GERMANY HESITANT ABOUT U.S. ROLE IN EUMM

C O N F I D E N T I A L BERLIN 000869 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 07/17/2019 TAGS: MOPS OSCE PHUM PREL UN GG RS GM EU SUBJECT: GERMANY HESITANT ABOUT U.S. ROLE IN EUMM REF: A. JGIAUQUE EMAIL DATED JULY 16 2009 ¶B. BERLIN 838 Classified By: ACTING POLITICAL MINISTER COUNSELOR STAN OTTO FOR REASON S 1.4 (c) AND (d). ¶1. (C) Poloff followed-up with MFA Deputy Head of Division for the South Caucasus and Central Asia Maria Gosse regarding possible U.S. participation in the EUMM (ref a). Although Germany wishes to keep the U.S. "engaged in Georgia," the MFA is hesitant to accept U.S. involvement in the mission. Currently, Berlin views a U.S. role as "possible but not likely," but has not reached a final decision. The MFA is looking at whether the EUMM really needs U.S. assistance and what such assistance would mean politically. ¶2. (C) First, the MFA would like to see "concrete suggestions" for what role the U.S. would play. Poloff stressed that we are willing to consider a range of options based on the requests of our European allies. The MFA plans to consider feasible options, and the EU will discuss the possibility of U.S. involvement next week. However, the EU has not decided on whether the U.S. should be invited to join the mission, and the MFA would like to know which states approached us before the EU had reached a consensus. ¶3. (C) Second, the MFA finds it a "bit odd" that the U.S. would join the EUMM because third party states normally join when an observer mission lacks people. Hinting that EUMM Head Haber does not support U.S. involvement, Gosse shared that Haber "says he has enough people" and does not see what role the U.S. therefore would play. The majority of the EUMM observers already signed up for an extended tour in Georgia, according to Head of Recruitment for the Center for International Peace Observations Behrendt (ref b). ¶4. (C) Finally, the MFA is leery of the "political implications" of U.S. involvement. Right now, Russia and the two breakaway provinces approve of the EUMM, something the other international missions lacked. The MFA shies away from anything that would "risk" that support. Moreover, Berlin is not convinced that U.S. involvement would help the mission achieve its goals because Russia and the two breakaway provinces likely would be suspicious of U.S. actions. Gosse said that the MFA is considering whether U.S. participation would hurt their trust in EUMM observers as honest brokers. ¶5. (C) COMMENT: Although Gosse stressed that Germany recognizes a need to keep the U.S. involved in Georgia, her portrayal of the MFA's hesitation and her eagerness to find out which states jumped the gun by approaching us suggests that Berlin is not keen on U.S. participation. END COMMENT. Pollard