GEORGIA: REJECTING RUSSIAN RECOGNITION OF SOUTH

C O N F I D E N T I A L YAOUNDE 000879 SIPDIS DEPT FOR AF/C AND EUR/RUS E.O. 12958: DECL: 09/12/2018 TAGS: CM GG PGOV PREL RU SUBJECT: GEORGIA: REJECTING RUSSIAN RECOGNITION OF SOUTH OSSETIA AND ABKHAZIA AS INDEPENDENT STATES REF: SECSTATE 91894 Classified By: Poloff Tad Brown for reasons 1.4 b and d. ¶1. (C) Poloff met September 11 with Sebastien Foumane, the Secretary General at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, to deliver reftel demarche. Foumane, who had just returned from an official visit to Moscow, said the Government of Russia had not yet approached the Government of Cameroon (GRC) regarding the status of South Ossetia. Foumane was not willing to commit the GRC to a particular decision, but he did emphasize that the GRC would make any such decision "based on respect for international law." ¶2. (C) Comment: Post assesses as extremely unlikely the chance that the GRC would recognize South Ossetia in the current environment. The GRC is still focused on protecting its own territorial integrity and is unlikely to want to encourage a precedent. Additionally, the GRC would not take a leadership role on this issue, especially one that would be at odds with USG and EU policy. End comment. GARVEY