ZOURABICHVILI WORKING TO FORGE COMMON OPPOSITION

C O N F I D E N T I A L TBILISI 001064 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 05/09/2017 TAGS: PREL PGOV GG SUBJECT: ZOURABICHVILI WORKING TO FORGE COMMON OPPOSITION PLATFORM FOR 2008 ELECTIONS Classified By: Ambassador John F. Tefft, for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d) ¶1. (C) On May 7, Ambassador met with Salome Zourabichvili, former Georgian Minister of Foreign Affairs and current leader of the opposition party "Georgia's Way." Zourabichvili told the Ambassador that she was currently holding meetings with the leaders from all the opposition parties in Georgia in an attempt to forge a common set of policies in advance of the 2008 elections. She said she also envisioned the creation of an arbitration commission, comprised of international organizations and NGOs, that could actively present issues to the public in the year leading up to the elections and be aggressive in intervening with the GoG to ensure that the next elections are as free as possible. A common platform and arbitration commission would be the first step for the opposition, she said, followed by the selection of a common presidential candidate (Note: In an aside she hinted that she thought she would be the opposition candidate. End note). Ambassador said that a group of western Ambassadors and the OSCE has already met with Speaker of the Parliament Nino Burjanadze to emphasize that the Central Election Committee needs to start working on the voters' lists and preparing for the 2008 elections now. ¶2. (C) Zourabichvili also told the Ambassador that she was concerned about the way the GoG is handling the situation in the conflict zones. She said she was particularly concerned about recent GoG rhetoric towards Abkhazia and the establishment of a youth "patriot camp" in the village of Mukhuri, a Georgian-controlled village on the opposite bank of the Enguri river. Most of that side of the Enguri is Abkhaz-controlled, and the camp will be very close to Abkhaz areas. She said that she recently tried to visit the camp, but was warned away by Georgian soldiers, who said it was too dangerous because Abkhaz criminal gangs frequently cross over into the village. She said the GoG was "playing games" with Georgian youth by establishing this camp so close to the Abkhaz border. TEFFT