(U) THE SECRETARY'S JANUARY 9, 2009 COURTESY

C O N F I D E N T I A L STATE 003291 E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/12/2019 TAGS: PREL PGOV MASS MARR GG SUBJECT: (U) THE SECRETARY'S JANUARY 9, 2009 COURTESY CALL WITH GEORGIAN FOREIGN MINISTER GRIGOL VASHADZE (U) CLASSIFIED BY: DANIEL FRIED, ASSISTANT SECRETARY, EUR, DEPARTMENT OF STATE. REASON 1.4 (B) AND (D) ¶1. (U) FRIDAY, JANUARY 9, 2009; 11:00 A.M.; SECRETARY'S OUTER OFFICE, DEPARTMENT OF STATE, WASHINGTON, D.C. ¶2. (U) PARTICIPANTS: U.S. -------------- THE SECRETARY PA ASSISTANT SECRETARY SEAN MCCORMICK EUR DEPUTY ASSISTANT SECRETARY MATT BRYZA EUR/CARC DIRECTOR BAXTER HUNT EUR/CARC ANYA YAKHEDTS (NOTETAKER) GEORGIA -------------- GRIGOL VASHADZE, MINISTER OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS VASIL SIKHARULIDZE, MINISTER OF DEFENSE TEMURI YAKOBASHVILI, MINISTER OR REINTEGRATION NIKOLOS RURUA, MINISTER OF CULTURE GEORGE BOKERIA, FIRST DEPUTY MINISTER OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS BATU KUTELIA, FIRST DEPUTY MINISTER OF DEFENSE CONSTANTINE KUBLASHVILI, CHAIRMAN OF THE SUPREME COURT ¶3. (U) SUMMARY. THE COURTESY CALL PRECEDED THE SIGNING OF THE U.S.-GEORGIA CHARTER ON STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIP. VASHADZE THANKED THE SECRETARY FOR THE HISTORIC AGREEMENT BETWEEN THE UNITED STATES AND GEORGIA. BOTH APPLAUDED GEORGIA'S RECENT DEMOCRATIC REFORMS, AND ADMITTED THAT MORE REMAINS TO BE DONE. REGARDING RUSSIA, VASHADZE AND THE SECRETARY AGREED THAT THE BEST RESPONSE TO RUSSIA IS THE CONTINUING OF DEMOCRATIC REFORMS IN GEORGIA. VASHADZE EXPRESSED CONCERN REGARDING THE HUMAN RIGHTS SITUATION IN AKHALGORI AND ASKED ABOUT THE POSSIBILITY OF OPENING AN AMERICAN CONSULATE IN POTI. END SUMMARY. -------------- A HISTORIC AGREEMENT -------------- ¶4. (U) VISIBLY NERVOUS AND EXCITED, VASHADZE SAID THAT THIS WAS A HISTORIC DAY FOR GEORGIA, A SYMBOL OF PHYSICAL SURVIVAL. JOKING, HE MENTIONED THE VARIOUS GEORGIAN CABINET RESHUFFLES AND SAID THAT WHILE HE MIGHT BE MINISTER OF AGRICULTURE IN A FEW MONTHS, HIS NAME WOULD STILL BE ON THE US-GEORGIA CHARTER ALONG WITH THE SECRETARY'S. -------------- POLITICAL REFORMS -------------- ¶5. (U) THE SECRETARY BEGAN THE MEETING BY PRAISING THE GEORGIAN PARLIAMENT FOR PASSING THE LAW WHICH RESTORED FUNDING TO THE OPPOSITION AND ESTABLISHED A FOUNDATION TO PROVIDE FUNDING FOR POLITICAL PARTIES. SHE SAID THIS WILL HAVE A POSITIVE EFFECT IN BRINGING MORE PEOPLE INTO THE POLITICAL SYSTEM, AND CITED THE SUCCESS OF THIS FRAMEWORK ELSEWHERE IN EUROPE. VASHADZE ADDED THAT THE GEORGIAN EQUIVALENT OF C-SPAN WILL BE ON THE AIR SOON AND THAT THE GEORGIAN PARLIAMENT HAS APPROVED THE LIFETIME APPOINTMENT OF JUDGES. THE SECRETARY RESPONDED THAT GEORGIA SHOULD CONTINUE TO INCREASE MEDIA FREEDOM STRENGTHEN DEMOCRATIZATION EFFORTS OVERALL. -------------- -------------- DEMOCRATIC REFORMS ARE THE ANSWER TO RUSSIAN AGGRESSION -------------- -------------- ¶6. (C) THE SECRETARY SAID THAT DEMOCRACY WAS THE BIGGEST DEFEAT FOR GEORGIA'S BIG NEIGHBOR, BECAUSE RUSSIA COULD NOT OVERTHROW DEMOCRACY IN GEORGIA. VASHADZE MENTIONED THAT SINCE 2003 GEORGIA HAS CREATED A DEMOCRATICALLY LIBERAL SOCIETY, AND THAT THE GEORGIAN GOVERNMENT IS COMMITTED TO CONTINUE THESE REFORMS AS AN ANSWER TO RUSSIAN AGGRESSION. HE SAID GEORGIA HAS MADE MISTAKES ("GEORGIANS HAVE EVERYTHING EXCEPT WINGS"),BUT HAS ALSO LEARNED A LOT FROM THE AUGUST WAR. GEORGIANS NOW UNDERSTAND THAT CONFLICT RESOLUTION IS A LONG-TERM PROCESS, AND THAT THEY WILL HAVE TO BE PATIENT. -------------- HUMAN RIGHTS SITUATION IN AKHALGORI -------------- ¶7. (U) VASHADZE BROUGHT UP THE SERIOUSNESS OF THE HUMAN RIGHTS SITUATION IN AKHALGORI. HE SAID THAT ONLY 100 FAMILIES REMAIN IN THE ENTIRE CITY, AND THAT THIS WAS NOT ETHNIC CLEANSING, BUT CLEANSING OF THE CORE POPULATION, SINCE BOTH OSSETIANS AND GEORGIANS HAVE LEFT. -------------- AMERICAN PRESENCE POST IN POTI -------------- ¶8. (C) VASHADZE ASKED IF WE WOULD CONSIDER OPENING A CONSULATE IN POTI. THE SECRETARY SAID THAT WE COULD CONSIDER OPENING AN AMERICAN PRESENCE POST WITH ONE OR TWO AMERICAN DIPLOMATS, WHICH EVENTUALLY MIGHT LEAD TO AN AMERICAN CONSULATE. MATT BRYZA SUGGESTED THAT WE MIGHT CONSIDER OPENING AN AMERICAN PRESENCE POST IN BATUMI. VASHADZE SAID THERE IS A NEED FOR SOME TYPE OF AMERICAN PRESENCE DUE TO THE FREQUENT ARRIVAL OF U.S. VESSELS. RICE