Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
09STATE43165
2009-04-29 12:34:00
UNCLASSIFIED
Secretary of State
Cable title:
OSCE PERMANENT COUNCIL: RESPONSE TO SPECIAL
how-toVZCZCXRO1969 PP RUEHAST RUEHDBU RUEHFL RUEHLA RUEHMRE RUEHPOD RUEHROV RUEHSK RUEHSR DE RUEHC #3165/01 1191253 ZNR UUUUU ZZH P R 291234Z APR 09 FM SECSTATE WASHDC TO RUEHVEN/USMISSION USOSCE PRIORITY 9888 INFO ORG FOR SECURITY CO OP IN EUR COLLECTIVE
UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 STATE 043165
SIPDIS
E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: GG MO OSCE PGOV PREL
SUBJECT: OSCE PERMANENT COUNCIL: RESPONSE TO SPECIAL
REPRESENTATIVE CHRISTOPOULOS
UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 STATE 043165
SIPDIS
E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: GG MO OSCE PGOV PREL
SUBJECT: OSCE PERMANENT COUNCIL: RESPONSE TO SPECIAL
REPRESENTATIVE CHRISTOPOULOS
1. Post is authorized to make the following statement at the
April 30 Permanent Council meeting in Vienna:
Begin text:
Thank you, Madam Chairwoman.
It is a pleasure to welcome you to today,s meeting,
Ambassador Christopoulos. We appreciate your ongoing efforts
to facilitate long-term, peaceful resolutions to the
protracted conflicts in Georgia and Moldova, and thank you
for your informative report today.
The United States particularly appreciates your efforts )
and those of EU Special Representative Morel and UN Special
Representative Verbeke ) to coordinate the Geneva
discussions on security and stability arrangements in the
South Ossetian and Abkhaz regions of Georgia. We welcome the
decision to hold the next round of Geneva discussions on May
18 and 19, and hope they will contribute positively to
reducing tensions in the region and to furthering
implementation of the August 12 and September 8 agreements.
In particular, we look forward to concrete progress being
made on the urgent problem of achieving the free and
unhindered flow of humanitarian access to the South Ossetian
region of Georgia.
We also look forward to the good-faith implementation of the
incident prevention and response mechanisms agreed in Geneva.
We welcome the incremental progress made at the April 23
meeting of the mechanism for the South Ossetian region, and
expect to see discussion of concrete incidents, including the
repeated killings of Georgian police officers and the
detentions by South Ossetian de facto authorities of OSCE
military monitoring officers.
We strongly urge all parties to meet regularly with
international monitors to address continuing security
incidents and prevent them from escalating into wider
conflicts. We also call on all parties to allow for joint
visits, together with international monitors, to the sites of
incidents. We urge all parties to make these mechanisms
fully operational as soon as possible.
Access for international monitors to the South Ossetian and
Abkhaz regions of Georgia remains critical. Together with
international monitors, the incident prevention and response
mechanisms can help deter violence, ensure the safety and
protection of civilians, promote human rights, and further
the implementation of the August 12 and September 8
agreements. We repeat our call for Russia to ensure respect
for human rights is upheld and international humanitarian law
is observed in those areas of Georgia controlled by Russian
military forces.
Like other delegations, the United States continues to
believe a robust OSCE presence can play a critical role in
restoring stability in Georgia. We believe the
Chairmanship,s April 8 draft decision on an Office in
Tbilisi and an OSCE monitoring operation provides a good
basis for agreement, precisely because it skillfully avoids
the divisive issues of status and focuses on practical
arrangements that would allow the OSCE to support the Geneva
process and contribute positively to conflict resolution
efforts. We urge all delegations to work with the
Chairmanship in a spirit of good will and collaboration to
reach swift agreement on the basis of this proposal, and to
refrain from reinserting contentious issues that prejudge
status disputes.
The United States remains committed to finding a peaceful
resolution to the conflicts in Georgia, and will continue to
support Georgia,s sovereignty, independence, and territorial
integrity within its internationally recognized borders.
The United States likewise remains committed to the
long-term, peaceful resolution of the Transnistria conflict
in Moldova. We commend your efforts, Ambassador
Christopoulos, to work with the OSCE Mission to Moldova to
encourage direct contacts between the Sides and to facilitate
working groups, efforts to identify confidence-building
measures.
We continue to urge the quick resumption of formal
negotiations in the 5 2 format, which remains the only
internationally accepted mechanism for reaching a negotiated
settlement to the conflict. We hope these talks will focus
STATE 00043165 002 OF 002
on substantive issues, including the determination of
Transnistria,s status within Moldova,s internationally
recognized borders and the presence of foreign forces in
Moldova without host nation consent.
Madame Chairwoman, there is a lot of discussion these days
about taking a renewed look at European Security
Architecture. As Ambassador Christopoulos,s excellent
report amply demonstrates, if we can,t address and resolve
these persistent and outstanding conflicts we will be
unlikely to make any genuine headway on a Europe that is more
secure and at peace. Progress on these conflicts, including
on the current issues I have just outlined, would help
restore trust and confidence and facilitate any discussion of
European security.
Ambassador Christopoulos, thank you again for speaking to us
today. We wish you all the best in your work.
Thank you, Madam Chairwoman.
CLINTON
SIPDIS
E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: GG MO OSCE PGOV PREL
SUBJECT: OSCE PERMANENT COUNCIL: RESPONSE TO SPECIAL
REPRESENTATIVE CHRISTOPOULOS
1. Post is authorized to make the following statement at the
April 30 Permanent Council meeting in Vienna:
Begin text:
Thank you, Madam Chairwoman.
It is a pleasure to welcome you to today,s meeting,
Ambassador Christopoulos. We appreciate your ongoing efforts
to facilitate long-term, peaceful resolutions to the
protracted conflicts in Georgia and Moldova, and thank you
for your informative report today.
The United States particularly appreciates your efforts )
and those of EU Special Representative Morel and UN Special
Representative Verbeke ) to coordinate the Geneva
discussions on security and stability arrangements in the
South Ossetian and Abkhaz regions of Georgia. We welcome the
decision to hold the next round of Geneva discussions on May
18 and 19, and hope they will contribute positively to
reducing tensions in the region and to furthering
implementation of the August 12 and September 8 agreements.
In particular, we look forward to concrete progress being
made on the urgent problem of achieving the free and
unhindered flow of humanitarian access to the South Ossetian
region of Georgia.
We also look forward to the good-faith implementation of the
incident prevention and response mechanisms agreed in Geneva.
We welcome the incremental progress made at the April 23
meeting of the mechanism for the South Ossetian region, and
expect to see discussion of concrete incidents, including the
repeated killings of Georgian police officers and the
detentions by South Ossetian de facto authorities of OSCE
military monitoring officers.
We strongly urge all parties to meet regularly with
international monitors to address continuing security
incidents and prevent them from escalating into wider
conflicts. We also call on all parties to allow for joint
visits, together with international monitors, to the sites of
incidents. We urge all parties to make these mechanisms
fully operational as soon as possible.
Access for international monitors to the South Ossetian and
Abkhaz regions of Georgia remains critical. Together with
international monitors, the incident prevention and response
mechanisms can help deter violence, ensure the safety and
protection of civilians, promote human rights, and further
the implementation of the August 12 and September 8
agreements. We repeat our call for Russia to ensure respect
for human rights is upheld and international humanitarian law
is observed in those areas of Georgia controlled by Russian
military forces.
Like other delegations, the United States continues to
believe a robust OSCE presence can play a critical role in
restoring stability in Georgia. We believe the
Chairmanship,s April 8 draft decision on an Office in
Tbilisi and an OSCE monitoring operation provides a good
basis for agreement, precisely because it skillfully avoids
the divisive issues of status and focuses on practical
arrangements that would allow the OSCE to support the Geneva
process and contribute positively to conflict resolution
efforts. We urge all delegations to work with the
Chairmanship in a spirit of good will and collaboration to
reach swift agreement on the basis of this proposal, and to
refrain from reinserting contentious issues that prejudge
status disputes.
The United States remains committed to finding a peaceful
resolution to the conflicts in Georgia, and will continue to
support Georgia,s sovereignty, independence, and territorial
integrity within its internationally recognized borders.
The United States likewise remains committed to the
long-term, peaceful resolution of the Transnistria conflict
in Moldova. We commend your efforts, Ambassador
Christopoulos, to work with the OSCE Mission to Moldova to
encourage direct contacts between the Sides and to facilitate
working groups, efforts to identify confidence-building
measures.
We continue to urge the quick resumption of formal
negotiations in the 5 2 format, which remains the only
internationally accepted mechanism for reaching a negotiated
settlement to the conflict. We hope these talks will focus
STATE 00043165 002 OF 002
on substantive issues, including the determination of
Transnistria,s status within Moldova,s internationally
recognized borders and the presence of foreign forces in
Moldova without host nation consent.
Madame Chairwoman, there is a lot of discussion these days
about taking a renewed look at European Security
Architecture. As Ambassador Christopoulos,s excellent
report amply demonstrates, if we can,t address and resolve
these persistent and outstanding conflicts we will be
unlikely to make any genuine headway on a Europe that is more
secure and at peace. Progress on these conflicts, including
on the current issues I have just outlined, would help
restore trust and confidence and facilitate any discussion of
European security.
Ambassador Christopoulos, thank you again for speaking to us
today. We wish you all the best in your work.
Thank you, Madam Chairwoman.
CLINTON