Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
07TBILISI1039
2007-05-04 14:11:00
UNCLASSIFIED
Embassy Tbilisi
Cable title:  

Georgia Bi-Weekly Update May 4

Tags:  PREL PGOV GG 
pdf how-to read a cable
VZCZCXRO5865
RR RUEHAG RUEHAST RUEHDA RUEHDBU RUEHDF RUEHFL RUEHIK RUEHKW RUEHLA
RUEHLN RUEHLZ RUEHPOD RUEHROV RUEHSR RUEHVK RUEHYG
DE RUEHSI #1039/01 1241411
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 041411Z MAY 07
FM AMEMBASSY TBILISI
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 6251
INFO RUEHZL/EUROPEAN POLITICAL COLLECTIVE
UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 TBILISI 001039 

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

E.O 12958: N/A
TAGS: PREL PGOV GG
SUBJECT: Georgia Bi-Weekly Update May 4

REF: TBILISI 0926

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 TBILISI 001039

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

E.O 12958: N/A
TAGS: PREL PGOV GG
SUBJECT: Georgia Bi-Weekly Update May 4

REF: TBILISI 0926


1. This cable contains current items of political, economic, and
social interest concerning Georgia during the weeks of April 21-May

4.

Opposition Supports South Ossetia Initiative
--------------

2. Georgian opposition parties have embraced President Saakashvili's
proposal to create a temporary administrative unit in South Ossetia
(reftel). Representatives of the New Rights Party led by David
Gamkrelidze, usually quick to criticize Saakashvili's initiatives,
visited the Georgian-controlled part of South Ossetia immediately
after Saakashvili's April 23 announcement of his plan. They met
with Dmitry Sanakoyev and other members of the "alternative
government," as well as with the local population. The de facto
government of Eduard Kokoity turned down a New Rights request for a
meeting. Shortly afterwards, Industrialist Party leader (and
president of the beer producer Kazbegi) Gogi Topadze visited
Sanakoyev to discuss joint business projects in agriculture. This
year the Kazbegi company plans to invest over USD 300,000 in the
conflict zone.

Public Defender vs. the Ministry of Refugees
--------------

3. On April 30, Public Defender (or Ombudsman) Sozar Subari for the
first time used his constitutional right to address the President
with a formal letter, requesting him to protect the rights of
internally displaced persons (IDPs). Subari argues that IDPs are
being evicted from their temporary shelters without sufficient
support from the Ministry of Refugees and Accommodation. In many
cases, the IDPs have occupied the "temporary" shelters for more than
ten years. The Ministry, in turn, has disputed the charges, and
Minister Kheviashvili has called for Subari to resign.

Opposition's Controversial Comments on Abkhazia
-------------- --

4. On April 23, prominent Republican Party member Paata
Zakareishvili made televised comments alleging that a Zugdidi unit
of the Ministry of Internal Affairs was behind a group of Georgian
students who became active in Abkhazia during the elections of the
de facto parliament in early March, "terrorizing the local
population" as Zakareishvili described it. Following the interview,
a group of students burst into Republican Party offices to express
their indignation. Although Speaker Burjanadze later reprimanded
the students for their aggressive action against the Republican

Party, prominent National Movement leader Giga Bokeria publicly
slammed the Republicans and Zakareishvili for adopting an
"anti-state approach." Bokeria said that the party will have to pay
a high political cost for such irresponsible statements.

Political Parties Compete for Left-wing Niche
--------------

5. Opposition parties appear to be competing with each other to
organize demonstrations presenting themselves as the champions of
rising social issues. Most vocal is Shalva Natelashvili's Labor
Party, which called for a nationwide strike April 17 to protest the
government's tax and labor policies. Now Natelashvili is calling
for a large protest in front of Parliament on May 10. Other leftist
parties seem reluctant to accept Natelashvili's invitation to join
this demonstration, and four of them have instead invited him to
join an alternative event on May 8, the day Parliament is scheduled
to consider bills on rehabilitation fees and an increase of
transportation fares. Adding to the mix, Zviad Dzidziguri's
Conservative Party is planning a May 10 event to demand increased
pensions for retirees.

"Lettergate" Engulfs Natelashvili
--------------

6. The often cantankerous Labor Party leader Shalva Natelashvili
claimed in April that he had been in consultations with the Iranian
Ambassador to Georgia to secure the release of the British Royal
Marines then held captive in Iran. Following the Marines' release,
Natelashvili took credit publicly. Soon thereafter, he trumpeted
his receipt of a glowing letter of appreciation from British
Ambassador to Georgia for its role in the resolution of UK's
international crisis. As media sources who obtained the letter soon
noted, it contained some curious mistakes in its letterhead,
referring to "Grat Britain" and "Northen Irland," and was signed by
"Her Majesty Ambassador Donald MacLaren," rather than the usual "Her
Majesty's Ambassador." MacLaren himself denied the authenticity of
the letter before banks of TV news cameras. In response,
Natelashvili publicly called MacLaren a powerless puppet of the
Saakashvili government, and sent a letter to London demanding his
recall.

Prime Minister's Surgery Triggers Rumors
--------------

7. The unexpected news that Prime Minister Noghaideli underwent
heart surgery (related to a congenital defect he has had since
childhood) while on an April visit to the U.S. triggered rumors that
he might resign, although government officials denied them.
Following the April 19 surgery, Noghaideli's health was declared

TBILISI 00001039 002 OF 002


satisfactory and he was discharged from the hospital after ten days.
His assistant assured reporters that he would resume his duties in
early May, but a number of observers noted that the doctors'
recommendation that he not overwork seemed hardly compatible with
the demands associated with his job.

Will Open Skies Close Skies for Georgian Companies?
-------------- --------------

8. An analytical program on Imedi TV reported that the Georgian
government intends to negotiate an Open Skies Agreement with the
United States. The report focused in particular on the risks of
liberalizing the Georgian air market, which the GOG has been doing
on a unilateral basis apart from discussions with the USG on an Open
Skies treaty. Representatives of Georgian air companies and the
Aviation School asserted that the U.S. agreement would spell the
doom of local aviation. French and German experts interviewed on
the program recommended that Georgia adopt a protectionist policy
favoring national air carriers. European airlines dominate the
market for travel from Georgia and would not welcome new competition
any more than the Georgian national carriers.

Georgian Trade Union Confederation Celebrates May 1
-------------- --------------

9. About a thousand members of the Georgian Trade Union
Confederation (GTUC) held a march in Tbilisi on May 1, which is not
a national holiday in Georgia as it is in most of Europe. The
marchers were of varied ages, and carried signs promoting adoption
of European labor standards. The GTUC issued a "May Day Manifesto"
that protests against Georgia's new labor legislation and "all forms
of oppression and discrimination in workplaces, attempts to
establish unlimited working time and unpaid overtime work, and
limiting women's rights to maternity leave." The GTUC urgently
seeks a "social dialogue" with the government, aimed at securing
effective rights to strike and clear procedures for collective
bargaining.

TEFFT