VZCZCXRO6951
PP RUEHAG RUEHAST RUEHDA RUEHDBU RUEHDF RUEHFL RUEHIK RUEHKW RUEHLA
RUEHLN RUEHLZ RUEHPOD RUEHROV RUEHSR RUEHVK RUEHYG
DE RUEHSI #1857 2121243
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 311243Z JUL 07
FM AMEMBASSY TBILISI
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 7164
INFO RUEHZL/EUROPEAN POLITICAL COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK PRIORITY 4574

UNCLAS TBILISI 001857 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PREL PGOV GG
SUBJECT: DFM MANJGALADZE EXPRESSES GOG CONCERN OVER UNSYG 
REPORT ON ABKAHZIA 
 
 
¶1.  Summary:  On July 27, Deputy Foreign Minister Giorgi 
Manjgaladze called a meeting of the Group of Friends of the 
Secretary General to express Georgia's concerns about the UN 
 
SIPDIS 
Secretary General's interim report on the situation in 
 
SIPDIS 
Abkhazia.  German, Russian, British, U.S. representatives 
attended.  Manjgaladze said that while the Georgian 
government appreciated the comprehensive nature of the 
report, they had two major concerns:  one, that the United 
Nations Observer Mission to Georgia and the Group of Friends 
are focusing too much on technical issues and not enough on 
broader strategic goals like the resolution of the conflict 
and return of internally displaced persons (IDPs) to 
Abkhazia; and two, requested that the Group of Friends and 
UNOMIG continue the investigation into the March 11 attack on 
Georgian government buildings in Kodori.  German Ambassador 
Flor, speaking on behalf of the Friends, assured Manjgaladze 
that they would communicate his message to their respective 
capitals and stressed that it was also important to raise 
these concerns with Special Representative of the Secretary 
General (SRSG) Jean Arnault, as the report was a UN 
responsibility.  End Summary. 
 
Group of Friends "losing the forest for the trees" 
--------------------------------------------- ----- 
 
¶2.  Manjgaladze began the meeting with some faint praise of 
the report, calling it "comprehensive," and saying that it 
reflects most of the main issues dealing with resolution of 
the conflict.  He also noted that it was the first UN report 
to properly identify the government of Upper Abkhazia by its 
official name, which, he said, reflects an acknowledgment of 
the situation on the ground.  Georgian concerns were twofold. 
 First, he said, UNOMIG and the Group of Friends were "losing 
the forest for the trees" by focusing too much on technical 
issues and not enough on strategic goals like the resolution 
of the conflict and return of IDPs.  Recent attempts by the 
Abkhaz de facto authorities to  privatize and sell IDP 
property in violation of Georgian law, he said, emphasized 
the need for an energetic response from the Group of Friends 
on IDP return.  (Note:  Manjgaladze reiterated in a separate 
meeting to the whole diplomatic corps July 30 that 
acquisition of Georgian property in Abkhazia is illegal and 
risky to the investor.  End note).  He said that these 
strategic goals have become of secondary importance to the 
Group of Friends, which has instead focused on troop 
movements and checkpoints.  This was unacceptable to the 
Georgian government, he said, because there was already a 
framework in place for resolving technical issues. 
 
¶3.  The second Georgian concern was the investigation into 
the March 11 attack on Georgian government buildings in the 
Kodori Gorge.  According to Manjgaladze, the inconclusive 
nature of the report was a "dangerous development," because 
there was nothing in the report to assign responsibility and 
consequences for the attack, which could lead to further 
provocations.  He called the attack an act of war against 
Georgia and said the international community needs to show 
that they are willing to pursue the perpetrators and punish 
them.  He said the Georgian government was strongly 
requesting the Group of Friends and UNOMIG to continue the 
investigation until it produces conclusive results.  He also 
called on the Russian side to be more cooperative with the 
investigation.  If they do not, he said, then Georgia could 
hardly see Russia as a member of the Group of Friends. 
 
¶4.  Speaking on behalf of the Friends, German Ambassador Flor 
assured Manjgaladze that they would communicate his message 
to their respective capitals, but that they had no official 
reaction at that time.  She said that the Friends shared 
Georgia's approach on the need to look at the larger picture, 
noting that the Friends' February Non-Paper addresses the 
strategic goals mentioned by Manjgaladze.  She added that it 
was also important for the Georgian government to raise their 
concerns with SRSG Arnault, as the report was a UN 
responsibility.  Manjgaladze replied that the Georgian 
government does not see the Group of Friends and UNOMIG as 
separate, but they would of course raise it with Arnault as 
well. 
TEFFT