Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
08TBILISI2107
2008-11-12 05:18:00
UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY
Embassy Tbilisi
Cable title:
GEORGIA: CHANGES AT THE BORDER POLICE
how-toVZCZCXYZ0000 PP RUEHWEB DE RUEHSI #2107 3170518 ZNR UUUUU ZZH P 120518Z NOV 08 FM AMEMBASSY TBILISI TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 0395 INFO RULSJGA/COMDT COGARD WASHINGTON DC RHMFISS/DEPT OF ENERGY WASHINGTON DC RUEADRO/HQ ICE DRO WASHINGTON DC
UNCLAS TBILISI 002107
SENSITIVE
SIPDIS
E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PARM PREL KSTC KNNP GG
SUBJECT: GEORGIA: CHANGES AT THE BORDER POLICE
SENSITIVE BUT UNCLASSIFIED. NOT FOR INTERNET DISTRIBUTION.
UNCLAS TBILISI 002107
SENSITIVE
SIPDIS
E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PARM PREL KSTC KNNP GG
SUBJECT: GEORGIA: CHANGES AT THE BORDER POLICE
SENSITIVE BUT UNCLASSIFIED. NOT FOR INTERNET DISTRIBUTION.
1. (SBU) Summary and Comment: General Zaza Gogava, former
Chief of the Joint Staff of the Armed Forces at the Ministry
of Defense, was appointed Chairman of the Georgian Border
Police on November 4, following the resignation of Badri
Bitsadze. This new position is widely seen as a demotion for
Gogava for failures of the army during the conflict, although
some government critics believed that Gogava should not have
received any government position at all. Rumors of a merger
between the Border Police and Patrol Police swirled after the
announcement, but in a meeting between Gogava and EmbOffs on
November 7, it was clear that while no final decisions about
reorganizing the Border Police have been made, a major
upheaval was unlikely. End Summary and Comment.
CHANGES IN THE LEADERSHIP
2. (U) On Wednesday, October 29, Badri Bitsadze resigned his
position as Chairman of the Border Police, saying that he was
a victim of a government campaign to discredit the Border
Police. He linked this campaign to the fact that he is the
husband of former parliamentary chairperson and head of the
opposition party Democrat-Movement United Georgia, Nino
Burjanadze. Bitsadze's deputy, Eka Gigauri, resigned as
well. Saakashvili appointed General Gogava as Chairman of
the Border Police on November 4, after replacing him as Chief
of the Joint Staff with Vice-Colonel Vladimer Chachibaia, a
graduate of U.S. training programs and a close contact of the
Embassy. Despite thanking Gogava for his work with the army,
Saakashvili blamed Gogava for his role in the failures of the
army during the conflict, according to press reporting.
RESTRUCTURING BEING CONSIDERED
3. (SBU) After the announcement of the change in leadership
at the Border Police, rumors swirled about a possible merger
between the Border Police and the Patrol Police. In a
November 5 meeting with EmbOffs, the Head of the Ministry of
the Interior Office of Analysis Shota Utiashvili, said that
the Patrol Police would staff ports of entry in place of the
Border Police in order to address problems of access to
different databases, public image and corruption. None of
the current Border Police staff would be fired, but would
simply change uniforms. In a November 7 meeting between
Gogava and EmbOffs, Gogava indicated that there would not be
a merger between the Border Police and the Patrol Police, but
that changes in staffing at ports of entry were still under
discussion. EmbOffs were left with the impression that
Patrol Police would take over this function. It was made
clear by Gogava, however, that the Border Police would retain
control of the "Green Border" - the border space in between
authorized ports of entry. In fact, Gogava stated that his
focus during his tenure will be on improving conditions at
the Green Border. He also stated that the merger of the
Coast Guard and the Navy is in the final stages of approval.
It will remain under the Border Police control as a civilian
organization.
BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION
4. (U) Gogava was born on July 14, 1971. He graduated from
the Tbilisi State Technical University in 1994, and in 1995
began serving in Georgia's State Security Service special
task unit "Omega," specializing in counter-terrorism, and
continued to work in counter-terrorist units in various
offices of the Georgian security services for the next
several years. Gogava also received counter-terrorism
training in the United States. In 2003, Gogava was named
Qtraining in the United States. In 2003, Gogava was named
Chief of the Counterterrorism Division of the Special
Operations Center. From 2004-2006 he was Commander of
Special Forces Brigade of the Ministry of Defense, and in
2006 he was named Deputy and later Chief of the Joint Staff
of the Armed Forces of Georgia. He is married with three
children, speaks native Georgian, fluent Russian, and is
currently learning English.
LOGSDON
SENSITIVE
SIPDIS
E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PARM PREL KSTC KNNP GG
SUBJECT: GEORGIA: CHANGES AT THE BORDER POLICE
SENSITIVE BUT UNCLASSIFIED. NOT FOR INTERNET DISTRIBUTION.
1. (SBU) Summary and Comment: General Zaza Gogava, former
Chief of the Joint Staff of the Armed Forces at the Ministry
of Defense, was appointed Chairman of the Georgian Border
Police on November 4, following the resignation of Badri
Bitsadze. This new position is widely seen as a demotion for
Gogava for failures of the army during the conflict, although
some government critics believed that Gogava should not have
received any government position at all. Rumors of a merger
between the Border Police and Patrol Police swirled after the
announcement, but in a meeting between Gogava and EmbOffs on
November 7, it was clear that while no final decisions about
reorganizing the Border Police have been made, a major
upheaval was unlikely. End Summary and Comment.
CHANGES IN THE LEADERSHIP
2. (U) On Wednesday, October 29, Badri Bitsadze resigned his
position as Chairman of the Border Police, saying that he was
a victim of a government campaign to discredit the Border
Police. He linked this campaign to the fact that he is the
husband of former parliamentary chairperson and head of the
opposition party Democrat-Movement United Georgia, Nino
Burjanadze. Bitsadze's deputy, Eka Gigauri, resigned as
well. Saakashvili appointed General Gogava as Chairman of
the Border Police on November 4, after replacing him as Chief
of the Joint Staff with Vice-Colonel Vladimer Chachibaia, a
graduate of U.S. training programs and a close contact of the
Embassy. Despite thanking Gogava for his work with the army,
Saakashvili blamed Gogava for his role in the failures of the
army during the conflict, according to press reporting.
RESTRUCTURING BEING CONSIDERED
3. (SBU) After the announcement of the change in leadership
at the Border Police, rumors swirled about a possible merger
between the Border Police and the Patrol Police. In a
November 5 meeting with EmbOffs, the Head of the Ministry of
the Interior Office of Analysis Shota Utiashvili, said that
the Patrol Police would staff ports of entry in place of the
Border Police in order to address problems of access to
different databases, public image and corruption. None of
the current Border Police staff would be fired, but would
simply change uniforms. In a November 7 meeting between
Gogava and EmbOffs, Gogava indicated that there would not be
a merger between the Border Police and the Patrol Police, but
that changes in staffing at ports of entry were still under
discussion. EmbOffs were left with the impression that
Patrol Police would take over this function. It was made
clear by Gogava, however, that the Border Police would retain
control of the "Green Border" - the border space in between
authorized ports of entry. In fact, Gogava stated that his
focus during his tenure will be on improving conditions at
the Green Border. He also stated that the merger of the
Coast Guard and the Navy is in the final stages of approval.
It will remain under the Border Police control as a civilian
organization.
BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION
4. (U) Gogava was born on July 14, 1971. He graduated from
the Tbilisi State Technical University in 1994, and in 1995
began serving in Georgia's State Security Service special
task unit "Omega," specializing in counter-terrorism, and
continued to work in counter-terrorist units in various
offices of the Georgian security services for the next
several years. Gogava also received counter-terrorism
training in the United States. In 2003, Gogava was named
Qtraining in the United States. In 2003, Gogava was named
Chief of the Counterterrorism Division of the Special
Operations Center. From 2004-2006 he was Commander of
Special Forces Brigade of the Ministry of Defense, and in
2006 he was named Deputy and later Chief of the Joint Staff
of the Armed Forces of Georgia. He is married with three
children, speaks native Georgian, fluent Russian, and is
currently learning English.
LOGSDON