State Department UAP Cable 003, Tbilisi, Georgia, October 30, 2001

Text

This text came with the file. It may have mistakes. When the text and the image disagree, the image is right.

CQtqflDDHIAL
IUNCLASSI FlED
ANYONE," TEREOKEN ADDED THAT IT WAS POSSIBLE THAT "ANY
SIDE" HAD SENT PLANES OVER KODORI.
4. ~
ASKED ABOUT PLANS TO WITHDRAW FROM GUDAUT A (REF
A), TEREOKEN CONFIRMED THAT ONE TRAINLOAD OF MILITARY
EQUIPMENT HAD DEPARTED THE BASE AND HAD ENTERED RUSSIA THE
MORNING OF OCTOBER 29. TWO MORE TRAINS HAVE BEEN LOADED
AND ARE AWAITING PERMISSION FROM ABKHA2 AUTHORITIES TO MOVE
TO RUSSIA. MEMBERS OF THE RUSSIAN GENERAL STAFF ARE IN
eorqflEJEM'rli\L
PAGE 04
MOSCOW 13169 01 OF 02 3017542
SUKHUMI TO COORDINATE THESE MOVES.
5. j,{d'[WE ASKED WHY OUTSIDE OBSERVERS HAD NOT BEEN INVITED
TO INSPECT THE WITHDRAWALS. TEREOKEN CLAIMED THAT THE
ABKHAZ AUTHORITIES LIKELY WOULD NOT TOLERATE THE PRESENCE
OF OUTSIDERS GIVEN THE TENSE SITUATION WITH TBILISI. THE
RUSSIANS, HE ADDED, HAD NO TIME TO INVITE OUTSIDE OBSERVERS
BECAUSE "WE DIDN'T KNOW UNTIL THE LAST MINUTE" THAT THE
WITHDRAWAL OF ONE TRAINLOAD OF EQUIPMENT WOULD PROCEED. WE
ARGUED THAT MOSCOW NOW HAS TIME IF IT HAS ALREADY LOADED
TWO OTHER TRAINS BUT IS WAITING FOR ABKHAZ PERMISSION TO
WITHDRAW. THE LACK OF TRANSPARENCY MIGHT RAISE QUESTIONS
ABOUT THE GOR'S INTENTIONS, WE NOTED. WE ASKED ABOUT PLANS
TO WITHDRAW TROOPS. TEREOKEN SAID THAT APPROXIMATELY 600
RUSSIAN PERSONNEL REMAIN AT GUDAUTA. MOSCOW CONTINUES TO
INSIST ON KEEPING ABOUT 340 THERE AS "GUARDS." TBILISI, HE
NOTED, CONTINUES TO WANT A MUCH LOWER FIGURE.
6. Ge'.) WE ASKED TEREOKEN ABOUT GEORGIAN PARLIAMENTARY
SPEAKER 2URAB 2VANIA'S VISIT TO MOSCOW LAST WEEK. HE
CONFIRMED THAT THE TONE OF 2VANIA'S VISIT WAS POSITIVE. HE
NOTED, HOWEVER, THAT THE VISIT "HAD NO PRACTICAL OUTCOME."
THE GEORGIAN EMBASSY TOLD US OCTOBER 26 THAT GEORGIAN
ZVANIA'S VISIT WAS GOING WELL (NOTE: 2VANIA DEPARTED
MOSCOW OCTOBER 28). ACCORDING TO GEORGIAN POLCOUNS
CHKHEID2E, 2VANIA AND RUSSIAN DUMA SPEAKER GENNADIY
eormeerrnit1:t
eorqflEJElq'fli\L
PTQ6891
PAGE 01
MOSCOW 13169 02 OF 02 3017542
ACTION 10-00
INFO LOG-00 NP-00 AID-00 ACQ-00 CIAE-00 DOEE-00 DOTE-00
SRPP-00 DS-00
EB-00
EUR-00 OIGO-00 FAAE-00 FBIE-00
VC-00
H-01
TEDE-00 INR-00 LAB-01 L-00
VCE-00
MOFM-05 MOF-03 M-00
AC-01
NRRC-00 NSAE-00 NSCE-00
OIC-02 OMB-01 PA-00
PC-01
PM-00
PRS-00 ACE-00
P-00
SCT-00 SP-00
SS-00 TRSE-00 T-00
USIE-00
SA-00
SNIS-00 NISC-00 SSD-00 PMB-00 DSCC-00 PRM-00
DRL-02 G-00
NFAT-00 SAS-00 SWCl-00 /017W
----378300 3017542/38
P 3017412 OCT 01
!UNCLASSIFIED
COMFIDEMTIAL
Page 3 of 5