A/S FRIED'S JULY 29 MEETING WITH UN

C O N F I D E N T I A L USUN NEW YORK 000682

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 07/29/2018
TAGS: PREL PGOV UN UNMIK UNOMIG CY GG MK
SUBJECT: A/S FRIED'S JULY 29 MEETING WITH UN
UNDER-SECRETARY-GENERAL LYNN PASCOE ON CYPRUS, GEORGIA,
KOSOVO, AND MACEDONIA

Classified By: Ambassador Alejandro D. Wolff for reasons 1.4 b and d.


1. (C) Summary: EUR Assistant Secretary Fried told
Under-Secretary General Pascoe July 29 that the Russians have
slowed negotiations to stabilize the Abkhazia situation on
basis of the German-drafted Friends of Georgia paper and
there is a real possibility of an outbreak of hostilities.
Pascoe said the Secretary-General would soon name a Belgian
(Verbeke) to be his new Special Representative in Georgia.
Fried and Pascoe agreed that the UN-EU transition in Kosovo
should be rapid. Pascoe noted that the UN's new envoy in
Cyprus was selected for his political skill and noted that
the UN would be happy to work with a U.S. envoy should one be
named. Fried reviewed the Macedonia name change issue and
noted that the two parties are not very far apart, hostile
rhetoric notwithstanding. If the political will could be
found, a solution was possible soon. End summary.

Georgia
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2. (C) EUR Assistant Secretary Fried provided UN
Under-Secretary-General Lynn Pascoe with a briefing on
current efforts to accelerate negotiations to stabilize and
ultimately resolve the situation in Abkhazia. The Western
"Friends" (U.S., UK, France, Germany) had agreed on July 22
to convene a Political Directors' level meeting in Berlin on
July 31-August 1 to find a way ahead based on the
German-drafted "Friends of Georgia" paper, including its
proposed Phase One "non-use of force" pledge and other
security measures (which could be based on some of the ideas
Secretary Rice and Georgian President Saakashvili discussed
during her visit to Tbilisi). But Russian and Abkhaz
reluctance has stalled the process. The meeting has been
postponed until the end of August. A/S Fried noted his
concern about a possible outbreak of hostilities in the
region, given the two parties' propensity to provoke each
other and Russia's habit of military attacks on Georgian
assets. He noted that the Secretary may decide to take up
the issue at the Ministerial level during UNGA. Pascoe asked
why the UN had not been invited to Berlin; Fried replied that
the USG would be happy to have the UN attend and we had told
the Georgians and Germans so. Fried recommended that the UN
speak with the Germans.


3. (C) Pascoe said the Secretary General will likely name
former Belgian Permanent Representative Johan Verbeke to be
the new Special Representative of the Secretary-General
(SRSG) in Georgia to replace SRSG Jean Arnaud. (Note:
Verbeke had been assigned to be SRSG in Lebanon but was
recalled after threats were issued against him personally by
a local al-Qaida-affiliated group stemming from his
chairmanship of the UNSC 1267 Sanctions Committee. End note)
Pascoe noted that Verbeke's main defect is he does not speak
Russian. However he will have a higher profile and will not
hesitate to call each of the sides on their missteps.

Kosovo
--------------


4. (C) A/S Fried raised the still-stalled UNMIK-EULEC
reconfiguration in Kosovo and expressed frustration with lack
of an agreement to date, although he did note that the
decision to start the clock ticking was a good sign. Pascoe
blamed the EU for the difficulties in concluding the talks
(e.g., the EU is claiming it cannot take over without
adequate office space even though the UN has already vacated
its offices for the EU mission). Fried emphasized that the
EU and UN negotiators need to be instructed to close, and
that the UNMIK and EULEX teams on the ground need to make
"local deals and get going" on the actual reconfiguration and
process of projecting EULEC into the north. Pascoe
emphasized that the Secretary-General has ordered a fast
hand-over and that he has not heard even the slightest
indication that any UN staff are trying to do otherwise.

Cyprus
--------------

5. (C) U-S/G Pascoe noted that UN Special Adviser in Cyprus
Alexander Downer was specifically selected for his political
background to help the two parties face the difficult
political choices ahead of them and not to construct the
terms of an agreement which are already broadly known.
Pascoe told Fried that a U.S. envoy on Cyprus could be
helpful if s/he were to keep in touch with Ankara and
Brussels, bring in senior State Department officials when
needed, and also speak with the Greek-American community and
keep them from blocking progress. Pascoe stated that the UN
would be happy to work with such an envoy.

Macedonia Name Issue
--------------




6. (C) A/S Fried raised the Macedonia name issue and noted
that the two parties are not far apart, despite the up tick
in political posturing on both sides. The problem was
political will on both sides. Pascoe agreed with the
assessment. Fried noted that the Macedonians could test the
Greeks by accepting a name change. In any event, Fried said,
the U.S. supported UN envoy on the name issue Matt Nimetz,
with whom he was in contact.
Khalilzad