GEORGIA BI-WEEKLY UPDATE OCTOBER 12

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 TBILISI 002579

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E.O 12958: N/A
TAGS: PREL PGOV PHUM ECON GG
SUBJECT: GEORGIA BI-WEEKLY UPDATE OCTOBER 12



1. This cable contains current items of political,
economic, and social interest concerning Georgia during the
weeks of September 29-October 12.

Opposition Rally Planned for November 2
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2. Several leading opposition parties which have rallied around the
case of former Defense Minister Irakli Okruashvili and have called
for early parliamentary elections in April 2008 are planning to
punctuate their campaign with a mass protest rally in Tbilisi on
November 2. This coincides with an international conference
scheduled at the same time, co-hosted by the Georgian government and
the German Marshall Fund, to address Georgia's Euro-Atlantic
integration. According to ruling party representatives, a number of
high-level guests, including presidents of several countries, are
expected to attend. The opposition has claimed it had no knowledge
of the conference when it scheduled the demonstration, but the
Republican Party's Tina Khidasheli described the timing as a "gift"
that would allow the foreign visitors to see what is "really
happening in this country." In response, David Kirkitadze, MP and
Secretary General of the ruling National Movement, suggested that

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the opposition chose the date on instructions from the Russian
Embassy.

Saakashvili Announces Aid for Vulnerable Population
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3. Speaking in a televised meeting with cabinet ministers on October
4, President Saakashvili said "life is getting expensive" for
Georgian citizens and it was essential that compensation for the
vulnerable part of society should accompany Georgia's economic
growth. (Note: Overall inflation was about 9.7 percent in
September.) To achieve his aims, Saakashvili pledged at least GEL
100 million (USD 60 million) in one-time allowances for teachers and
pensioners, as well as for a state-funded employment program. The
one-time "compensation packages" would be designated for electricity
and gas payments, or for electricity and wheat in rural areas, which
in some cases have no gas supply.

Georgian Radio Launched into Abkhazia
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4. On October 5, the Georgian-backed Abkhaz Government-in-Exile
launched a new radio station, Voice of Abkhazia. Located in
Zugdidi, in western Georgia, the station can reportedly cover the
entire territory of Abkhazia. Round-the-clock broadcasting will be
mostly conducted in Russian, though part of the news and information
will be also broadcast in Abkhaz. The opening of the station was
celebrated with a large concert of popular singers. President
Saakashvili delivered a strongly worded speech, declaring that a
"countdown" has begun for Georgia to reclaim Abkhazia. For its
part, the de facto government of Abkhazia called the new station "an
ideological instrument of the fascist regime of Tbilisi," and
declared it would jam its frequency. According to Georgian press
reports, some residents of Abkhazia's ethnically Georgian Gali
district were prevented from attending the concert by Abkhaz police,
who allegedly detained and physically abused them.

Cyber Security Cooperation with Estonia
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5. The Permanent Secretary General of Estonia's Ministry of Defense
gave a lecture September 21 at the Georgian Foundation for Strategic
and International Studies stressing the importance of international
cooperation against cyber-attack, especially the type of coordinated
and politically motivated attack recently suffered by Estonia. As
the Estonian DCM told INL Program Officer, an Estonian technical
team plans to travel to Georgia to assess the country's IT
infrastructure; the travel dates may be linked to an impending visit
by the Estonian Minister of Defense within the next 3 months. The
Estonian DCM seemed eager to cooperate and promised to provide
additional information about the Minister's visit and the team's
plans.

Mixed Signals on French NATO Views
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6. Parliament Speaker Nino Burjanadze spoke out quickly in response
to public comments by French Defense Minister Herve Morin that his
country would support Georgia's NATO membership only if it would not
be seen as a threat "with regards to Russia." Burjanadze said the
remarks sent "a very wrong message to Russia," essentially telling
Russia that "you will succeed, if you continue to behave badly."
President Saakashvili commented on the same issue on October 4
during the visit of NATO Secretary General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer,
saying France is "extremely supportive" of Georgia's drive to join
NATO. Saakashvili said he based his judgments on two meetings with
his French counterpart, Nicolas Sarkozy, in recent months - one
during Saakashvili's official visit to Paris in June and another in
Marseille on September 30 when two leaders attended the World Cup
rugby match between Georgia and France.

Georgian Soldier Commits Suicide in Iraq
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7. The Ministry of Defense has announced that Corporal Zurab
Chighoshvili, who was serving in Wasit Province, Iraq, committed
suicide September 30. Officials said there was no connection

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between the corporal's military service and his suicide, which was
the result of personal difficulties.

Steps Forward in Kutaisi
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8. During an October 5-6 visit to Kutaisi, Georgia's second-largest
city, the Ambassador took part in the ribbon-cutting for a new
cheese factory, constructed with assistance from USAID's Agvantage
program, that should be able to support up to 400 local dairy
farmers. Regional Governor Akaki Bobokhidze told the Ambassador
that Kutaisi's infrastructure has been nearly rehabilitated, except
for the water system. Local officials are currently looking for
donors to assist with the projected USD 18 million project. It
currently takes 5-6 liters of water at the source to provide a
single liter of water in town, because of leaky pipes. Kutaisi has
been the center of a series of corruption cases among city
officials. Bobokhidze said corruption among local officials remains
a problem, as he cannot pay a salary high enough to dissuade someone
from "making $5,000 with the stroke of a pen." The Ambassador also
visited a local youth center directed by a Peace Corps Volunteer,
and took part in Kutaisi's October 6 Breast Health Awareness Walk to
raise awareness about breast cancer screening and treatment.

TEFFT