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RR RUEHFL RUEHKW RUEHLA RUEHROV RUEHSR
DE RUEHMO #2852/01 2681142
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
R 241142Z SEP 08
FM AMEMBASSY MOSCOW
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 0100
INFO RUEHZL/EUROPEAN POLITICAL COLLECTIVE
RUEHXD/MOSCOW POLITICAL COLLECTIVE

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 MOSCOW 002852 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 09/23/2018 
TAGS: PREL PGOV COE RS
SUBJECT: RUSSIA CONFIDENT AT PACE 
 
REF: A. PARIS 1754 
     ¶B. MOSCOW 2803 
 
Classified By: Political Minister Counselor Alice Wells for reason 1.4 
(b) and (d). 
 
¶1. (C) Summary:  Russian MFA and Duma representatives are 
confident that a proposal to strip the Russian delegation of 
its voting rights at the Parliamentary Assembly of the 
Council of Europe (PACE) will fail.  However, the MFA has 
developed a back-up plan to respond "tactically" to 
developments.  The MFA impressed upon us that the Russian 
public was unhappy funding an organization that was used to 
condemn Russian actions, but Russia would continue to support 
Council of Europe (CoE) activities and commitments.  The GOR 
is equally confident that a PACE delegation that visited 
Moscow September 22-23 to investigate the war in Georgia will 
produce a balanced report for PACE deliberations on September 
29, with van den Brande reportedly agreeing to visit 
Tskhinvali twice -- one time via Vladikavkaz.  Russian 
protestations aside, the GOR still takes pride in its 2006 
CoE chairmanship, with liberal Russian legislators viewing 
the organization as a useful foil.  End summary. 
 
Russian Representation to PACE 
------------------------------ 
 
¶2. (C) Alexander Kurmaz, Head of the CoE Division of the 
European Cooperation Department, told us September 23 that 
Russia will respond "tactically" to attempts to strip its 
PACE delegation of voting rights.  He was confident that the 
proposal would not go forward, but he did outline four 
options depending on events in Strasbourg: 
- A competing proposal by a friendly delegation to suspend 
the Georgian delegation's right to vote; 
- Withdrawal of the Russian delegation from PACE and 
denouncing the proceedings; 
- Suspension, reduction, or elimination of the Russian 
financial contribution to the CoE; and 
- Complete Russian withdrawal from the CoE. 
 
¶3. (SBU) While Kurmaz had clearly developed an alternate 
strategy should events proceed against Russia at the 
parliament next week, State Duma Speaker Boris Gryzlov struck 
a more confident note to the press.  He told ITAR-TASS on 
September 23 "Let us wait and see what the situation will be 
like next week.  I am sure that most members will not agree 
with suspending Russia's powers." 
 
Ongoing Russian Concerns 
------------------------ 
 
¶4. (C) The tension leading up to next week's deliberations at 
PACE brought to the fore ongoing Russian issues with the CoE. 
 Kurmaz claimed to have "a stack of letters 20 centimeters 
thick" requesting Russia to withdraw from the organization. 
"We contribute 30 million USD per year" to the CoE; public 
opinion would rather have that money spent on bread than to 
support critics using PACE and the CoE to "denounce Russia." 
He pointed to Estonian and Polish members of the CoE as 
particularly aggressive in attempting to use the 
parliamentary assembly as an anti-Russian platform.  Kurmaz 
labeled efforts by some members to "reevaluate history" and 
accuse the USSR of crimes were "a dramatic and systematic 
threat to our participation."  He charged that some countries 
would not be satisfied until Russia was disassembled.  While 
denouncing members of "new" Europe and noting U.S. vocal 
criticism at the September 11 meeting of the COM, he 
nonetheless welcomed U.S. participation as observers at the 
CoE because the U.S. sought to work "constructively" (Ref A). 
 For now, he said Russia would continue to participate in CoE 
activities, including visits by the Anti-Torture Committee 
and the upcoming visit of Commissioner for Human Rights 
Thomas Hammarberg to Georgia and South Ossetia. 
 
PACE Delegation Visit Sept 22-23 
-------------------------------- 
 
¶5. (C) Turning to the September 22-23 visit of the PACE 
Delegation to Russia, South Ossetia, and Georgia headed by 
Luc van den Brande to evaluate the recent conflict, Kurmaz 
reported that in Moscow the delegation met with Duma Speaker 
Gryzlov, the Chair of the Duma International Affairs 
Committee Konstantin Kosachev, and with Deputy Chief of the 
General Staff Anatoly Nogovitsyn.  Kurmaz was optimistic that 
the delegation would deliver a balanced report.  He claimed 
that the MFA had prevailed upon the delegation to change 
their travel itinerary -- the delegation would now visit 
Tshkinvali twice, once through Vladikavkaz without 
substantive meetings and once from Tbilisi.  "Only this way 
can the delegation receive a balanced perspective."  (Note: 
Post has not yet confirmed that this change of routing 
 
MOSCOW 00002852  002 OF 002 
 
 
occurred.  End note.)  Chairman Kosachev told reporters 
September 23 that the majority of the PACE delegation had no 
prejudices and would "sincerely seek to scrutinize" events. 
Interfax summarized van den Brande to say at a news 
conference September 23 that "both parties violated human 
rights" in the recent conflict in Georgia, although he did 
not specify who the parties were. 
 
Comment 
------- 
 
¶6. (C) Despite Kurmaz's posturing, Russia would withdraw from 
the CoE only as a last resort.  While hurt by regular 
condemnations at PACE, especially on its human rights record, 
the MFA still discusses with pride its 2006 chairmanship at 
the CoE.  Federation Council Chairman Mikhail Margelov 
recently pointed out (Ref B), while arguing Russians care 
little about the good opinion of the CoE, the 
disenfranchisement of Russia at PACE would punish the most 
liberal group of Russian legislators. 
BEYRLE