RUSSIA UPBEAT ON INCIDENT PREVENTION MECHANISM;

C O N F I D E N T I A L MOSCOW 001082 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 04/23/2019 TAGS: PREL PGOV OSCE RS GG SUBJECT: RUSSIA UPBEAT ON INCIDENT PREVENTION MECHANISM; HARDLINE ON OSCE MONITORS REF: MOSCOW 926 Classified By: Pol M/C Alice G. Wells for reasons 1.4(b) and (d). -------------- Incident Prevention Mechanism -------------- ¶1. (C) Russia gave upbeat assessments of the April 23 Incident Prevention Mechanism talks, while showing no flexibility on reaching a compromise over the OSCE mission in Georgia. Tatiana Mazanova from the 4th CIS Georgia Desk told us Russia was "very pleased" with the "successful" outcome of the first meeting of the Joint Incident Prevention Mechanism on April 23. Lt-Gen Sergey Antonov, deputy chief of staff of the Russian ground forces called the launch a "major political event," which "marked a good beginning in terms of providing lasting stability and security" to the area near the administrative border line between Georgia and South Ossetia. He said the effectiveness of the mechanism depended on the "political will and the high professionalism" of the participants, and suggested that the effectiveness of the mechanism might be improved in the future, based on the analysis of the first results of the work of the mechanism. Antonov stressed the mechanism would give special attention to providing "objective information" about incidents, as "peoples' lives" depended on the mechanism's work. ¶2. (C) Others were less positive. Kevin Tait from the EC mission in Moscow reported the EUMM's readout that "no progress was achieved on concrete issues." However, the EUMM welcomed the meeting as a "first step" of a mechanism all considered to be a "necessary format." -------------- OSCE in South Ossetia -------------- ¶3. (C) In talks with visiting German Political Director Volker Stanzel, DFM Karasin April 23 stressed the importance of renewing the OSCE mandate "with due account of the new political reality." Mazanova reiterated that Russia supported the "full participation" of the OSCE in South Ossetia, while insisting on two independent missions in South Ossetia and Georgia proper, reporting separately to Vienna. ¶4. (C) According to Greek embassy Counselor Dimitrios Ioannou, MFA General European Cooperation Director Vladimir Voronkov in talks with Greek Ambassador Spinellis rejected the Greek proposal on the Georgia missions, calling it an unprecedented proposal that one decision should create two missions. Voronkov said Russia would be content if the twenty observers remained in Georgia, without mission offices in either Georgia or South Ossetia. Greece could at best hope for a technical roll-over of the current mission. ¶5. (C) In an April 23 meeting with us, Voronkov charged the OSCE with failing to establish sufficient ties to key players to prevent conflicts. Voronkov said the South Ossetians were willing to discuss the possibility of an OSCE presence in South Ossetia, but reiterated Russia's insistence on two separate missions. Voronkov dismissed the argument that the observers might need to cross the border as a "symbolic issue," appearing to walk back DFM Karasin's more flexible response to the Quad demarche of April 9 (reftel). If compromise was not possible, Voronkov stressed that Russia was prepared for the closing of the OSCE mission. BEYRLE