HAVING OUR SAY ON THE PROPOSED CONSTITUTIONAL

UNCLAS YEREVAN 000887

SIPDIS

SENSITIVE

DEPT FOR DRL AND EUR/CACEN

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PGOV PREL AM
SUBJECT: HAVING OUR SAY ON THE PROPOSED CONSTITUTIONAL
AMENDMENTS

REF: YEREVAN 856


1. (U) Sensitive but unclassified. Please protect
accordingly.

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SUPPORTING THE COE
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2. (SBU) The National Assembly passed the governing
coalition's draft amendments in the first reading May
11 (reftel). The Council of Europe's (CoE) Venice
Commission has been working closely with the GOAM and
the National Assembly throughout the Constitutional
reform process, and has provided the GOAM with
detailed textual analyses of the draft amendments.

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USG SHOULD WEIGH IN
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3. (SBU) The period leading up to the second reading
(probably mid-June) of the proposed amendments is
crucial -- this is the period when any serious edits
will occur. We believe we can make a difference, and
our message is simple:

-- We urge the GOAM to continue to work closely with
the Council of Europe to amend its constitution in
line with western norms.

-- We note that executive power must be subject to
effective checks and balances, including a strong
legislature.

-- We urge the GOAM to ensure that the judiciary is
independent and impartial.

-- We look forward to seeing the GOAM empower regional
and local government; governors and the Yerevan mayor
should be elected.

Although these points are perhaps excessively
straightforward, we believe that, for most audiences,
they are tactically more useful than the 124 detailed
points (e-mailed separately to EUR/CACEN) laid out by
the Venice Commission. One of the key stumbling
blocks for the amended constitution will be the public
perception that the discussions took place among
elites and specialists, which has the potential to
harm the chances for a successful referendum to
approve the changes.


4. (SBU) We plan to make these points with
interlocutors across the political spectrum --
together with the CoE's Venice Commission that is
making a detailed text-in/text-out analysis of the
draft amendments, we have the potential to help the
GOAM do the right thing on these fundamental points.
EVANS