VZCZCXRO3748
PP RUEHDBU RUEHFL RUEHKW RUEHLA RUEHROV RUEHSR
DE RUEHSI #1212 1430936
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
P 230936Z MAY 07
FM AMEMBASSY TBILISI
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 6423
INFO RUEHZL/EUROPEAN POLITICAL COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK PRIORITY 4557

C O N F I D E N T I A L TBILISI 001212 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 05/23/2017 
TAGS: PREL PGOV GG
SUBJECT: DFM MANJGALADZE'S READOUT OF HIS MEETING WITH 
KARASIN 
 
 
Classified By: Ambassador John F. Tefft, for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d) 
 
¶1.  (C)  Summary:  On May 22, Deputy Foreign Minister Giorgi 
Manjgaladze called in the Ambassador and the German Charge 
(representing the EU) to give a readout of his recent meeting 
with Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Karasin.  Manjgaladze 
said Karasin did not present anything new and thought the 
main goal of the meeting was to show the Europeans and 
Americans that the two sides were talking.  He said the 
Russians basically presented a "wish list of apologies" that 
they wanted from the Georgians on a number of issues.  The 
one positive to come from the meeting, he said, was an 
agreement between the sides that President Saakashvili would 
meet with President Putin on the margins of the CIS 
conference in St. Petersburg on June 9-10.  Separately, 
Manjgaladze reiterated Georgia's strong opposition to a 
Geneva-style meeting in New York with Abkhaz de-facto foreign 
minister Sergei Shamba, emphasizing that Georgia would  not 
participate in such a meeting.  End Summary. 
 
Russia's 'wish list' of apologies 
--------------------------------- 
 
¶2.  (C)  Manjgaladze characterized his two hour meeting with 
Karasin as disappointing, particularly on issues relating to 
resolution of the conflicts.  He said his impression was that 
the Russians had asked for the meeting so that they could 
show the Europeans and the Americans that the two sides were 
talking, but did not have any new messages to deliver. 
Karasin presented what Manjgaladze called a "wish list of 
apologies" that the Russians wanted from the Georgians on a 
number of issues, including: the Georgian case against Russia 
at the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg, the 
Georgian handling of the Russian spy case, Georgia's demand 
to legalize customs checkpoints in Abkhazia and South Ossetia 
as a condition for Georgian approval for Russia's WTO 
membership, and Georgian refusal to sign a non-use of force 
agreement with Abkhazia and South Ossetia.  He said the 
Russians still do not know how to handle the new situation on 
the ground in South Ossetia.  He also said he told Karasin 
that Georgia is convinced that Kokoiti cannot act without 
Russian approval and that the GoG would hold Russia 
responsible for any new provocations. 
 
¶3.  (C)  Manjgaladze said that he confirmed with Karasin that 
Russian President Putin would meet with President Saakashvili 
on the margins of the CIS conference in St. Petersburg on 
June 9-10.  He said that President Saakashvili would raise a 
number of issues with President Putin, but did not elaborate. 
 Manjgaladze noted that Karasin expressed a willingness to 
start negotiations on the resumption of commercial air 
flights and lifting of the Russian boycott on Georgian 
agricultural goods, and said that the Georgians would be 
ready to discuss these issues. 
 
Geneva-style meeting in New York unacceptable to GoG 
--------------------------------------------- ------- 
 
¶4.  (C)  Separately, Manjgaladze said that Georgia was 
strongly opposed to a proposed Geneva-style meeting for 
Abkhaz de-facto foreign minister Sergei Shamba at the New 
York.  He said that Georgia would not attend such a meeting, 
and added that he would recommend discontinuing Georgia's 
participation in future Geneva-style meetings if the meeting 
went ahead.  He said allowing Shamba to attend would 
undermine the Geneva format and allow Russia to use the 
meeting as a stage for Shamba.  The Ambassador asked what was 
the best way to re-establish communication between the 
Georgians and Abkhaz.  Manjgaladze replied that the Abkhaz 
are finding excuses not to engage in negotiations and have 
adopted a total ban on communication to prevent further 
progress on the resolution of the conflict. 
 
TEFFT