C O N F I D E N T I A L LISBON 001999 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 
08/11/2018 TAGS: NATO, PARM, KCFE, PO, RU, GG SUBJECT: TFGG01: PORTUGAL 
NOT PLANNING TO SUPPORT STRONG NAC STATEMENT REF: STATE 85678 Classified
By: Dana M. Brown, Pol-Econ Officer, Embassy Lisbon Reason 1.4 (b) and 
(d) 

1. (C) Portugal is concerned about the crisis in Georgia but is not 
ready to make a statement against Russian actions at this time, 
according to MFA Director for European Affairs Liliana Mascarenhas Neto.
She told us that Portugal would wait to hear the French report at the 
special GAERC meeting on August 12 and then decide how to proceed in 
agreement with other EU partners. To that end, MFA Acting Director for 
Security and Disarmament Affairs Pedro Sousa Abreu reported that 
Portugal would not support a strong NAC statement tomorrow because it 
would preempt the French efforts and would be based on incomplete 
information. 

2. (C) According to Neto, Portuguese FM Amado will return 
from vacation to attend the August 12 GAERC because he wants to hear the
French analysis personally. (Note: Portugal does not have an embassy in
Georgia and covers the issue only from Moscow.) She said the GOP was 
not excusing either side, but rather attempting to be objective. At the 
same time, she declared revealingly, "Georgia must play a better game" 
and commented, "This is why we didn't think Georgia was ready for NATO."

3. (C) Comment: Neto and Abreu both made it clear that the GOP would 
prefer not to support statements condemning either side, perhaps even 
after hearing from the French presidency. They also criticized the 
public statements made by the Baltic States and Poland earlier today 
against Russia's actions, stating that the EU could not seem impartial 
if member states made announcements individually. End comment. Ballard