JAPANESE REPORT GEORGIA CONCERNED UNOMIG MAY LAPSE

C O N F I D E N T I A L TOKYO 000214 SIPDIS MOSCOW PASS VLADIVOSTOK HELSINKI PASS ST. PETERSBURG E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/29/2017 TAGS: PREL EAID EFIN JA GG RS SUBJECT: JAPANESE REPORT GEORGIA CONCERNED UNOMIG MAY LAPSE REF: 08 TOKYO 02931 Classified By: Charge d' Affaires, a.i. James P. Zumwalt. Reasons 1.4 (B) (D) ¶1. (C) Georgian officials are worried about the prospect of maintaining an international presence in Abkhazia and South Ossetia if UNOMIG's mandate expires on Feb. 15, according to MOFA's Central Asia and Caucasus Division Director Hiroshi Tajima. Tajima met with Georgian Deputy Foreign Minister Alexandre Nalbandov and Deputy Finance Minister Dimitri Gvindadze as part of a delegation to Georgia from MOFA's International Cooperation Division Jan. 12-13. ¶2. (C) Japan, as chair of the UNSC, has instructed its UN Ambassador to discuss the situation with concerned participants in New York, according to Tajima. Noting that Moscow rejected efforts to extend the OSCE mandate at the end of 2008, Tajima opined that the Kremlin might well be inclined to allow UNOMIG's mandate to expire if Russia "is not satisfied" with the results of the February round of the Russia-Georgia talks in Geneva. Tokyo officials remain uncertain about the outcome of the Geneva discussions but see merit in the fact the meetings provide Georgian representatives their only real chance for contact with the Russians. Authorities in Tbilisi complained to Tajima that Moscow was blocking Georgia's efforts to resolve the conflict, and that each passing day brought the prospect that the Russians might launch another attack. ¶3. (C) Tajima said the Foreign Ministry delegation visited Georgia to assess implementation of the loan aid part of a $200 million assistance package which Tokyo offered Tbilisi during the October 2008 Georgia Donors' Conference (reftel). Georgian officials appeared to be "quite happy" with the Japanese aid which was intended to help rebuild infrastructure projects such as the East-West Highway, Tajima said. ¶4. (C) Japan hopes to learn what the United States' long-term policy on Georgia will be under the new Obama Administration, Tajima noted. He said Tokyo officials are aware of ideas expressed during "brainstorming" sessions that included speculation Georgia might eventually develop into a state federation. ZUMWALT