COt~FIDDHIAL


                                            IUNCLASSIFl ED




               FM AMEMBASSY MOSCOW
               TO SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 1143
               INFO AMEMBASSY TBILISI PRIORITY
               USMISSION USUN NEW YORK PRIORITY
               MOSCOW POLITICAL COLLECTIVE
               AMEMBASSY BAKU
               AMEMBASSY YEREVAN
               USMISSION USOSCE
               SECDEF WASHDC
               JOINT STAFF WASHDC

               CO Id FIDE Id TI AL JECTION 02 OF 02 MOSCOW 013169

               E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/29/21
               TAGS: PREL, MARR, KCFE, UN, OSCE, GG, RS
               SUBJECT: UFOS OVER GEORGIA: STRANGE ENCOUNTERS OF AN MFA
               KIND
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               PAGE 02    MOSCOW 13169 02 OF 02 301754Z

               SELEZNEV AGREED THAT BOTH COUNTRIES NEEDED TO DISCUSS THEIR
               DIFFERENCES CALMLY AND WORK ON A GENERAL TREATY.

               7. -"3'J TEREOKEN DISMISSED PRESS REPORTS THAT DEFENSE
               MINISTER SERGEY IVANOV HAD AGREED TO VISIT TBILISI VERY
               SOON BUT NOTED HE COULD NOT ENTIRELY RULE OUT A VISIT IN
               THE COMING WEEKS. HE CLAIMED THERE ARE PLANS FOR A
               POSSIBLE MEETING BETWEEN SHEVARDNADZE AND PUTIN ON THE
               MARGINS OF THE NOVEMBER 30-DECEMBER 1 CIS SUMMIT IN MOSCOW,
               BUT NOTED NOTHING IS YET CONFIRMED.

               8. -"3'J COMMENT: IT IS HARD TO ACCEPT OFFICIAL RUSSIAN
               DENIALS THAT RUSSIAN PLANES WERE NOT INVOLVED. TO POSIT
               THAT THEY COULD BE UFOS WOULD BE HUMOROUS IF IT WERE NOT
               FOR THE SERIOUSNESS OF THE VIOLATIONS. MOST LIKELY THE
               RUSSIANS WANT TO KEEP THE PRESSURE ON THE GEORGIANS AND THE
               CHECHENS IN THE GORGE IN AN UNSUBTLE EFFORT TO PREVENT
               THESE GROUPS' MOVEMENT TO ABKHAZIA OR TO RUSSIA. THEIR
               OFFICIAL DENIALS REFLECT A TRADITIONAL RUSSIAN PENCHANT TO
               AVOID AN AWKWARD ADMISSION WITH A BOLD LIE. AS FOR
               GUDAUTA, THE GOR LIKELY IS USING THE CONTINUED PRESENCE OF
               ITS 600 TROOPS THERE AS A BARGAINING CHIP TO TRY TO GET
               CONCESSIONS FROM TBILISI ON BOTH THE BODEN PAPER ON
               ABKHAZIA AND ON CLAMPING DOWN ON CHECH ENS INSIDE GEORGIA.

               VERSHBOW

                          COldFIDENTIAL

               « END OF DOCUMENT »


               Info:      TBILISI, AMEMBASSY ROUTINE




                                             !UNCLASSIFIED

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