VZCZCXRO7581
PP RUEHIK RUEHLN RUEHPOD RUEHTRO RUEHVK RUEHYG
DE RUCNDT #0136 0450042
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 140042Z FEB 08
FM USMISSION USUN NEW YORK
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 3725
INFO RUCNCIS/CIS COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
RUEHZG/NATO EU COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
RUEHGG/UN SECURITY COUNCIL COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
RUEHMO/AMEMBASSY MOSCOW PRIORITY 1144
RUEHSI/AMEMBASSY TBILISI PRIORITY 4240

UNCLAS USUN NEW YORK 000136 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV PREL UNSC GG
SUBJECT: GEORGIAN PERMREP ALASANIA DISCUSSES GENEVA MEETING 
AND ALSO KOSOVO 
 
¶1. (SBU) Summary: Georgian Permrep Alasania told Ambassador 
Wolff on February 11 that he looks forward to the Friends of 
Georgia meeting as an opportunity to launch a UN-led review 
of the Abkhazia peace process.  Alasania hoped to avoid 
giving Russia any pretext for harmful actions.  Ambassador 
Wolff warned that Russia's preoccupation with Kosovo might 
make it difficult to make progress in Geneva.  Wolff advised 
Alasania the issue of Abkhaz participation in a Security 
Council session in New York might lead to a procedural vote 
and agreed with Alasania that a GUAM resolution focused on 
Kosovo would be easier for us to support than a more general 
one.  End Summary. 
 
Alasania's Hopes For Geneva 
--------------------------- 
¶2. (SBU) Georgian Permrep Alasania told Ambassador Wolff in a 
February 11 meeting that he looks forward to the February 
18-19 Geneva meeting of the Friends of the Secretary-General 
for Georgia as an opportunity to get serious in implementing 
confidence building measures, including moving forward on a 
declaration of non-use of force and return of IDPs and 
re-engaging with the Abkhaz side.  He said he wants to 
discuss the UN-led review of the Abkhazia peace process and 
get the Abkhaz fully on board.  Alasania hopes to use the 
Friends' meeting to rebut criticism in the latest UNOMIG 
report of supposed alarmist rhetoric in Georgia's media 
concerning Abkhaz provocations.  He said he aims for the 
Friends' meeting to produce an acknowledgment that Georgia's 
security presence in the Upper Kodori Valley is at an 
acceptable level, as he said is stated in the latest UNOMIG 
report. 
 
Kosovo/Abkhazia Link 
-------------------- 
¶3. (SBU) When asked by Ambassador Wolff for his views on 
Russian-created linkages between Kosovo and Abkhazia, 
Alasania said he did not think the Abkhaz would be foolish 
enough to overtly use Kosovo for their own independence 
aspirations, but believes Russia has not decided yet how much 
support to offer Abkhazia.  He argued President Saakashvili's 
re-election gives him a new, five-year mandate for dealing 
with Abkhazia.  Ambassador Wolff asked for Alasania's 
assessment of his interactions with Russia at the UN. 
Alasania said that he had met recently with Permrep Churkin, 
who wants to keep any disagreements between Georgia and 
Russia out of the public eye.  Alasania expressed cautious 
hope that the meeting of Presidents Putin and Saakashvili 
later this month will go well.  Alasania did not see 
prospects yet for significantly improving bilateral 
relations, but at least did not want "to give Russia any 
pretext for harmful actions." 
 
¶4. (SBU) Ambassador Wolff warned that Russia's objective 
regarding Kosovo is to keep countries from recognizing it, so 
they might use Abkhazia as a tool for this purpose. 
Ambassador Wolff underscored that because of this larger 
Russian objective, it might be difficult to make progress in 
Geneva. 
 
Abkhaz UNSC Session and GUAM Resolution 
--------------------------------------- 
¶5. (SBU) Alasania said Georgia strongly opposes Abkhaz 
participation in a Security Council session in New York. 
Ambassador Wolff warned that opposing Abkhaz participation 
could lead to a fight for votes on a procedural issue, so we 
will need to be ready.  Alasania noted that he would join 
fellow permreps of the GUAM (Georgia, Ukraine, Azerbajan and 
Moldova) soon for a meeting with Ambassador Wolff to ask for 
US support of a resolution on protracted conflicts.  Alasania 
said A/S Fried had suggested to him recently that it would be 
easier for the US to support a resolution specifically 
focused on Kosovo's sui generis nature.  Ambassador Wolff 
agreed that such a resolution would be easier to support. 
 
WOLFF