COt~FIDDHIAL                                IUNCLASSI Fl ED




               ANYONE," TEREOKEN ADDED THAT IT WAS POSSIBLE THAT "ANY
               SIDE" HAD SENT PLANES OVER KODORI.

               4. 1,Id7 ASKED ABOUT PLANS TO WITHDRAW FROM GUDAUTA (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
                         eOJqflEJEM'rl>\L

               PAGE 04   MOSCOW 13169 01 OF 02 3017542
               SUKHUMI TO COORDINATE THESE MOVES.

               5. J,{d'f 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

                         COlfflEJElffl>\L

                           eOlqflEJEIHl>\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




                                               IU NCLASS IFl ED


COMFIDEMTIAL                                                                   Page 3 of 5