GEORGIA: PREDICTABLE POLITICAL PARTY COMMENTARY ON

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 TBILISI 001790

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/02/2019
TAGS: PGOV PHUM PREL RR GG
SUBJECT: GEORGIA: PREDICTABLE POLITICAL PARTY COMMENTARY ON
EU AUGUST WAR REPORT

REF: TBILISI 1786

Classified By: Charge d'Affaires a.i. Kent Logsdon for reasons 1.4 (b)
and (d).


1. (U) Summary: Domestic political reaction to the
Tagliavini report (reftel) predictably corresponded to
long-held political perceptions. Various non-parliamentary
opposition leaders took the opportunity, citing a finding in
the report criticizing Georgia for a disproportionate use of
force when it launched its August 7, 2008 attack on
Tskhinvali, to sharply criticize President Saakashvili.
Saakashvili for his part cited numerous findings in the same
report as confirmation of Russia's continued violation of
international law and illegal occupation of Georgia. The
parliamentary opposition generally supported the report. End
Summary.


2. (C) Comment: The latest round of criticism of
Saakashvili's handling of the war from the non-parliamentary
opposition was the sharpest to date. The vast majority of
non-parliamentary opposition commentary avoided publicly
addressing or commenting on sections of the report critical
of Russian action, choosing instead to try to hit the GoG
over the head with the report's criticism. Despite being
able to cite the EU report (which is viewed by most Georgian
observers as very favorable to Georgia) to support their
arguments, this sharp criticism may prove to be a losing PR
strategy in a country that still overwhelmingly blames last
August's events on the Russians. End Comment.

Non-Parliamentary Opposition Comments


3. (C) Some non-parliamentary opposition leaders described
the report as a disaster. National Forum leader Gubaz
Sanikidze said the report shows that President Saakashvili is
an international criminal and was further evidence that "the
Georgian state is headed by a maniac, a sick man." Sanikidze
called Saakashvili a traitor and demanded that he be
prosecuted. Nino Burjanadze (Democratic Movement - United
Georgia) stated the need "to set Georgia free of
Saakashvili's regime, so that the people can elect a truly
national, accountable, and state-minded leadership."
Burjanadze said Saakashvili had no legitimacy to remain i
power. In a meeting with the Charge, Burjanadze repeated her
public comments, noting that she had tempered her thoughts in
public because she loved her country and did not want to
destroy it. Kakha Kukava (Conservatives) suggested that the
report would become "a tool for Russia to mount more pressure
on Georgia." Shalva Natelashvili (Labor) said the report
would trigger "further isolation of Georgia" and that
Russia's actions were "in the framework of international
law."


4. (U) Irakli Alasania (Our Georgia - Free Democrats) issued
a statement in coordination with New Rights and Republicans
that was also critical, but noticeably more moderate. It
called the report "a very grave assessment of the actions by
the Georgian president," and called Saakashvili's decision to
fire on Tskhinvali politically irresponsible. At the same
time, Alasania's statement also made note that Russian
authorities "grossly violated all norms of international law."

Saakashvili Sees it Differently


5. (U) President Saakashvili called the report a "great
diplomatic victory for Georgia," noting the tremendous
pressure the EU was under from Russia to produce a
pro-Russian report. Saakashvili said the report refuted
Russian lies and proved as untrue several Russian claims,
including that Georgia attacked Russian peacekeepers; that
attacks on Russian citizens justified their intervention; and
that Georgia committed genocide. Saakashvili also
Qthat Georgia committed genocide. Saakashvili also
highlighted the finding that ethnic cleansing had taken place
in South Ossetia and Abkhazia under Russian auspices. In
further comments made during an awards ceremony for former
Lithuanian President Landsbergis, Saakashvili focused his
comments on the report's criticism of Georgia. He stressed
that it was his "holy duty to respond with all types of
resistance when a foreign country's army enters into your
country." He added that "those who have not fired a shot
have disappeared from the map . . . Finland fired and
maintained its independence," referring to the 1939 Soviet
attack on Finland.

Parliamentary Opposition - Pretty Good Report


6. (U) Vice Speaker Levan Vephkhadze (Christian Democratic
Movement) called the report "politically balanced." He said
he thought the report should have been stricter in its
characterizations of Russian actions. Vephkhadze added that
in some cases the report "created more questions than

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answers," but that it was objective and its findings were
worth strong consideration. Vephkhadze went on to say the
report "rejected Russia's claims that Georgia started the war
on August 7" and showed that "Georgia was responding to
Russian provocations."
LOGSDON