C O N F I D E N T I A L VILNIUS 000666 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 
08/12/2018 TAGS: PREL, XG, GG, LH SUBJECT: TFGG01: LITHUANIA TO PUSH EU 
VISA FACILITATION FOR GEORGIANS REF: STATE 86108 Classified By: CDA 
Damian R. Leader for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d) 

1. (C) Post shared reftel 
points August 12 with MFA Director of Transatlantic Cooperation and 
Security Policy Vytautas Leskevicius who said FM Vaitiekunas expects to 
brief his EU counterparts at the August 13 GAERC on what he witnessed in
Georgia August 10-11 and invite them to go to Tbilisi themselves to 
"form a human shield" to help prevent further Russian aggression. 
Leskevicius said Lithuania favors suspension of post-PCA and visa 
facilitation negotiations with the Russians and commencement of visa 
facilitation negotiations with the Georgians. He also said Vaitiekunas 
might raise the possibility of deploying the EU Rapid Reaction Force to 
Georgia. The latter was publicly supported by the parliament's Foreign 
Affairs Committee August 12. 

2. (C) Leskevicius said Lithuania was 
pleased by Ukrainian President Yushchenko's decision to join the group 
of Presidents expected to arrive in Tbilisi August 12. He also shared 
Lithuanian hopes that the situation in Georgia will solidify the 
internal Ukrainian discussion in favor of closer ties to the West and 
NATO. Leskevicius said French President Sarkozy will meet with the group
of Presidents August 13 in Tbilisi (after Sarkozy's August 12 trip to 
Moscow). 

3. (U) In Vilnius, the Russian Embassy has been a venue for 
various protests both on August 11 and 12, the latter organized by the 
Conservative Party together with members of the Georgian community. A 
larger rally is expected August 13 in Cathedral square, a popular venue 
in the old city for public events. A peaceful group of about half a 
dozen pro-Georgia protesters gathered at lunch time outside the U.S. 
Embassy August 12 urging the United States to do more for Georgia. The 
group dispersed after about 30 minutes. LEADER