GEORGIA: GREEK AMBASSADOR SEEKS HELP ON OSCE

UNCLAS TBILISI 000821 SENSITIVE SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PREL OSCE GR RS GG SUBJECT: GEORGIA: GREEK AMBASSADOR SEEKS HELP ON OSCE AGENDA ITEM REF: 4/28/09 OSCE DAILY DIGEST ¶1. (U) This is an action message. Please see paragraph 4. ¶2. (SBU) Greek Ambassador Georgios Chatzimichelakis, as a representative of the sitting OSCE Chairman-in-Office, came to see the Ambassador April 29 to relay a request for assistance. He explained that the Greek government is in the process of finalizing the agenda for the OSCE's Annual Security Review Conference (ASRC) in June, and after considerable negotiations, all OSCE member states but one, Georgia, have agreed to language for one potentially contentious agenda item on the August 2008 war. The Greek government asked for U.S. assistance to convince the Georgian side to accept the compromise language. According to Chatzimichelakis, the Georgians agree that there is not a great deal of substantive difference between their favored language and the Greek-proposed compromise text, and that in fact the latter would allow a discussion of the war to take place. Nevertheless, he said, the Georgians are concerned that omitting a specific reference to the war could set a precedent for sessions of the ASRC in 2010 and beyond and give Russia sufficient ambiguity to block discussion of the war in the future. ¶3. (SBU) At first the Georgians proposed a text that includes something along the lines of "the conflict that took place last August between Georgia and Russia," or at least "the conflict in the Caucasus," both of which Chatzimichelakis described as non-starters for the Russians. The compromise language the Greeks have most recently proposed, and that he claimed 55 of 56 OSCE members have accepted, is as follows: "It will review the OSCE activities related to past and recent conflicts in the OSCE area with special focus on serious developments that led to the deterioration of the security situation since the 2008 ASRC." In response, the Georgians proposed, ". . . with special focus . . . on the one conflict that led to the deterioration . . ." It is this last formulation that Chatzimichelakis described as having virtually no substantive difference with the Greek text, but still being too controversial to achieve full consensus. ¶4. (SBU) Action Request. The Ambassador is prepared to informally raise this issue with the Georgians at the next opportunity, but Post seeks Department guidance in responding to the Greek Ambassador and before formally approaching the Georgians. Please advise whether the U.S. Mission to the OSCE in Vienna will also coordinate directly with the Greek Mission there. TEFFT