MILITARY LEADERS SAY THEY WILL NOT SUPPORT

C O N F I D E N T I A L TBILISI 002476 SIPDIS SIPDIS STATE FOR EUR/CARC AND EUR/RPM E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/03/2017 TAGS: PGOV PINS MARR GG SUBJECT: MILITARY LEADERS SAY THEY WILL NOT SUPPORT OKRUASHVILI AGAINST THE GOVERNMENT Classified By: Ambassador John F. Tefft, reason 1.4(b) and (d) ¶1. (C) On October 3, Embassy's Defense Attache spoke with senior, high ranking members of the Georgian Army leadership regarding their views on the political confrontation between former Minister of Defense Irakli Okruashvili and the Georgian Government led by President Saakashvili. These military officers said that any lingering support among the military for Okruashvili is based only on political sympathies, not on his personality, which they consider difficult. They claim to be well aware of Okruashvili's involvement in corruption with regard to military procurement, which they did not find unusual based on their experience in the Soviet military. Therefore, they do not regard the government's charges against Okruashvili as "trumped up" for political purposes -- even though they consider Okruashvili to be less corrupt than his predecessor. They said Okruashvili fired many Army officers when he took over the Ministry, and did not endear himself in doing so. Most of his close associates, including Levan Nikolaishili, former First Deputy Minister of Defense and Chief of the General Staff, have left the Ministry since Okruashvili departed in 2006. ¶2. (C) The officers to whom DATT spoke assured him that no one in the military would take up arms against the government for Okruashivili, despite his former association with the MOD. They insisted that in the culture of the Georgian military, loyalty to the state prevails over any loyalties to an individual. TEFFT