GEORGIA: PROTESTS: AGAIN QUIET - TALKS ONGOING

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 TBILISI 001010 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/02/2019 TAGS: PGOV PHUM PREL GG SUBJECT: GEORGIA: PROTESTS: AGAIN QUIET - TALKS ONGOING Classified By: AMBASSADOR JOHN F. TEFFT. REASONS: 1.4 (B) AND (D). ¶1. (C) Summary: Only a few hundred protesters rallied in front of Parliament on June 1; a similar number blocked traffic for one hour in the afternoon in front of the Tbilisi Mayor's office. Cells continued to be removed by protesters from Rustaveli Avenue, with protesters and cells concentrated in the areas immediately adjacent to the Parliament. Irakli Alasania (Alliance) told the Ambassador that he was in discussions with Speaker Bakradze about a negotiated settlement out of the current impasse. Alasania indicated that the current sticking point was pre-term parliamentary elections. Alasania described fellow leader Levan Gachechiladze as lost and Nino Burjanadze (Democratic Movement - United Georgia) as completely out of touch with reality. Some non-parliamentary leaders announced plans for a massive rally on June 9 in front of the Ministry of Internal Affairs to mark two months of protests. Meanwhile, opposition tv Maestro's broadcasts were stopped in Rustavi. Maestro claims political intimidation, local officials claim technical issues. Post has raised the issue with the Government and is investigating. End Summary. ¶2. (C) Comment: Alasania seems poised to take a more active leadership role moving towards dialogue but, as of now, only David Usupashvili (Alliance - Republicans) and the National Forum are relatively receptive to his initiative. Having spent the better part of two months trying to convince his non-parliamentary colleagues to join him, he appears content to go it alone if need be. Alasania's tactic is to try to convince Saakashvili that it is in his best interest to proceed with local, then pre-term parliamentary elections and the Government is taking a hard look at the idea. Nevertheless, Alasania recognizes that the GoG's skepticism of the motives of the non-parliamentary opposition and ability of some of its leaders to enter into good faith negotiations is well founded. Even if he lacks non-parliamentary partners, Alasania might yet find significant common cause with the parliamentary opposition who are quietly pursuing similar goals. End Comment. Protest Actions Stagnant ¶3. (C) A group of a few hundred protesters gathered in front of the Tbilisi Mayor's office on June 1, blocking traffic for roughly an hour. A similar number gathered in front of Parliament to hear speeches calling for Saakashvili's resignation. Zviad Dzidziguri (Conservatives) told the crowd that when the opposition comes to power, it will prosecute Saakashvili for his crimes. Dzidziguri added that they would organize a large rally in front of the Ministry of Internal Affairs on June 9 to mark two months of protests. Despite the ongoing talks, potential compromise supporters David Usupashvili was again reported in the press as saying that his one demand was Saakashvili's resignation. Burjanadze and Eka Beselia (United Georgia) were quoted in the press as being totally against any negotiations with Saakashvili short of negotiating his resignation. Protesters plan to picket Parliament on June 2. Meanwhile, cells continued to be removed from Rustaveli avenue. Alasania Cautiously Moving Forward ¶4. (C) Alasania told the Ambassador June 1 that he would not be joining in further protests. He said he had reviewed the focus group data provided by IRI (Embassy Note: The local IRI rep told Poloff that she has recently had numerous discussions with Alasania's team about the focus group comments. End Note.) and said he was committed to building Qcomments. End Note.) and said he was committed to building his party and setting out on his own. Alasania said this did not necessarily mean the break up of his Alliance with New Rights and Republicans, but admitted that he and New Rights leader David Gamkrelidze had different philosophies as to how to proceed. Alasania mentioned Usupashvili and National Forum members as possibly supporting his idea to agree to local elections then pre-term parliamentary elections some time in 2010, preferably in the spring of 2010. Alasania said a defined political timetable would lessen tension and, in his view, actually strengthen the position of Saakashvili by dissipating political radicalism. He said that a key ingredient to political stability was ensuring that there was a Parliament that was more representative of the Georgian political spectrum. ¶5. (C) Alasania said he would also focus on bringing the continuous rallies to a halt as they had served their purpose. He admitted he faced significant resistance to that idea. Alasania said that Gachechiladze was completely "lost" and that he did not necessarily view him as a partner. Alasania detailed his disagreements with Burjanadze whom he described as completely "crazy". Alasania said that even he lost track of the fact that protests and destabilizing Georgian only served Russian interests. He hoped he could TBILISI 00001010 002 OF 002 appeal to some of his colleagues' patriotism to end the stalemate. Alasania said that he was in regular contact with Speaker Bakradze regarding a compromise and that parliamentary elections were the current sticking point. Alasania believed that appealing personally to Saakashvili to convince him would likely be necessary. Alasania thought that if Saakashvili could be convinced that the protests would stop, he would strongly consider his (Alasania's) arguments. Alasania admitted that some would continue to protest, but he expressed optimism that if his deal were accepted, the radicals would be so marginalized that their political support would be meaningless. Alasania said that he would also appeal to Saakashvili's desire to cement his legacy as the man who led Georgia to be a modern democratic state. Maestro TV Programming Stopped in Rustavi ¶6. (C) Broadcasts of Maestro TV in the South-Eastern city of Rustavi were halted on May 30 and May 31. According to Rustavi contacts, Maestro remained off the air June 1, although the press reported that broadcasts resumed later June 1 after Maestro provided the cable operator with a replacement modulator which was allegedly the cause of the technical problems. Maestro TV representatives said cable provider Tori took its broadcast off the air due to political pressure. Maestro TV remained on the air in Tbilisi and in other municipalities. Ombudsman Sozar Subari held a joint press conference with the Maestro TV owner and called the incident "another attempt to restrict free media" and called upon the international community to condemn the move. Post raised the incident with the Government is currently investigating. Parliamentary Opposition Still Chugging Along ¶7. (C) On June 2, Giorgi Targamadze (Christian Democratic Movement - CDM) briefed diplomats on the CDM's view of the current crisis. Targamadze said that dialogue should begin, and he was hopeful that certain members of the non-parliamentary opposition would drop their radical agenda and pursue meaningful negotiations. Targamadze cited Alasania, Usupashvili, and National Forum as potential partners with whom consultations were ongoing. Targamadze's plan tracked almost exactly with Alasania's plan, indicating that certain non-parliamentary and parliamentary opposition could make common political cause. Targamadze stressed that simply holding elections without engaging in institutional reforms would not solve anything. He said he was not speaking to and would not speak to more radical non-parliamentary leaders like Burjanadze, Zourabichvili, Beselia and others whom he described as having dubious personal agendas. Targamadze asked the international community to push both the GoG and more moderate non-parliamentary opposition leaders to the negotiating table. Meanwhile, former Prime Minister Zurab Noghaideli said his party, Movement for a Fair Georgia, would participate in the newly-established state commission for constitutional reform. TEFFT