GEORGIAN LEADERS HAIL NATO MINISTERIAL AS SUCCESS,

UNCLAS TBILISI 002254 SENSITIVE SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PREL PGOV GG SUBJECT: GEORGIAN LEADERS HAIL NATO MINISTERIAL AS SUCCESS, OPPOSITION DISAGREES ¶1. (U) Georgian government officials hailed this week's NATO Ministerial in Brussels as a victory for Georgia. They said the decision to intensify cooperation between Tbilisi and NATO and invigorate the NATO-Georgia Commission (NGC) would play a central role in moving Georgia toward membership. State Minister for Euro-Atlantic Integration Giorgi Baramidze called the decision "...an important element, which brings us closer to the alliance and enables us to implement important reforms in all spheres, according to NATO standards." Prime Minister Mgaloblishvili was equally positive, saying that the decision was a "...recognition of successful reforms" and confirmed again the "key thesis of the Bucharest resolution." ¶2. (U) Opposition figures disagreed with the Government's positive assessment. Several have stated that the ministerial's result is not a victory, but a significant loss. They blame Saakashvili for ruining Georgia's chances at MAP. For the first time, Labor Party leader Shalva Natelashvili publicly called for Georgia to give up its NATO aspirations, saying the country should seek a non-aligned status. He said "Saakashvili's dictatorial regime's pathological drive to join NATO" has broken the country in three. This is contrary to the joint opposition statement Natelashvili signed in October 2008 calling for Georgia's membership in NATO. ¶3. (U) Perhaps more significantly, former Parliamentary Speaker Nino Burjanadze called NATO's decision not to grant MAP "a huge step back for Georgia." At a press brief she called for the occasion, Burjanadze said MAP has been "postponed indefinitely for Georgia" due to Saakashvili's mistakes. She blamed the decision on the President and government, not just for its actions in August, but also the failure to provide the necessary conditions for MAP accession. This included Saakashvili's lack of commitment to ensure necessary democratic reforms, which Burjanadze alleges have lagged. ¶4. (SBU) Comment: Both the government and opposition are trying to present the Brussels Ministerial to their advantage. Opposition attacks on the issue are stronger than in the past, and the fact that MAP appears off the table provides an opening on a key Saakashvili policy objective. Russian Prime Minister Putin was also quoted in the Georgian press as hailing the decision in yet another stab at the Saakashvili government and in spite of the Government's best efforts, some Georgians see Brussels as a defeat for the U.S. and for Georgia. In spite of that, for now, most Georgians support membership in NATO and still see it as their strongest, irreversible step into the West. End comment. TEFFT