Cablegate: Tfgg01: Hmg Agrees On Need to Pressure Russia To

VZCZCXRO0495
OO RUEHAG RUEHROV
DE RUEHLO #2112 2271354
ZNY SSSSS ZZH
O 141354Z AUG 08
FM AMEMBASSY LONDON
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 9495
INFO RUEHXP/ALL NATO POST COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
RUCNMEM/EU MEMBER STATES COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
RUEHMO/AMEMBASSY MOSCOW PRIORITY 2699
RUEHSI/AMEMBASSY TBILISI PRIORITY 0287
RUEHVEN/USMISSION USOSCE PRIORITY 0630
RUEHNO/USMISSION USNATO PRIORITY 1230

S E C R E T LONDON 002112

NOFORN
SIPDIS

FOR EUR/WE, EUR/CACEN, EUR/RUS, GEORGIA TASK FORCE

E.O. 12958: DECL: 08/14/2018
TAGS: MOPS PREL PHUM OSCE UNAUS GG RS UK
SUBJECT: TFGG01: HMG AGREES ON NEED TO PRESSURE RUSSIA TO
WITHDRAW FROM GEORGIA REF: STATE 87254 Classified By: Political Minister-Counselor Greg Berry for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d).

Situation in Gori ------------------

1. (S/NF) FCO Georgia Task Force Director (and Head of International Organizations Department) Nick Hopton expressed appreciation for points reftel and noted HMG concurrence with U.S. view that Russia needs to comply with its agreement to remove its forces from Georgia, and to allow OSCE and other observers in to report on the humanitarian situation. Hopton told us that UK Embassy Tbilisi and the UK seconded monitor to the OSCE Mission both confirmed press reports that Russian troops were withdrawing from the center of Gori. He cautioned, however that while the trend was definitely a reduction in troop levels, Russian patrols were still entering the city occasionally. Hopton also noted that Georgian police were returning to their stations in Gori, and that thus far there had been no violent encounters between the police and Russian troops.

Humanitarian Aid ----------------

2. (C) Task Force members told us that a humanitarian needs assessment team (comprised of FCO and Department for International Development (DfID) personnel) will hit the ground on Saturday to decide specific needs. Meanwhile, HMG is allocating UK Pounds 500K to ICRC (about 1M USD) and is contributing 1/6th of the 1m Euros the EC is pushing forward.

Consular Situation ------------------

3. (C) According to the Task Force, the flow of UK nationals from Tbilisi to Yerevan has stopped, and in fact some of the evacuees have opted to return to Georgia. The UK is therefor calling back to London consular personnel sent to Yerevan earlier in the week to help with the surge. UK consular personnel in Yerevan also report that the Georgian government is not allowing males between the ages of 16 and 55 to leave the country due to what the Georgians are describing as a "general military mobilization." Any who make it past Georgian immigration officials are being allowed to enter Armenia. Visit London's Classified Website: XXXXXXXXXXXX TUTTLE

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