GEORGIA - ADDITIONAL GUIDANCE ON SECRETARY

C O N F I D E N T I A L STATE 049027 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 05/13/2019 TAGS: UNSC PREL GG SUBJECT: GEORGIA - ADDITIONAL GUIDANCE ON SECRETARY GENERAL'S REPORT REF: USUN 491 Classified By: IO A/S Esther D. Brimmer for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d). ¶1. (C) This is an action request. In response to reftel, the Department requests USUN to continue to engage the UN at the appropriate levels (UN Secretary-General Deputy Chief of Staff, Kim Won-soo, UN SRSG Johan Verbeke, UN Under Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Alain Le Roy, and UN Under Secretary-General for Political Affairs Lynn Pascoe) with regard to the name and content of the upcoming Secretary-General,s report on Georgia. ¶2. (C) The Department understands that despite efforts by USUN in New York, the Secretary-General is considering a change in the name of the report primarily in response to Russian pressure. USUN should continue to push back and urge that the title of the report remain "the Situation in Abkhazia, Georgia." However, in the alternative USUN is authorized to support a title of "the Situation in Georgia," provided that the content of the report makes clear in several places that "Georgia" in the report's title refers to the entire territory of Georgia, including Abkhazia and South Ossetia. The U.S. will not support a title change that undermines Georgian territorial integrity. ¶3. (U) Please contact IO/UNP K.G. Moore, 202-647-0042, moorekg@state.gov for additional background or with questions. CLINTON