C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 MOSCOW 001212

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 02/08/2016
TAGS: PGOV PREL PHUM PINR RS
SUBJECT: PUBLIC CHAMBER HEAD VELIKHOV DESCRIBES EFFORTS TO
HELP CIVIL SOCIETY

REF: A. MOSCOW 01090


B. MOSCOW 861

C. MOSCOW 01082

D. MOSCOW 922

Classified By: Ambassador William J. Burns. For Reasons 1.4 (b/d).


1. SUMMARY. In a February 6 meeting with the Ambassador,
Public Chamber Secretary Yevgeniy Velikhov expressed hope
that the Chamber could positively influence the implementing
regulations for the controversial NGO legislation. He
dismissed recent spying accusations against NGOs as nonsense.
He said that priorities for the Chamber included combating
hazing, anti-Semitism, xenophobia, and corruption, as well as
promoting philanthropy. Velikhov discussed the Chamber's
relations with the Duma and the Kremlin. The Ambassador
noted the mutually beneficial nature of U.S. support to civil
society in Russia and offered to share the USG experience on
working with NGOs with the Chamber. Turning to the G-8,
Velikhov criticized some of Russia's preparations on youth
and energy as superficial. END SUMMARY.
.
NGO LEGISLATION
--------------


2. (C) On February 6, Public Chamber Secretary and Kurchatov
Institute President Yevgeniy Velikhov told the Ambassador
there was a good chance that the Chamber could positively
influence the implementing regulations for the controversial
NGO legislation (ref A). The Chamber received information
about the implementation process from relevant ministries,
which were legally bound to provide such information. Based
on this information the Chamber planned to make proposals to
the GOR for the implementing regulations. The Ambassador
offered to share with the Chamber information about how the
U.S. implements its laws regarding NGOs.


3. (C) Velikhov expressed concern about the effect of the
recent spying accusations against NGOs (ref B), which he
described as nonsense. The allegations stemmed from a
baseless fear of the "colored" revolutions. Velikhov noted
that the Public Chamber's Committee on Civil Society would
work with NGOs to increase financial transparency to avoid
such charges and to fo

ster a positive image of NGOs and
donors. The Ambassador and Velikhov discussed the
possibility of a joint event with Junior Achievement to
highlight the valuable philanthropic work that the USG funded
in Russia. (Note: Velikhov was a founder of Junior
Achievement in Russia. End Note.)
.
OTHER PRIORITIES FOR CHAMBER
--------------


4. (C) Discussing some of the Chamber's other priorities,
Velikhov said the body was working with the Ministry of
Defense on the issue of hazing in the military. The problem
had a long history that defied quick fixes, and part of the
solution involved the military working with NGOs. Velikhov
noted that the Chamber's Council, which is comprised of the
Chairmen of the 17 Commissions, the Secretary and the Deputy
Secretary, would hear a report that day on the recent hazing

SIPDIS
incident in Chelyabinsk (ref C).


5. (C) Velikhov also saw a role for the Chamber in fighting
xenophobia and anti-Semitism. As a first step, the Chamber
was planning on holding prayer breakfasts with participation
by all religious denominations. Velikhov said that Russia
had difficulties in the area of religious tolerance due to
the aggressive stance of the Russian Orthodox Church in its
relations with other religious groups and the many strong
disagreements in the religious community among different
faiths.


6. (C) According to Velikhov, another key priority for the
Chamber would be to increase philanthropy. Velikhov
expressed optimism that Vladimir Potanin, chairman of the
Commission on Charity and owner of Norilsk Nickel, could
mobilize the business community to donate more. Velikhov and
the Ambassador discussed the possibility of having members of
the American Chamber of Commerce speak with a group organized
by Potanin to share U.S. business views about the importance
of charity. One of the biggest problems with philanthropy in
Russia was the absence of a tax exemption for charitable
donations, Velikhov said. Velikhov had raised this issue
with Putin many times, but it went nowhere due to Putin's
concerns that such a tax exemption would be used to launder
money.


7. (C) Velikhov said fighting corruption would be another
important task for the Chamber. He noted that corruption
existed during the Soviet period and was an illness that was

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deeply embedded in the system. Putin requested that the
Chamber help monitor the money being spent on new national
projects to protect against corruption. Velikhov had already
met with Accounting Chamber Chairman Sergey Stepashin and
Transparency International's Managing Director Yelena
Panfilova to mobilize the government, NGOs, and the public as
part of a long-term approach to the problem.
.
PUBLIC CHAMBER'S RELATIONS WITH THE GOR
--------------


8. (C) Turning to relations with the Duma, Velikhov said that
some deputies were taking a cautious approach to the Chamber.
Velikhov stressed the need for close coordination between
the Chamber and the Duma to work on developing legislation.
He expressed concern about missed opportunities for the
Chamber if Duma deputies were not forthcoming about the
schedule for pending legislation, as happened with the recent
NGO legislation. Cooperation between the two bodies was
complicated since some Duma Committees already had good
contact with NGOs and worked with them on legislation.
Velikhov noted, however, that not all Duma committees had
strong ties to NGOs. He believed that the Chamber could
serve as a bridge to civil society since all the Chamber's
Commissioners had experience working with both the Duma and
NGOs.


9. (C) Velikhov believed that the Duma had limited power over
the Chamber, since the Duma directly funded only the grants
the Chamber would give to NGOs. Velikhov said the salary for
staffers on the Chamber's Commissions came from the Kremlin,
and Chamber members received no salary at all. He also noted
that the Chamber's Commissions lacked office space at the
moment and many of the commissioners would use their own
office space for meetings. When asked by the Ambassador
about the Kremlin's role in the Chamber, Velikhov identified
Presidential Administration (PA) Domestic Politics
Administration deputy head Mikhail Ostrovskiy as the
Kremlin's main point person for the Chamber. The Kremlin had
not formally finalized the role, but Velikhov hoped that
Ostrovskiy would remain in the position. Velikhov also said
that due to his numerous responsibilities, he had reluctantly
agreed to Putin's request to head the Public Chamber and
noted that his term of service would only be for two years.
.
MORE COULD BE DONE ON EDUCATION AND NUCLEAR ENERGY FOR G-8
-------------- --------------


10. (C) Velikhov expressed concern that the GOR's
preparations for the G-8 summit were primarily focused on
public relations, rather than producing good results. In
particular the GOR could focus more on youth issues and he
called for greater educational links between the U.S. and
Russia as part of the summit. Velikhov said that Junior
Achievement might be able to play a role contributing to the
dialogue on this G-8 issue. As for energy security, Velikhov
believed that too much attention was being paid to
hydro-carbons and that nuclear issues were being neglected.
He suggested focusing on nuclear fuel cycle technology to
reduce the risks of proliferation and the costs of producing
nuclear electricity. He also spoke about a proposal in the
works to build nuclear submarines and underwater pipelines
for transporting liquid natural gas (LNG) to reduce the risk
of terrorists attacking LNG tankers. The Ambassador noted
that the energy component at the G-8 could also be
strengthened by the GOR helping resolve key issues such as
Shtokman, the Caspian pipeline, and subsoil legislation
before the summit.
.
COMMENT
--------------


11. (C) The Public Chamber was designed to strengthen the
Kremlin's control over NGOs and to help create a more
compliant civil society (ref D). Most Chamber members
support the Kremlin. Nevertheless, some of the members who
have a strong independent standing like Velikhov will likely
be useful to engage. Velikhov seemed well-informed, engaged,
and realistic about the issues that the Chamber was facing.
His willingness to reach out to organizations like
Transparency International indicates that the Chamber will
not always turn to noncontroversial organizations on issues
and that the Chamber may occasionally deviate from the
Kremlin line.
BURNS