhazia and South Ossetia in violation of Georgian sovereignty and territorial integrity. On April 20, a Georgian unmanned aerial reconnaissance aircraft was shot down in Georgian airspace over Abkhazia, and Georgia has publicly accused Russia of military aggression. ¶2. (SBU) On April 22, 2008 the Emergency Action Committee (EAC) convened to discuss the situation. DCM, RSO, MSG, DAO, MGT, PC, USAID, POL/MIL, POL/ECON, IMO, CONS, and PAO were in attendance. ¶3. (SBU) Although it was acknowledged that the recent incidents increase the potential for drawdown, it was agreed that no imminent larger scale conflict is likely in the short term. However, given the potential for escalation or retaliation, the EAC decided to hold weekly EAC meetings, review the Georgian-Russian conflict tripwires for sufficiency, and begin other sensible preparations in case of a drawdown or evacuation. ¶4. (SBU) It was also mentioned that the quarterly update of the EAP is under way, and that we need to coordinate with US Embassy Yerevan regarding the logistics of an evacuation to Armenia if the need arises. While the Sadaklo border crossing into Armenia is the closest to Tbilisi, the EAC determined that the border crossing near Dimenisi should be visited and evaluated as an alternative. TEFFT