Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
09STATE49096
2009-05-13 23:22:00
UNCLASSIFIED
Secretary of State
Cable title:
OSCE PERMANENT COUNCIL: STATEMENT ON OSCE
how-toVZCZCXRO3768 PP RUEHAST RUEHDBU RUEHFL RUEHLA RUEHMRE RUEHPOD RUEHROV RUEHSK RUEHSR DE RUEHC #9096 1332335 ZNR UUUUU ZZH P R 132322Z MAY 09 FM SECSTATE WASHDC TO RUEHVEN/USMISSION USOSCE PRIORITY 0392 INFO ORG FOR SECURITY CO OP IN EUR COLLECTIVE
UNCLAS STATE 049096
SIPDIS
E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: OSCE PREL PGOV GG
SUBJECT: OSCE PERMANENT COUNCIL: STATEMENT ON OSCE
PRESENCE IN GEORGIA
UNCLAS STATE 049096
SIPDIS
E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: OSCE PREL PGOV GG
SUBJECT: OSCE PERMANENT COUNCIL: STATEMENT ON OSCE
PRESENCE IN GEORGIA
1. Post is authorized to deliver the following statement at
the May 14, 2009, Permanent Council meeting in Vienna:
Begin text:
Thank you, Madam Chairwoman.
We commend the Chairmanship,s intensive efforts over the
last four months to ensure a continued OSCE presence in
Georgia, which we and other delegations consider critical to
efforts to restore stability in the region, promote
implementation of OSCE commitments, and contribute to greater
European security. You and your staff worked tirelessly to
find a solution acceptable to all delegations, and we
sincerely appreciate your remarkable dedication and
extraordinary creativity.
The United States strongly supports the Chairmanship,s May 8
draft decision. The proposed OSCE Office in Tbilisi could do
important work in the human, economic, and political-military
dimensions, and continue the OSCE,s long-standing efforts to
build confidence, encourage dialogue, promote respect for
human rights, and improve security. OSCE monitors likewise
could continue to play a key role in reducing tensions in the
region, and in furthering implementation of the August 12 and
September 8 agreements through their observation of events on
the ground, particularly if they are allowed free access to
the South Ossetian region of Georgia.
We believe the Chairmanship,s proposal, crafted through
months of intense negotiations, artfully seeks to avoid the
primary divisive issue and focuses instead on practical
arrangements which would allow the OSCE to continue to
support the jointly-agreed Geneva process and to facilitate
conflict resolution efforts. In our view, the proposal goes
to great lengths to be neutral on the status of the South
Ossetian and Abkhaz regions of Georgia ) something we at
first had a hard time accepting, given the priority we place
on Georgia,s territorial integrity.
Regrettably, the opposition of one participating State this
week has brought us to an impasse. The Russian Federation
rejected the Chairmanship's sound draft proposal, preferring
instead to submit extensive amendments that they knew in
advance were entirely unacceptable to the great majority of
OSCE participating States. This action followed a similar
move at the end of last year, when Russia blocked consensus
on the Finnish Chairman in Office's constructive draft
renewal of the mandate of the OSCE Mission to Georgia,
forcing it to cease many of its operations, and demanding a
rapid move to close out operations, dismiss personnel, and
sell off OSCE assets. At the same time these negotiations
were taking place, Russia established military bases in the
breakaway regions and has now deployed its FSB border guards
to the administrative boundary lines, claiming these
boundaries are now international "borders." These actions
are inconsistent with Russia's declared interest in seeing a
continued OSCE presence in the region, and cast doubt on
Russia,s commitment to ensuring long-term peace and
stability within the territory of a fellow OSCE participating
State and neighbor. They also violate Russia,s commitments
in the 12 August agreement to withdraw Russian troops to
pre-war levels and locations and to allow free or unhindered
humanitarian access to South Ossetia.
The United States sincerely regrets the Russian Federation,s
decision to block this decision. Despite our differences with
Russia over the causes and consequences of last summer,s
conflict, we were and are prepared to work with Russia and
other OSCE participating states in common efforts to
stabilize the situation in Georgia. We sought genuine
compromise, in the belief that a continued OSCE presence in
Georgia would facilitate the international community,s
efforts to build confidence and resolve the protracted
conflicts peacefully. We call one last time for the Russian
Federation to reconsider its response to the Greek
compromise, in the spirit of cooperation, to avoid the
deterioration of a critical security architecture we have
worked so hard over the years to build.
Despite this lamentable development, 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.
Thank you, Madam Chairwoman.
CLINTON
SIPDIS
E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: OSCE PREL PGOV GG
SUBJECT: OSCE PERMANENT COUNCIL: STATEMENT ON OSCE
PRESENCE IN GEORGIA
1. Post is authorized to deliver the following statement at
the May 14, 2009, Permanent Council meeting in Vienna:
Begin text:
Thank you, Madam Chairwoman.
We commend the Chairmanship,s intensive efforts over the
last four months to ensure a continued OSCE presence in
Georgia, which we and other delegations consider critical to
efforts to restore stability in the region, promote
implementation of OSCE commitments, and contribute to greater
European security. You and your staff worked tirelessly to
find a solution acceptable to all delegations, and we
sincerely appreciate your remarkable dedication and
extraordinary creativity.
The United States strongly supports the Chairmanship,s May 8
draft decision. The proposed OSCE Office in Tbilisi could do
important work in the human, economic, and political-military
dimensions, and continue the OSCE,s long-standing efforts to
build confidence, encourage dialogue, promote respect for
human rights, and improve security. OSCE monitors likewise
could continue to play a key role in reducing tensions in the
region, and in furthering implementation of the August 12 and
September 8 agreements through their observation of events on
the ground, particularly if they are allowed free access to
the South Ossetian region of Georgia.
We believe the Chairmanship,s proposal, crafted through
months of intense negotiations, artfully seeks to avoid the
primary divisive issue and focuses instead on practical
arrangements which would allow the OSCE to continue to
support the jointly-agreed Geneva process and to facilitate
conflict resolution efforts. In our view, the proposal goes
to great lengths to be neutral on the status of the South
Ossetian and Abkhaz regions of Georgia ) something we at
first had a hard time accepting, given the priority we place
on Georgia,s territorial integrity.
Regrettably, the opposition of one participating State this
week has brought us to an impasse. The Russian Federation
rejected the Chairmanship's sound draft proposal, preferring
instead to submit extensive amendments that they knew in
advance were entirely unacceptable to the great majority of
OSCE participating States. This action followed a similar
move at the end of last year, when Russia blocked consensus
on the Finnish Chairman in Office's constructive draft
renewal of the mandate of the OSCE Mission to Georgia,
forcing it to cease many of its operations, and demanding a
rapid move to close out operations, dismiss personnel, and
sell off OSCE assets. At the same time these negotiations
were taking place, Russia established military bases in the
breakaway regions and has now deployed its FSB border guards
to the administrative boundary lines, claiming these
boundaries are now international "borders." These actions
are inconsistent with Russia's declared interest in seeing a
continued OSCE presence in the region, and cast doubt on
Russia,s commitment to ensuring long-term peace and
stability within the territory of a fellow OSCE participating
State and neighbor. They also violate Russia,s commitments
in the 12 August agreement to withdraw Russian troops to
pre-war levels and locations and to allow free or unhindered
humanitarian access to South Ossetia.
The United States sincerely regrets the Russian Federation,s
decision to block this decision. Despite our differences with
Russia over the causes and consequences of last summer,s
conflict, we were and are prepared to work with Russia and
other OSCE participating states in common efforts to
stabilize the situation in Georgia. We sought genuine
compromise, in the belief that a continued OSCE presence in
Georgia would facilitate the international community,s
efforts to build confidence and resolve the protracted
conflicts peacefully. We call one last time for the Russian
Federation to reconsider its response to the Greek
compromise, in the spirit of cooperation, to avoid the
deterioration of a critical security architecture we have
worked so hard over the years to build.
Despite this lamentable development, 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.
Thank you, Madam Chairwoman.
CLINTON