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).

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Incident Prevention Mechanism
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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."

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OSCE in South Ossetia
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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