VZCZCXRO9370
OO RUEHDBU RUEHFL RUEHKW RUEHLA RUEHNP RUEHROV RUEHSR RUEHTRO
DE RUCNDT #0595 1670211
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
O 160211Z JUN 09
FM USMISSION USUN NEW YORK
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 6728
INFO RUEHZL/EUROPEAN POLITICAL COLLECTIVE IMMEDIATE
RUEHGG/UN SECURITY COUNCIL COLLECTIVE IMMEDIATE
RHEHNSC/NSC WASHDC IMMEDIATE

C O N F I D E N T I A L USUN NEW YORK 000595 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/15/2019 
TAGS: PREL PGOV PHUM UNSC UNOMIG RS GG
SUBJECT: GEORGIA: RUSSIAN VETO FORCES EXPIRATION OF UNOMIG 
MANDATE 
 
REF: SECSTATE 60825 
 
Classified By: Ambassador Rosemary DiCarlo for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d) 
 
¶1. (C) The Russian Federation vetoed a two-week technical 
rollover of the United Nations Observer Mission in Georgia 
(UNOMIG) on June 15, 2009, after several attempts by the Quad 
to reach compromise with Russia on the terms of a substantive 
resolution.  Per Reftel instructions, USUN had consulted 
closely with Quad missions in New York and attempted to reach 
agreement on a substantive resolution prior to the expiration 
of the UNOMIG mandate on June 15, 2009.  Late in the day on 
June 14, when it became certain that Russia would not engage 
further on a substantive resolution, Quad missions, joined by 
Croatia, Austria and Turkey, tabled a two week technical 
rollover that contained an explicit reference to Resolution 
¶1808.  During consultations of the whole on June 15, Russia 
attempted several procedural tactics to delay a vote, and 
eventually vetoed a technical rollover that had garnered 10 
votes in favor and 4 abstentions.  UNOMIG's mandate expires 
on June 15, 2009.  End Summary. 
 
¶2. (SBU) The Russian Federation vetoed a technical rollover 
of the mandate for the United Nations Observer Mission in 
Georgia on June 15.  When the draft resolution was put to a 
vote late in the day on June 15, Austria, Burkina Faso, Costa 
Rica, Croatia, France, Japan, Mexico, Turkey, U.K, and U.S. 
voted in favor.  China, Libya, Vietnam and Uganda abstained 
and Russia voted against.  Since Russia vetoed the 
resolution, the UN mandate will expire on June 15. 
 
¶3. (C) Prior to tabling the draft technical rollover, per 
reftel instructions, USUN consulted closely with Quad 
(France, Germany, U.K., U.S.) and Croatia missions throughout 
June 12-15 in an attempt to reach agreement on the elements 
of a substantive mandate to extend the UN Observer Mission in 
Georgia.  Quad   Croatia presented Russian Permrep Vitaly 
Churkin with a substantially pared down draft resolution on 
June 12, and attempted for five hours to negotiate in earnest 
on the draft.  Ambassador Churkin was visibly uncomfortable 
with efforts by the Quad to engage, and when faced with 
compromises offered by the Quad, he would offer new 
objections to language he had already agreed to.  Churkin 
walked out of the negotiations on Friday evening when the 
Quad refused to change its position on the necessity of a 
reference to Resolution 1808 in a preambular paragraph. 
 
¶4. (C) Ambassador Churkin did not return to the negotiations 
throughout June 13-14 and Quad Ambassadors determined on June 
14 that it would be necessary to introduce a two-week 
technical rollover resolution late in the day on June 14 in 
order to give sufficient time for Members to receive 
instructions that would allow them to vote on June 15. 
 
¶5. (C) At Security Council consultations on June 15, 
Ambassador Churkin insisted that language in the preambular 
paragraph of the technical rollover referring to Resolution 
1808 was unacceptable, and he insisted that he would veto the 
resolution if the reference to Resolution 1808 were not 
removed, despite the fact that this language mirrored exactly 
the previous resolutions adopted in February 2009 (1866) and 
October 2008 (1839).  During a break in consultations, 
Ambassador Churkin announced to the press that he would veto 
the draft resolution, if put to a vote. 
 
¶6. (C) When consultations resumed just prior to the vote, 
Russia attempted to delay a vote by raising several 
procedural issues, including whether the meeting should be 
open or closed, whether the Georgian Permrep could 
participate, and whether Abkhaz de facto authorities should 
be represented.  The Turkish Presidency polled the members on 
each issue, and 12 members agreed that the Georgian Permrep 
could speak in an open meeting of the Council for the vote. 
 
¶7. (U) The UNOMIG mandate expires on June 15, 2009. 
DICARLO