Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
06RIGA656
2006-08-18 04:20:00
UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY
Embassy Riga
Cable title:  

RUSSIA URGES ROBUST OSCE OBERSERVATION OF OCTOBER

Tags:  PGOV PHUM PREL KDEM OSCE RU LG 
pdf how-to read a cable
VZCZCXRO3894
RR RUEHAST
DE RUEHRA #0656 2300420
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 180420Z AUG 06
FM AMEMBASSY RIGA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 3251
INFO RUEHZL/EUROPEAN POLITICAL COLLECTIVE
UNCLAS RIGA 000656 

SIPDIS

SENSITIVE
SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PGOV PHUM PREL KDEM OSCE RU LG

SUBJECT: RUSSIA URGES ROBUST OSCE OBERSERVATION OF OCTOBER
ELECTIONS


UNCLAS RIGA 000656

SIPDIS

SENSITIVE
SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PGOV PHUM PREL KDEM OSCE RU LG

SUBJECT: RUSSIA URGES ROBUST OSCE OBERSERVATION OF OCTOBER
ELECTIONS



1. (SBU) Summary: An ODIHR election assessment team visited Latvia
August 3-4 to assess the overall state of Latvia's election system
prior to October parliamentary elections in order to make
recommendations on an OSCE election observation mission. As part of
this assessment, the team met with representatives from embassies of
OSCE member states. Russian Ambassador Kalyuzhny dominated the
one-hour discussion, cataloguing myriad complaints against the
election system in Latvia that he charged disproportionately harmed
Latvia's ethnic Russian population. Others present at the
discussion seemed to take Kalyuzhny's assertions with a healthy
degree of skepticism, and OSCE reps suggested to us they will
recommend a scaled down mission. We expect Russia will continue to
argue this case all the way through to election day. End Summary.



2. (U) On August 3-4, a three person ODIHR needs assessment team
visited Latvia to assess the overall election framework in Latvia.
The team's findings will influence what kind of observer mission
OSCE/ODIHR deploys to Latvia for parliamentary elections October 7.
As part of its assessment work, the ODIHR team convened a meeting of
representatives from embassies of OSCE member states posted to
Latvia to gather their input to the mission report.


3. (SBU) When the ODIHR team members opened the floor for remarks,
Russian Ambassador Viktor Kalyuzhny immediately took the floor. He
spent the next twenty minutes detailing a litany of complaints
regarding the state of elections in Latvia. He first urged the
ODIHR team to decide on a full scale observer mission, regardless of
the results of the assessment trip. He lamented that there have
been few changes to the Latvian electoral system since the last
parliamentary elections in 2002 and that the system is unfair to the
ethnic Russian population. He asserted that, if the OSCE is to
provide full monitoring missions for elections in some post-Soviet
states, it must do so in all post-Soviet States--including the
Baltics.


4. (SBU) The assertive nature of Ambassador Kalyuzhny's remarks
created a stilted atmosphere at the meeting, and few representatives
present seemed willing to offer comments. In response to a question
from the ODIHR team, the Dutch Ambassador observed that the Latvian
Corruption Prevention and Combating Bureau (KNAB--created in 2003),
while still experiencing growing pains, has made a good start at
addressing corruption issues in Latvia. The Russian Ambassador
immediately rejoined that, in fact, the KNAB is simply "a lot of
noise, but no results." The entire discussion lasted a little over
one hour, with the majority dominated by Kalyuzhny.


5. Following the meeting, one member of the ODIHR assessment team
mentioned casually to PolEconOff that, Russian assertions
notwithstanding, the team's ultimate recommendation would likely be
for a scaled-down observer mission for the upcoming October
elections. The team's report is due to be released in late August
or early September.


6. (SBU) Comment: The Russian Ambassador delivered his remarks from
carefully prepared talking points fully in line with his normal
litany of complaints against the GOL. From the facial expressions
of other participants, as well as comments after the event, it
appeared that Ambassador Kalyuzhny's statements were taken with a
healthy dose of skepticism. Nevertheless, we expect that Russia
will, for a variety of reasons, continue to assert in both the OSCE
and Council of Europe that Latvia's elections will fall short of
basic standards. We have seen nothing to lead us to a similar
conclusion. End Comment.

ANTWEILER