US embassy cable - 05PARIS4801

C O N F I D E N T I A L PARIS 004801 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 07/08/2015 
TAGS: PGOV, PREL, UZ, KG, FR, UNSC 
SUBJECT: UZBEKISTAN: FRENCH RESPONSE TO DEMARCHE 
 
REF: STATE 124041 
 
Classified By: Political Minister Counselor Josiah Rosenblatt 
for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d). 
 
1. (C) Poloff delivered reftel points to MFA IO central Asia 
action officer Alice Guitton July 5 and followed up with 
Uzbekistan desk officer Bertrand Buchwalter July 8 as Guitton 
was unreachable.  Buchwalter said that the MFA's Eastern 
European division still needed to coordinate a final position 
with the IO directorate.  He offered as a preliminary 
response that France was very concerned about the situation 
in Uzbekistan and the Uzbek refugees in Kyrgyzstan and had 
made a number of demarches to both governments, and had also 
taken the lead in putting the issue on the EU agenda. 
Buchwalter said that the issue would again be on the agenda 
for the next EU GAERC on July 18 with a view to instituting 
certain sanctions against Uzbekistan. 
 
3. (C) Buchwalter said that the GoF was looking at 
progressive, targeted, sanctions, hoping not to isolate 
Uzbekistan, while keeping other sanctions as leverage. 
Buchwalter said that the GoF wanted to work with the USG on 
this issue and envisioned several options, including 
discussion by the UNSC and/or at the UNGA and the OSCE. 
Buchwalter said that the GoF favored using the Moscow 
mechanism. 
 
3. (C) Pressed on involving UNSYG Annan, Buchwalter said that 
the U.N. should play a role, but that the refugee crisis was 
only part of the problem in the region.  He promised that he 
or the IO directorate would contact us early in the week of 
July 11 to provide a more definitive GoF position. 
STAPLETON