VZCZCXRO0689
PP RUEHDBU
DE RUEHKV #2068/01 1500738
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
P 300738Z MAY 06
FM AMEMBASSY KIEV
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 9560
INFO RUCNCIS/CIS COLLECTIVE
RUEHZG/NATO EU COLLECTIVE

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 04 KIEV 002068 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 05/26/2016 
TAGS: PREL KDEM ETRD EAID AORC UNMIK PINR YI AZ GG
MD, UP 
SUBJECT: UKRAINE/GUAM: U.S.-GUAM BILATERAL MEETING 
 
REF: BAKU 734 
 
Classified By: Political Counselor Aubrey A. Carlson for reasons 1.4(b, 
d) 
 
¶1. (U) Summary:  The U.S. delegation of EUR DAS Kramer and 
Vice-Presidential Deputy National Security Adviser Wood met 
with GUAM (Georgia, Ukraine, Azerbaijan, Moldova) 
representatives May 22.  GUAM representatives favorably noted 
strong U.S.-GUAM past and present cooperation.  Kramer 
congratulated GUAM for its evolution into an international 
organization, expressed continuing U.S. support for GUAM, and 
urged GUAM to take steps necessary to ensure the 
effectiveness of the newly established GUAM secretariat. 
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Tarasyuk and Azerbaijan Foreign 
Minister Mammadyarov urged the U.S. to lift Jackson-Vanik for 
the two GUAM countries to which it still applied -- 
Azerbaijan and Moldova.  The GUAM representatives considered 
the possibility of sending a GUAM message of congratulations 
to Iraq on the formation of a government, but ultimately did 
not do so.  At a May 22 dinner for GUAM meeting delegates, 
GUAM foreign ministers expressed concern about the precedent 
that Kosovo independence might set for "frozen conflicts" in 
Moldova and the Caucasus region.  Participants approved the 
text of a U.S.-GUAM joint statement (text in paragraph 14). 
End summary. 
 
¶2. (U) Following were the GUAM representatives at the meeting. 
 
-- Ukrainian Foreign Minister Borys Tarasyuk 
-- Azerbaijan Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov 
-- Georgian Foreign Minister Gela Bezhuashvili 
-- Moldovan Deputy Foreign Minister Valeriu Ostalep 
 
Azerbaijan Deputy Foreign Minister Araz Azimov was also 
present and spoke. 
 
Ukraine 
------- 
 
¶3. (U) Starting the meeting, Tarasyuk said the next day's 
GUAM summit would be known as a summit of transformation, 
establishing GUAM as an international organization to be 
known as Organization for Democracy and Economic Development 
- GUAM.  He had informed the U.S. delegation that GUAM had 
finalized 16 documents for the summit.  On May 23, the GUAM 
leaders would sign the new GUAM charter, the Kiev 
declaration, a declaration on "frozen conflicts," and a 
summit communique.  In addition to the presidents, three 
other groups were meeting to foster intensified cooperation 
and better relations among GUAM member-states.  One group 
comprised the ministers of economy, transportation, and 
energy and the chiefs of custom services.  A second meeting 
brought together heads of law enforcement agencies -- the 
ministers of interior and heads of the security and border 
services.  Representatives of the business communities and 
chambers of commerce were meeting in the third group. 
 
¶4. (SBU) Tarasyuk expressed appreciation for USG support for 
GUAM and for providing valuable experience as GUAM 
transformed into an international organization.  He also 
thanked the U.S. delegation for continuing USG political 
support in international fora and for the technical and 
budget support provided to the Euro-Atlantic Advisory Team 
(EAAT) and for the establishment of the Virtual Law 
Enforcement Center (VLEC).  As GUAM moved forward, Ukraine 
saw several priority tasks for GUAM and the U.S.-GUAM 
partnership.  First, the GUAM secretariat, which was leanly 
staffed with no more than eight people, would be kept small 
but needed technical assistance to develop effective 
operational capabilities.  In this regard, the Ukrainian 
government was preparing a secretariat office in downtown 
Kiev.  Second, GUAM would appreciate USG assistance in 
intensifying its partnership with other organizations, 
particularly the European Union, with which interactions so 
far had been minimal.  Third, Tarasyuk suggested that GUAM's 
parliamentary association would need to develop a 
relationship with the U.S. Congress. 
 
Azerbaijan 
---------- 
 
¶5. (SBU) Mammadyarov observed that U.S.-GUAM relations had 
intensified, particularly after the 9/11 events, resulting in 
a deepening of cooperation at all levels.  GUAM member-states 
understood and supported the importance of steps to reduce 
the threats of terrorism and proliferation of weapons of mass 
destruction (WMD).  During his tenure as Azerbaijani 
ambassador to the U.S., he had valued EUR/ACE official John 
Markey's support to GUAM.  Observing that GUAM traditionally 
held a bilateral meeting with the U.S. on the margins of the 
 
KIEV 00002068  002 OF 004 
 
 
UN General Assembly (UNGA) meeting in New York, Mammadyarov 
suggested that the joint statement incorporate the GUAM and 
U.S. intention to do so once more in September 2006. 
Evidence that GUAM and the U.S. were discussing substantive 
issues would add credibility and status to the new 
international organization.  Tarasyuk immediately expressed 
his support for Mammadyarov's suggestion. 
 
Georgia 
------- 
 
¶6. (U) Bezhuashvili said GUAM's new status as an organization 
would serve to make its cooperation within the U.S.-GUAM 
Framework Agreement more efficient.  As a new organization, 
GUAM hoped to focus on ways to enhance member-states' energy 
security as well as seeking to cooperate with the EU on 
energy security issues.  GUAM member-states could potentially 
work together to develop a joint energy project that could be 
brought to donor nations for financing.  GUAM also had the 
possibility of demonstrating to neighboring countries how an 
organization based on a common vision and common principles 
could be effective in promoting the democratic processes 
underway in the four countries.  Bezhuashvili encouraged 
Tarasyuk to provide the U.S. delegation a more detailed 
briefing on GUAM's achievements to date. 
 
Moldova 
------- 
 
¶7. (U) Ostalep said GUAM had enjoyed a good relationship 
working with the EAAT on trafficking in persons (TIP) issues, 
which was a problem that particularly affected Moldova, and 
urged GUAM members to make TIP an organizational priority. 
GUAM would have access to a TIP analytical center through 
Moldova that the USG had helped to establish in Chisinau. 
 
U.S. 
---- 
 
¶8. (SBU) EUR DAS Kramer relayed the Secretary's 
congratulations for GUAM's achievements.  After introducing 
OVP DNSA Wood, Kramer agreed to include a reference to the 
proposed U.S.-GUAM meeting at UNGA in the joint statement 
(see last sentence of text in paragraph 14) and agreed with 
the Moldovan Deputy Minister on the importance of the TIP 
issue.  He emphasized the importance of taking necessary 
legal steps and implementing effective accounting procedures 
to allow USG funding to be provided directly to the GUAM 
secretariat, since the SECI (Southeastern Europe Cooperation 
 
SIPDIS 
Initiative) center would soon no longer serve as a 
pass-through for funding of U.S.-GUAM Framework projects.  He 
assured the GUAM representatives that the USG stood ready to 
explore other avenues of cooperation with GUAM while 
continuing to ensure the success of existing and ongoing 
projects.  The USG welcomed the GUAM member-states' 
initiative in transforming and revitalizing GUAM, a sure sign 
that the organization's membership, not the U.S., was the 
driving force behind the organization. 
 
Discussion: Jackson-Vanik, Belarus, Iraq, Kosovo 
--------------------------------------------- --- 
 
¶9. (C) Tarasyuk said GUAM representatives had agreed on a 
protocol on rules of origin, which was a significant step 
toward establishing a free-trade area among GUAM 
member-states.  He then surprised his audience by suggesting 
that GUAM express its intention to provide support for 
Moldova and Azerbaijan's graduation from Jackson-Vanik. 
(Note:  Georgia and Ukraine are no longer under Jackson-Vanik 
restrictions.)  Mammadyarov expressed his appreciation for 
Tarasyuk's proposal and described the atmospherics behind 
Jackson-Vanik based on his experiences with the U.S. Congress 
while in Washington.  Kramer voiced the strong support of the 
U.S. executive branch for the removal of Azerbaijan and 
Moldova from Jackson-Vanik, but noted that the issue depended 
on Congressional action. 
 
¶10. (SBU) Kramer briefed the GUAM representatives on U.S. 
policy toward Belarus and thanked GUAM countries for their 
support of the policy. 
 
¶11. (SBU) Bezhuashvili noted each country had congratulated 
Iraq on the formation of a new government but that perhaps 
GUAM could send the same congratulations as an organization. 
Mammadyarov proposed that it be added to the communique 
rather than as a separate GUAM statement, but, when 
Azerbaijani DFM Azimov also objected to this approach, the 
GUAM representatives agreed to leave the issue to the GUAM 
national coordinators to decide. 
 
¶12. (C) During a May 22 dinner hosted by FM Tarasyuk, GUAM 
 
KIEV 00002068  003 OF 004 
 
 
foreign ministers discussed at length the potential of Russia 
using possible Kosovo independence as a precedent in other 
frozen conflicts against their (GUAM members-states') 
interests.  Kramer and Wood pushed back, noting that the 
correct precedent was that the international community came 
together to find the right solution for each particular case. 
 Tarasyuk pronounced himself unconvinced and reiterated the 
Russians would use the precedent for their own purposes. 
 
Atmospherics 
------------ 
 
¶13. (C) The meeting was characterized by an unusual degree of 
spontaneity and candor.  In a sign of the rapport and 
camaraderie enjoyed by the foreign ministers of Ukraine, 
Azerbaijan, and Georgia, Tarasyuk playfully challenged Kramer 
before the start of the session to guess from which 
university the three foreign ministers had all graduated. 
Disdainfully dismissing Moscow State University ("Moskovskiy 
Gosudarstvenniy Universitet, MGU, well known in Soviet times 
as the training ground for the bureaucratic elite) as a 
possible response, Tarasyuk said all three in fact were 
graduates of the Institute of International Relations and 
International Law of Kiev State University, as was Georgian 
President Saakashvili.  (Note:  Azerbaijan's Economic 
Development and Finance Ministers and Deputy Foreign Minister 
Khalafov also graduated from the same institute.)  Perhaps 
because of his lower rank (and youth), Moldovan Deputy 
Foreign Minister Ostalep stuck closely to his prepared 
talking points.  The meeting was conducted entirely in 
English, which, with Russian, is one of the two official 
working languages of GUAM. 
 
U.S.-GUAM Joint Statement 
------------------------- 
 
¶14. (U) Text of the U.S.-GUAM joint statement, which was 
posted both on the GUAM and Embassy Kiev websites, appears 
below. 
 
Begin text. 
 
On May 22-23, 2006 in Kyiv, Ukraine, the GUAM Member-States 
and the United States met at the Eleventh Meeting of the 
Council of Ministers for Foreign Affairs of GUAM and the GUAM 
Summit to continue their dialogue and cooperation.  The U.S. 
delegation was led by David J. Kramer, Deputy Assistant 
Secretary for European and Eurasian Affairs. 
 
SIPDIS 
 
The United States supported the creation of the "Organization 
for Democracy and Economic Development - GUAM" with 
Secretariat in Kyiv and pledged to provide appropriate 
 
SIPDIS 
assistance. GUAM Members-States reiterated their commitment 
to cooperate on strengthening democracy, increasing security, 
and deepening political, economic, scientific, and cultural 
cooperation in the GUAM region. The United States 
congratulated Ukraine on its assumption to the GUAM 
chairmanship and reiterated its support for GUAM projects and 
for the Organization's goal of regional cooperation and 
development. 
 
The Participants addressed the current state and prospects of 
the GUAM-U.S. dialogue, and noted with appreciation progress 
achieved in advancing the GUAM-U.S. Framework Program, which 
is the product of a four-year cooperative effort to generate 
concrete, multilateral projects to facilitate regional 
security and economic development. Since September 2005, the 
GUAM countries have completed their country-based 
inter-agency offices for the Virtual Center and Interstate 
Information Management System and continued the development 
of the regional task force structure intended for conducting 
law enforcement cooperation.  The GUAM Member States have 
also created a Secretariat of the Steering Committee on Trade 
and Transportation Facilitation and intensified their 
cooperation for this project. 
 
The GUAM Ministers expressed their gratitude to the 
Government of the United States for providing technical and 
advisory assistance to the organization. The Euro-Atlantic 
Advisory Team, established after 2005 Chisinau Summit of GUAM 
and sponsored by the United States, has proved to be 
efficient and instrumental in assisting implementation of the 
GUAM-U.S. Framework Program. 
 
The Participants reaffirmed their willingness to develop 
consolidated efforts with a view to strengthening cooperation 
in fighting international terrorism, preventing proliferation 
of weapons of mass destruction and related technologies, 
combating organized crime, and confronting other global 
challenges.  The joint exploration of ways to confront these 
common challenges to the GUAM Member-States and the United 
 
KIEV 00002068  004 OF 004 
 
 
States constitutes an important aspect of GUAM-U.S. 
cooperation. 
 
The United States commended GUAM for promoting 
inter-parliamentary cooperation that is considered to become 
an effective instrument of parliamentary diplomacy at the 
regional and European levels. The GUAM States reiterated 
their interest in further deepening cooperation with the 
European Union, other organizations and states in fields of 
mutual interest, including diversification of energy supplies 
with particular focus on the Caspian region, providing 
security for energy infrastructure, and realization of the 
projects of the GUAM-U.S. Framework Program. 
 
The United States reaffirmed its support for the territorial 
integrity of GUAM States, within their internationally 
recognized borders. 
 
GUAM Member-States reaffirmed their willingness to proceed 
further with the dialogue within the format of the 
GUAM-European Union and GUAM-European Union-United States 
context. 
 
The Participants agreed to continue mutually beneficial 
cooperation, and also to explore new areas of interaction. 
 
They agreed to conduct their next meeting in New York during 
general debates of the UN General Assembly session of 2006. 
 
End text. 
 
¶15. (U) The delegation cleared this cable. 
 
¶16. (U) Visit Embassy Kiev's classified website: 
www.state.sgov.gov/p/eur/kiev. 
Gwaltney