COt~FIDDHIAL
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               KIND

               CLASSIFIED BY POLMINCOUNS GEORGE KROL. REASON 1.5 (B/D).

               REF: (A) MOSCOW 13072 (B) TBILISI 3087

               1. J,e'f SUMMARY: DEPUTY FOREIGN MINISTER MAMEDOV TOLD
               AMBASSADOR VERSHBOW OCTOBER 30 THAT ACCORDING TO THE
               RUSSIAN MINISTRY OF DEFENSE, NO RUSSIAN PLANES FLEW OVER OR
               BOMBED POSITIONS IN THE KODORI GORGE OCTOBER 28-29, DESPITE
               GEORGIAN ACCUSATIONS TO THE CONTRARY. MFA GEORGIA DESK
               CHIEF TEREOKEN ECHOED MAMEDOV'S STATEMENT. TEREOKEN
               FURTHER CONFIRMED THAT ONE RAILWAY CAR FULL OF RUSSIAN
               MILITARY EQUIPMENT LEFT GUDAUTA BASE AND ENTERED RUSSIA
               OCTOBER 29 (REF A) AND THAT TWO OTHER RAILWAY CARS ARE
               LOADED AND AWAITING ABKHAZ PERMISSION TO LEAVE FOR RUSSIA.
               THERE ARE NO PLANS TO WITHDRAW PERSONNEL UNTIL TBILISI
               AGREES THAT APPROXIMATELY 340 RUSSIAN "GUARDS" CAN REMAIN
               AT GUDAUTA. TEREOKEN SAID THAT ABKHAZ AUTHORITIES WOULD
               NOT ALLOW ANY OUTSIDE OBSERVERS TO WITNESS THE WITHDRAWAL.
               TEREOKEN TERMED GEORGIAN PARLIAMENTARY SPEAKER ZVANIA'S
               OCTOBER 25-28 VISIT TO MOSCOW POSITIVE IN TONE BUT EMPTY OF
               RESULTS. ACCORDING TO THE GEORGIAN EMBASSY, ZVANIA AND
               RUSSIAN DUMA SPEAKER SELEZNEV AGREED THAT BOTH SIDES SHOULD
               AVOID RECRIMINATIONS. TEREOKEN DENIED MEDIA REPORTS THAT
               DEFENSE MINISTER SERGEY IVANOV WAS PLANNING TO VISIT
               TBILISI SOON BUT DID NOT RULE OUT A VISIT COMPLETELY. END
               SUMMARY

               2. ~ ON OCTOBER 30, DURING A PREVIOUSLY SCHEDULED
               MEETING, AMBASSADOR VERSHBOW RAISED REFTEL B REPORTS
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               ALLEGING RUSSIAN PLANES HAD VIOLATED GEORGIAN AIRSPACE AND
               BOMBED AREAS OF THE KODORI GORGE. THE AMBASSADOR STRESSED
               THAT SUCH INCIDENTS, IF TRUE, AND IF CONTINUED, COULD BE
               DISASTROUS FOR U.S.-RUSSIAN RELATIONS AND SPOIL THE
               UPCOMING SUMMIT MEETING OF OUR PRESIDENTS IN THE U.S.
               MAMEDOV AGREED THAT SUCH INCIDENTS WOULD HAVE A NEGATIVE
               EFFECT ON THE SUMMIT, BUT QUOTED THE RUSSIAN MINISTRY OF
               DEFENSE AS CATEGORICALLY DENYING THAT RUSSIAN PLANS WERE
               INVOLVED IN ANY INCIDENTS IN GEORGIAN AIRSPACE.

               3. Jj&'J MFA GEORGIA DESK CHIEF TEREOKEN, ECHOING MAMEDOV'S
               CLAIMS, DENIED TO US OCTOBER 30 REPORTS OF RUSSIAN PLANES
               BOMBING KODORI GORGE IN ABKHAZIA. HE ALSO DENIED THAT
               THERE WERE ANY RUSSIAN VIOLATIONS OF GEORGIAN AIRSPACE,
               SAYING THAT THERE HAD BEEN NO RUSSIAN PLANES FLYING NEAR
               THE AREA ON EITHER OCTOBER 28 OR 29. ACCORDING TO
               TEREOKEN, THERE WERE CREDIBLE REPORTS OF ABKHAZ HELICOPTERS
               BOMBING THE AREAS "WHERE THE TERRORISTS WERE" BUT THAT
               REPORTS OF PLANES IN THE AREA MIGHT AS WELL HAVE BEEN ABOUT
               "UFOS." MOSCOW, HE EXPLAINED, DOES NOT HAVE THE TECHNICAL
               CAPABILITY TO DETERMINE WHETHER THERE WERE FOREIGN PLANES
               IN THE REGION. UNDERSCORING THAT HE "WAS NOT ACCUSING




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