SPEAKER BURJANADZE ON OPPOSITION, CONFLICTS, AND

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 TBILISI 001101 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 05/10/2017 TAGS: PGOV PREL PHUM KDEM GG RU SUBJECT: SPEAKER BURJANADZE ON OPPOSITION, CONFLICTS, AND ELECTIONS REF: TBILISI 1036 Classified By: Ambassador John F. Tefft for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d). ¶1. (C) Summary: During a May 10 meeting with Ambassador, Speaker Burjanadze said she was frustrated by opposition New Rights party MP David Gamkrelidze's decision to withdraw from an inter-faction parliamentary group established to draft a new law on property rights. Burjanadze said Gamkrelidze withdrew his cooperation because he fears losing popularity among his electorate by working with the ruling party. Citing recent opposition contributions to legislation, she said she hopes this "important" cooperation will continue. Burjanadze was positive on her recent trip to "alternative government" headquarters in Kurta where she met Sanakoev and local citizens. She regrets the Kokoity regime's refusal to talk with the Government but said the GOG remains committed to offering a dialogue with the de facto authorities. Burjanadze said Parliament and the Central Election Commission (CEC) are reviewing the OSCE Ambassador's group on Elections suggested steps to prepare for the 2008 Parliamentary and Presidential elections which were delivered on May 2 (reftel). She added that she "unofficially" supports calls from some quarters to reduce the 7% threshold for political parties to enter Parliament to 5%. She said it is critical to ensure that Georgia's weak opposition parties are able to win seats in the upcoming election in order to strengthen democratic checks on government power and to avoid a National Movement sweep of the legislature. End Summary. -------------- Ruling Party-Opposition Cooperation -------------- ¶2. (C) During a May 10 meeting with Ambassador, Speaker Burjanadze said she was frustrated by New Rights opposition MP David Gamkrelidze's decision to withdraw from an inter-faction parliamentary group established to draft a new law on property rights. Burjanadze, a force behind recent moves by the Government to reach out to the opposition on national strategic objectives, criticized Gamkrelidze's decision as misguided and short-sighted. The move has also made further compromise on the property rights law more difficult for Burjanadze, as Gamkrelidze's withdrawal from the inter-factional group will strengthen the position of National Movement reformers who are skeptical of the merits of consulting with the opposition. ¶3. (C) Burjanadze said the recent detente between opposition parliamentary factions and the ruling party has produced strong results, citing constructive opposition contributions to recent legislative initiatives on the tax code and the preservation of Georgia's cultural heritage. Despite Gamkrelidze's "ill-advised" decision to suspend cooperation with the National Movement, she hopes this important cooperation with the other opposition factions will continue. (Note: On May 10, in another blow to the ruling party - opposition detente, Zurab Tkemaladze, an MP from the Industrialist party, also withdrew from the inter-faction parliamentary working group on property rights, casting doubt on whether the group will continue to meet. End Note.) -------------- South Ossetia -------------- ¶4. (C) Burjanadze was positive about her recent trip to South Ossetian "alternative government" headquarters in Kurta, where she said locals are supportive of union with Tbilisi but asked serious questions about what their autonomy would specifically entail. She said Sanakoev made a strong impression as a leader who has the support of the local population. She regrets the Kokoity regime's refusal to talk with the Government but said the GOG remains committed to offering dialogue. She believes Russia is pressuring both the Kokoity regime in South Ossetia and the Bagapsh regime in Abkhazia to prevent them from meeting with the Georgian government. She says Russia hopes to keep the regimes isolated to prevent bonds developing on a "human level" through talks with Tbilisi. -------------- Elections -------------- ¶5. (C) Burjanadze said a parliamentary task force headed by Vice-Speaker Misha Machavariani, is working with the CEC to review the OSCE Ambassador's Group on Elections suggested steps to prepare for the 2008 Parliamentary and Presidential elections. She added that she "unofficially" supports growing calls from some quarters to reduce the 7% threshold for political parties to enter Parliament to 5%. She is TBILISI 00001101 002 OF 002 concerned however, that a 5% threshold would allow regional and ethnic parties to develop and gain a foothold in Parliament. She said the history of former strongman Aslan Abashidze's Adjara regional "Revival" party, underlines the danger regional parties potentially pose for Georgia. ¶6. (C) She affirmed that her primary interest is to ensure that Georgia's weak opposition parties are able to win seats in the upcoming election in order to strengthen democratic checks on government power and to avoid a National Movement sweep of the legislature. She said if the Parliamentary elections -- five years after the Rose Revolution -- return a Parliament "totally dominated" by the National Movement, it would be a disaster for Georgia's image in the international community and for the internal political balance of power. TEFFT