VZCZCXRO0223
PP RUEHAST RUEHDBU RUEHFL RUEHLA RUEHMRE RUEHPOD RUEHROV RUEHSK RUEHSR
DE RUEHC #2408/01 1672257
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P R 162236Z JUN 09
FM SECSTATE WASHDC
TO RUEHVEN/USMISSION USOSCE PRIORITY 1321
INFO ORG FOR SECURITY CO OP IN EUR COLLECTIVE

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 STATE 062408 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: OSCE PREL PGOV GG
SUBJECT: OSCE JOINT FSC/PC MEETING: RESPONSE TO GENEVA 
CO-CHAIRS AND EUMM HEAD HABER 
 
¶1. Post is authorized to present the following statement at 
the June 17, 2009, joint FSC/PC meeting in Vienna: 
 
Begin text: 
 
Thank you, Madam Chairwoman. 
 
It is a pleasure to welcome our distinguished guests to 
today's meeting.  The United States greatly appreciates the 
leadership of Ambassadors Morel, Verbeke, and Christopoulos 
in coordinating the Geneva discussions, and commends their 
tireless efforts to ensure constructive talks.  We also 
appreciate Ambassador Haber's leadership of the EU Monitoring 
Mission in Georgia, and commend the Mission's valuable 
engagement on the ground. 
 
The United States firmly believes that the Geneva discussions 
are critical to enhancing security, respect for human rights, 
and stability in Georgia.  We believe the European Union, the 
UN, and the OSCE together possess the expertise needed to 
tackle the challenges inherent in the process, and look 
forward to continued fruitful cooperation among the three 
organizations. 
 
We hope the July 1 discussions in Geneva will yield concrete 
results, and urge all parties to demonstrate a constructive 
and creative approach.  In advance of next month's talks, we 
again urge the good-faith implementation of the incident 
prevention and response mechanisms agreed in February, and 
call on all parties to allow for joint visits, together with 
international monitors, to the sites of incidents.  We are 
convinced the OSCE should continue to participate in the 
Geneva Process, despite Russia having opposed the compromise 
proposed by Greece that would have prevented the OSCE Mission 
to Georgia from closing down. 
 
Similarly, we deeply regret that on June 15, Russia vetoed a 
UN Security Council resolution that would have extended the 
current mandate of the UN Observer Mission in Georgia 
(UNOMIG) by two weeks to allow for negotiations on a 
substantive mandate to continue.  Russia objected to a 
reference to UN Security Council Resolution 1808, which 
includes an explicit statement of Council support for 
Georgia's territorial integrity.   Russia voted in favor of 
1808, and even subsequent to its August 2008 recognition of 
Abkhazia and South Ossetia, Russia voted for two other UN 
resolutions invoking Georgia's territorial integrity. 
 
The entire international security architecture in Georgia, 
built up over many years to promote human rights and create 
conditions for the safe, voluntary return of internally 
displaced persons and refugees, is being undermined over one 
participating state's insistence that the Georgian regions of 
Abkhazia and South Ossetia be recognized by the international 
community as independent countries. 
 
Despite these setbacks, we will continue to urge free and 
unhindered humanitarian access to the Abkhazia and South 
Ossetian regions of Georgia (as agreed in UNSCR 1866 last 
February and the August 12 cease fire agreement),  the full 
respect for human rights of all individuals in the conflict 
areas, and the safe, dignified, and voluntary return of 
internally displaced persons. 
 
The EU Monitoring Mission in Georgia is a crucial stabilizing 
factor, and plays a key role in the implementation of the 
incident prevention and response mechanisms.  It also is 
critical to the international community's efforts to monitor 
compliance with the August 12 cease-fire agreement and the 
subsequent implementing measures of September 8. 
Unfortunately, these efforts cannot be fully effective as 
long as Russia denies international observers access to the 
South Ossetia and Abkhazia regions of Georgia. 
 
Accordingly, we repeat our call for Russia to honor the 
commitments it made in the August 12 and September 8 
agreements, which call for Russia not only to provide free 
and unhindered humanitarian access to the South Ossetian and 
Abkhaz regions, but also to withdraw its troops to positions 
and numbers held prior to the start of hostilities.  We 
remind Russia of its responsibility to ensure respect for 
human rights and international humanitarian law in those 
areas of Georgia under Russian occupation. 
 
We note once more that many Russian actions in Georgia, such 
as its establishment of military bases in the breakaway 
regions and its deployment of FSB border guards to the 
 
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administrative boundary lines, have undermined rather than 
enhanced stability in the region.  The same holds true for 
Russia's decision to reject the Greek Chairmanship's 
status-neutral proposal for a continued OSCE presence in 
Georgia, and to force the departure of the OSCE Mission to 
Georgia and its valuable military monitoring officers. 
 
Madam Chairwoman, we have said before that if we cannot 
effectively address and resolve issues like these, it is 
unlikely we will make any genuine headway on a Europe that is 
more secure and at peace.  Progress would help restore trust 
and confidence and facilitate any discussion of European 
security -- and would be most welcome as we approach the 
informal ministerial meeting in Corfu. 
 
In closing, the United States again thanks the ambassadors 
here today, and commends their extraordinary work.  We remain 
committed to finding a peaceful resolution to the conflicts 
in Georgia, and will continue to support Georgia's 
sovereignty, independence, and territorial integrity within 
its internationally recognized borders. 
 
Thank you, Madam Chairwoman. 
CLINTON