C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 04 PARIS 001587 SIPDIS E.O. 
12958: DECL: 08/18/2018 TAGS: PREL, PBTS, PHUM, MOPS, OSCE, UNSC, FR, 
GG, RU, RS, UN SUBJECT: TFGG01: FRENCH EFFORTS TO RESOLVE CRISIS IN 
GEORGIA REF: A. STATE 88235 B. STATE 87254 C. STATE 88216 D. PARIS 01561
E. PARIS POINTS FOR AUGUST 13 Classified By: Political Minister 
Counselor Kathleen H. Allegrone. Rea sons 1.4b,d 

1. (C) Summary: Since 
President Sarkozy and Foreign Minister Kouchner met with Secretary Rice 
on August 14, President Sarkozy has maintained high-profile efforts to 
implement the Russia/Georgia six-point cease-fire accord he negotiated 
in his capacity as EU President -- especially the main point of 
contention, which is the fifth point that states "Russian military 
forces should withdraw to positions prior to the outbreak of 
hostilities" and that "while waiting for an international mechanism, 
Russian forces will implement additional security measures." In an 
opinion article published in Le Figaro August 18, Sarkozy stressed that 
if point 5 of the accord is not applied rapidly and completely, he will 
convene an extraordinary session of the European Council (EU Heads of 
State/Government) to decide on next steps. Following on guidance from 
Washington, Post has relayed demarche requests (see Refs A-C), including
the request for additional OSCE monitors in Georgia. While much of the 
current focus is on NATO and the NAC, Sarkozy,s optic is first and 
foremost the EU. France, as President of the EU, will also be turning 
its attention to the upcoming September 5-6 Gymnich, where EU-Russia 
relations will be prominently discussed, and the September 9 EU summit 
with Ukraine. End Summary. 

2. (U) As of August 18, building on the 
Secretary's August 14 visit, the French have concentrated on 
establishing modalities for implementation of point 5 of the six-point 
cease-fire accord. On August 17, Sarkozy publicly released the text of 
his August 14 letter to Georgian President Saakashvili establishing such
modalities, stemming from their August 12 meeting in Tbilisi. In the 
letter, Sarkozy stated that Saakashvili,s signature of the accord would 
guarantee withdrawal of Russian forces, per Sarkozy,s discussions with 
Russian President Medvedev. With respect to the presence of Russian 
troops, Sarkozy stressed that these additional security measures -- 
which would be Russian peacekeeping forces at a level authorized by 
existing agreements -- referred only to the immediate proximity of South
Ossetia and not any other part of Georgian territory, including Gori. 

3. (U) In his August 17 phone conversation with Medvedev, Sarkozy 
underlined that a signature by all parties of the six-point accord would
have to translate into a withdrawal without delay of all Russian 
military forces in Georgia since August 7, according to the French MFA 
and French media citing the Elysee. Otherwise, non-compliance on 
Russia,s part would have a detrimental effect on its relations with the 
European Union. In the same conversation, the two heads of state agreed 
on the deployment of OSCE observers, and the French were hoping EU 
member states would make a decision today (August 18) to bring the total
number of OSCE observers on the ground to 100. The two presidents also 
agreed to hold a phone conversation each day regarding implementation of
the ceasefire. The GOF -- following on Medvedev,s announcement that the
withdrawal of Russian troops would begin on August 18 -- remains 
vigilant, especially regarding the access of humanitarian organizations 
to the civilian population. 

4. (C) Recent French attempts build on last 
week,s efforts by the GOF to achieve Sarkozy,s primary goal of 
establishing a ceasefire in Georgia that would end hostilities and allow
humanitarian assistance to flow into the country. During his 
negotiations with Russian President Medvedev and Prime Minister Putin in
Moscow August 12, Sarkozy was unable to address issues of "territorial 
integrity" and "sovereignty" for Georgia. 

5. (U) FM Kouchner, for his 
part, has been in close contact over the past few days with Secretary 
Rice, Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov, NATO Secretary General Jaap de 
Hoop Scheffer, and the Turkish Foreign Minister Ali Babacan, as well as 
with many of his counterparts in the European Union. He may also return 
to Georgia and Russia depending on how the situation evolves, but he has
no firm plans or date in mind, according to the French MFA. Kouchner 
will also participate

PARIS 00001587 002 OF 004

in the NAC tomorrow. The
foreign minister previously had presided over the August 13 GAERC 
meeting in Brussels and there relayed the results of his visits in 
Tbilisi and Moscow, where, together with the OSCE Chairman-in-Office, 
Finnish Foreign Minister Alexander Stubb, he had proposed a four-point 
plan of action. The Kouchner/Stubb original proposal did not include the
specific language in the subsequent six-point plan that Sarkozy 
brokered on Russian military forces withdrawing to pre-hostilities 
locations, Russian peacekeeping forces, or opening of international 
talks on the security and stability arrangements in Abkhazia and South 
Ossetia. However, the current plan does match the Kouchner/Stubb 
original proposal in its first 4 points: (1) not to resort to force; (2)
to end hostilities definitively; (3) to provide free access for 
humanitarian aid; and (4) the withdrawal of Georgian military forces to 
their usual bases. 

6. (U) Following on last week,s GAERC meeting, the 
French Presidency will work with the European Commission and with the 
Council secretariat on the accord regarding concrete steps for the Union
to take that would result in a peaceful and lasting solution to the 
conflict in Georgia. A working group was to begin meeting today at the 
MFA. 

7. (U) Discussions at the UN Security Council toward adopting a 
resolution that will contribute to stabilizing the situation in Georgia 
continued to take place over the weekend, according to the French MFA. 
Negotiations on the text proposed by the French were to resume today. 

8. (C) Following previous efforts (See Ref D), Post passed Georgia 
demarche points in Ref A on the afternoon of August 16 to MFA 
Continental Europe A/S equivalent Roland Galharague, who noted receipt 
of the points but was unable to provide immediately a substantive 
response. 

9. (C) Regarding upcoming French EU Presidency initiatives and
meetings, the head of the MFA,s CFSP office, Patrick Maisonnave, on 
August 18 relayed to post the agenda for the upcoming Informal Foreign 
Ministers, Meeting (Gymnich) in Avignon, which will focus on (1) the 
Middle East peace process, (2) Georgia, EU/Russia relations, (3) a 
revision of the European Security Strategy (Note: a long-standing French
ESDP priority) and (4) Transatlantic relations. If time permits, the 
agenda also will include two more agenda items: Serbia and 
Afghanistan/Pakistan. The agenda could evolve between now and September 
5-6. 

10. (C) In addition, we understand Sarkozy and Kouchner recognize 
that the situation in Georgia -- particularly a lack of a solution in 
the region -- could spill over into problems for other former Soviet 
bloc countries in the region, including Ukraine. This issue probably 
will figure prominently at the EU/Ukraine Summit, which will take place 
on September 9 in Evian, according to the Ukrainian Embassy (See Ref E).
The summit, held in the context of deepening EU/Ukraine relations, is 
intended to give a decisive boost to negotiations on a new enhanced 
agreement that began in 2007. 

11. (SBU) Following is an informal Embassy
translation of the six-point agreement on a Russian/Georgian 
cease-fire, as passed to the parties on 14 August 2008: Begin text: 
Agreed Protocol 1. No resort to force. 2. A definitive halt to 
hostilities. 3. Provision of free access for humanitarian assistance. 4.
Georgian military forces must withdraw to the places they are usually 
stationed. 5. Russian forces must withdraw to their positions prior to 
the outbreak of hostilities. While awaiting an international mechanism, 
Russian peacekeeping forces will implement additional security measures.
6. Opening of international discussions on security and stability 
modalities in Abkhazia and South Ossetia.

PARIS 00001587 003 OF 004

For the European Union, The French Presidency s/s Nicolas Sarkozy
End text 

12. (U) Following is an informal Embassy translation of a statement and 
related documents released by the French presidency on Georgia, 17 
August 2008: INFORMAL TRANSLATION OF COMMUNIQUE AND RELATED DOCUMENTS 
RELEASED BY THE FRENCH PRESIDENCY ON GEORGIA, 17 AUGUST 2008 Paris 16 
August 2008 COMMUNIQUE The Presidency of the Republic, out of concern 
for transparency, wishes to make public the letter that established 
precisely the modalities for the implementation of point 5 of the 
six-point cease-fire accord, stemming from President of the Republic 
Nicolas Sarkozy's 12 August meeting with Georgian President Mikhail 
Saakashvili. This letter was addressed on August 14 to President Mikhail
Saakashvili. Begin text: Mister President: Regarding point 5 of the 
six-point accord to which you ) after President Medvedev ) gave your 
approval 12 August during our meeting in Tbilisi, and which states that 
"Russian military forces should withdraw to positions prior to the 
outbreak of hostilities" and that "while waiting for an international 
mechanism, Russian forces will implement additional security measures," I
wish to share with you the following points for the sake of precision: 
--As I made clear at our joint press conference in Tbilisi, these 
"additional security measures" may only be implemented in the immediate 
proximity of South Ossetia to the exclusion of any other part of 
Georgian territory. --More precisely, these "measures" may only be 
implemented inside a zone of a depth of a few kilometers from the 
administrative limit between South Ossetia and the rest of Georgia in a 
manner such that no significant urban zone would be included ) I am 
thinking in particular of the city of Gori. Special arrangements must be
defined to guarantee the liberty of movement and traffic along the 
length of the major highways and railways of Georgia. --These 
"additional security measures" will take the form of patrols undertaken 
solely by Russian peacekeeping forces at a level authorized by existing 
agreements, with other Russian forces withdrawing to their positions 
prior to 7 August in conformity with the agreed protocol; --These 
"measures" will have a provisional character while awaiting the 
establishment as quickly as possible of the "international mechanism" 
whose nature and mandate are still the subject of discussion by 
different international entities, in particular the OSCE, the European 
Union, and the United Nations. Armed with these points of precision, I 
ask that you confirm the agreement that you gave me and that you 
announced publicly in Tbilisi while affixing your signature at the 
bottom of the six-point agreed protocol that I had myself signed as a 
witness and guarantor in the name of the European Union. President 
Medvedev yesterday assured me that your signature would lead to the 
withdrawal of Russian forces pursuant to the accord concluded. I ask 
that you accept, Mister President, the assurance of my highest 
consideration. s/s

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Nicolas Sarkozy End text 
The Presidency of the Republic wishes to add the three following 
clarifications: --In a letter accompanying the document relative to the 
cease-fire, the territory mentioned includes the immediate zone of 
conflict, as defined by prior arrangements, to the exclusion of any 
other part of Georgian territory. The measures defined by this document 
may only be implemented within a zone of a depth of a few kilometers, 
around Tskhinvali inside the zone of conflict. --In no way will the 
measures mentioned in the letter be allowed to limit or place in danger 
the freedom of movement and of traffic along the length of the highways 
and railways of Georgia. --Other aspects of the process to resolve the 
conflict will be discussed later. End text

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