INDEPENDENT NEWS

Cablegate: Estonia: Foreign Minister and Parliament Speak Out

Published: Thu 24 Apr 2008 02:25 PM
VZCZCXRO7042
RR RUEHAG RUEHAST RUEHBW RUEHDA RUEHDF RUEHFL RUEHIK RUEHKW RUEHLA
RUEHLN RUEHLZ RUEHPOD RUEHROV RUEHSR RUEHVK RUEHYG
DE RUEHTL #0145 1151425
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 241425Z APR 08
FM AMEMBASSY TALLINN
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 0598
INFO RUEHZL/EUROPEAN POLITICAL COLLECTIVE
RUEHSI/AMEMBASSY TBILISI 0180
RUEHMO/AMEMBASSY MOSCOW 2597
UNCLAS TALLINN 000145
SIPDIS
SIPDIS
FOR EUR/NB KATHERINE GARRY
E.O. 12958
TAGS: PREL PGOV EUN RS GG EN
SUBJECT: ESTONIA: FOREIGN MINISTER AND PARLIAMENT SPEAK OUT
AGAINST RUSSIAN ACTIONS IN GEORGIA
REF: TALLINN 139
1. (U) On April 23, after an extraordinary session of
Parliament, Estonian Foreign Minister Urmas Paet and the
Parliament released statements in support of the
sovereignty and territorial integrity of Georgia. The
parliament's statement called on Russia to suspend the
regulation signed by President Putin last week tightening
Russian contacts with the de facto authorities of Abkhazia
and South Ossetia. Parliament also welcomed statements by
the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (April
17) and the EU (April 18) confirming support for the
sovereignty and territorial integrity of Georgia and
calling on Russia to honor its commitments toward a
peaceful settlement of differences. Finally, the
parliament statement noted that Russia's failure to promote
peace in accordance with its commitments as a member of the
UN Secretary General's Group of Friends of Georgia calls
into question a potential partnership and cooperation
accord between the European Union and Russia.
2. (U) In his own strongly worded statement, FM Paet
condemned the shooting down of an unmanned Georgian plane
on Georgian territory, Russian attempts to intensify
Abkhazia and South Ossetia accession desires, and Russia's
refusal to obey the Commonwealth of Independent States'
economic blockade against Abkhazia. FM Paet stressed that
the international community must not leave Georgia alone,
and needs to confront these infractions of international
norms. At the same time, FM Paet called on both Georgia
and Russia to restrain from exacerbating the situation and
seek ways to peacefully resolve the current conflict.
PHILLIPS
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