SUSPICION OVER THE FUTURE OF THE OSCE YEREVAN OFFICE

UNCLAS YEREVAN 001094 SIPDIS SENSITIVE SIPDIS USOSCE FOR SIBILLA AND TRAUB E.O.12958: N/A TAGS: PREL KDEM OSCE AM SUBJECT: SUSPICION OVER THE FUTURE OF THE OSCE YEREVAN OFFICE ¶1. (SBU) OSCE Office in Yerevan 's outgoing Economic and Environmental Officer and current Acting Deputy Head Jeannette Kloetzer revealed to Poloff that there seems to be some confusion over her successor once she leaves her current position September 27 to become DCM at OSCE's Office in Kazakhstan. Kloetzer reports Yerevan OSCE Office DCM Marc Bojanic, who is acting COM, was summoned to the MFA and asked to refrain from submitting the request for Kloetzer's replacement until FM Oskanian returns from meetings with OSCE in Vienna. Oskanian is reportedly going to request that the position be nationalized, and thus filled by an Armenian local hire. Currently, OSCE Yerevan has six international positions, of which three will be vacant once Kloetzer leaves, including the COM position. (NOTE: Post understands that question of who should fill the vacant COM position remains deadlocked in Vienna. END NOTE) ¶2. (SBU) COMMENT: We share Kloetzer's concern that this looks like part of a GOAM campaign to downgrade and weaken the OSCE Office here. Were the GOAM to succeed in its request to nationalize Kloetzer's position, this may leave the Office's international staff badly depleted during the key period between now and the February presidential election. END COMMENT PERINA