VZCZCXRO4141
OO RUEHDBU RUEHFL RUEHKW RUEHLA RUEHNP RUEHROV RUEHSL RUEHSR
DE RUEHSI #1765/01 2680805
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
O 250805Z SEP 09
FM AMEMBASSY TBILISI
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 2231
INFO RUEHZL/EUROPEAN POLITICAL COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
RUEKJCS/OSD WASHINGTON DC PRIORITY
RHEHAAA/NATIONAL SECURITY COUNCIL WASHINGTON DC PRIORITY

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 TBILISI 001765 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 09/21/2019 
TAGS: KDEM PGOV PREL BR RU AM AZ GG
SUBJECT: GEORGIA: SAAKASHVILI EXPRESSES CONCERN TO DAS 
KAIDANOW ABOUT FUTURE RECOGNITIONS; DEFENDS NEW MOD 
 
REF: TBILISI 1739 
 
Classified By: CHARGE D'AFFAIRES A.I. KENT LOGSDON FOR REASONS 1.4 (B) 
AND (D). 
 
¶1. (C)  Summary.  During her September 15 introductory call 
on President Saakashvili, EUR DAS Tina Kaidanow urged him to 
make progress on democratic reforms as a way to increase 
support for Georgia within the international community and 
shore up domestic stability, echoing earlier comments from VP 
Biden.  Saakashvili expressed concern about Venezuela's 
recognition of Abkhazia and South Ossetia and the likelihood 
of additional countries joining the chorus.  DAS Kaidanow 
reiterated U.S. commitments supporting Georgia's territorial 
integrity.  DAS Kaidanow also raised deep U.S. and 
international concerns about the potential danger and 
legality of Georgian seizures of ships in the Black Sea 
illegally trading with Abkhazia.  She also expressed concern 
about the recent appointment of a new minister of defense in 
Georgia, Bacho Akhalaia, with a particularly bad human rights 
reputation; in response, President Saakashvili urged the U.S. 
to give Akhalaia a chance to prove his commitment to reform. 
End Summary. 
 
RECOGNITION: VENEZUELA AND BELARUS 
 
¶2.  (C) A relaxed President Saakashvili, well-briefed on DAS 
Kaidanow's Tbilisi meetings the day prior (reported septel), 
was accompanied at this meeting by Amcit Advisor Daniel 
Kunin; DAS Kaidanow was accompanied by the Charge, EUR/CARC 
conflicts advisor Birner and A/DCM Fisher (notetaker). 
Saakashvili began by expressing concern that Venezuela's 
decision to recognize the independence of Abkhazia and South 
Ossetia would lead to further recognitions, noting his belief 
that Belarus was on the verge of making its own decision 
regarding recognition and saying he hoped the West would act 
quickly to prevent this step.  He claimed that Lukashenko 
"hates Vladimir Putin," which is why he refused to ban 
Georgian imports in 2006.  Nevertheless, Belarus was under 
enormous economic pressure from Russia and would not be able 
to hold out much longer.  DAS Kaidanow told Saakashvili that 
Belarus is an inconsistent and unpredictable interlocutor, 
but promised that the United States would do what it could to 
discourage recognitions generally and would confer with the 
Europeans specifically on the question of Belarus. She urged 
that any recognitions be met with a restrained response, and 
noted that EUR A/S Gordon had been clear in public remarks 
that Venezuelan recognition was not a significant threat to 
Georgian sovereignty. 
 
¶3.  (C) Saakashvili appeared less concerned about the 
possibility of recognition from African countries, but told 
DAS Kaidanow that if Belarus moved forward with recognition, 
Georgia would be unable to work with Belarus in the context 
of the newly created EU "Eastern Partnership Initiative" 
(reftel).  If the EU did not expel Belarus from the Eastern 
Partnership, then Georgia would have to withdraw.  DAS 
Kaidanow urged Saakashvili to coordinate closely with the EU 
and not to take hasty action that could counterproductively 
damage Georgia,s relations with the European Union. 
 
THE CHALLENGES OF THE CONFLICT ZONES 
 
¶4.  (C) Saakashvili told DAS Kaidanow that he hoped the 
United States would not view the conflicts as permanently 
frozen; the situation, he said, would continue to be in flux. 
 The explosion in Zugdidi on September 14 was evidence of 
ongoing instability.  To illustrate the type of pressure he 
Qongoing instability.  To illustrate the type of pressure he 
believed the Russians were willing to exert, Saakashvili told 
DAS Kaidanow about what he considered to be a revealing 
conversation he had with then-Russian President Putin in 
February of 2008.  According to Saakashvili, Putin had told 
him to "prepare himself" because it was clear that the West 
intended to recognize Kosovo.  Putin suggested that if 
Georgia, at that time, were willing to forego NATO 
aspirations, perhaps Russia would not recognize Abkhazia and 
South Ossetia.  Saakashvili maintained that Putin has ongoing 
challenges in the rest of the former Soviet Union due to 
Russia's tension with Georgia, and specifically mentioned 
increased Russian presence in Turkmenistan in recent months. 
He said, "Russia wants to surround us on all sides." 
 
¶5.  (C) DAS Kaidanow asked President Saakashvili for his 
views on how the United States and Georgia could implement 
concrete programs to re-engage people across the 
administrative boundary lines (ABL).  Saakashvili urged a 
nuanced approach, saying he believed that permanent contact 
with the leadership in Sukhumi was important, but 
people-to-people contacts needed to be crafted so that they 
did not confer any elements of statehood on the de facto 
 
TBILISI 00001765  002 OF 003 
 
 
authorities.  He claimed that in the past, he had blocked 
arrest warrants which some in the Georgian government had 
wanted issued against the de facto leaders, and said he was 
willing to do whatever he could to reach out.  DAS Kaidanow 
told Saakashvili that the United States wanted to be 
consonant with Georgia in its approach to re-starting any 
U.S. assistance across the ABL, but pointed out that the 
Georgian government would have to address seriously some 
important issues, like that of permitting travel for Abkhaz 
residents on Russian passports.  Saakashvili noted that he 
was unimpressed by EU ideas for opening an office in Sukhumi 
- such an action would send exactly the wrong signal and 
appear just like an embassy. 
 
¶6.  (C) Saakashvili expressed appreciation for U.S. support 
on a recent UN General Assembly resolution.  DAS Kaidanow 
noted that Georgian flexibility on the language had been the 
key to its success. 
 
¶7.  (C) DAS Kaidanow raised the issue of Georgian ship 
seizures in the Black Sea, telling President Saakashvili that 
the United States saw the issues as a matter of serious 
political concern, even more than a legal issue (though she 
noted concerns on this score as well), and cautioned that 
such actions could easily escalate into something far more 
serious.  Saakashvili avoided a commitment to stop the 
seizures entirely, but said that Georgia has been working 
closely with Turkey to prevent future sailings which violated 
Georgia's law and noted recent Russian statements which 
constantly painted Georgia as the provocateur.  Saakashvili 
tacitly acknowledged the danger of escalation, saying "We 
would be crazy to get into such a confrontation." 
 
REGIONAL CONCERNS 
 
¶8.  (C) Saakashvili told DAS Kaidanow that he viewed 
Turkish-Armenian reconciliation as a positive step and hoped 
that recent developments would encourage Armenia to move 
beyond Russia's sphere of influence.  He said he expected 
short term fears to emerge from Azerbaijan but that the 
Azeris would be able to view improved relations as progress 
in the long term.  DAS Kaidanow agreed that the opening of 
Turkish-Armenian relations could have a positive effect 
throughout the South Caucasus, particularly on the economic 
development of the region. 
 
DEMOCRATIC REFORMS: CRITICAL TO GEORGIA,S SUCCESS 
 
¶9.  (C) DAS Kaidanow told President Saakashvili that she had 
met with board members from the American Chamber of Commerce 
during her Tbilisi visit and they had agreed that the primary 
obstacle to further economic development was not the threat 
of Russia,s military presence, but a lack of progress on 
rule of law issues and concerns about domestic political 
stability in Georgia.  She noted that the business community 
had specifically referenced the direct influence of the 
government in the judiciary as a hindrance to good government 
and rule of law.  Saakashvili replied that Georgia's 
judiciary was less corrupt than others in the neighborhood, 
including Turkey's.  He described Georgia's reform efforts as 
a "process."  He said that Georgia has young, ambitious 
judges who are paid well, but they need further education and 
more exposure to the West in order to improve judicial 
independence.  He noted that there was no longer any 
presidential involvement in the judicial appointment process. 
 
 
¶10.  (C) DAS Kaidanow asked how the United States could help 
empower Georgia's media.  Saakashvili said that the 
Qempower Georgia's media.  Saakashvili said that the 
fundamental problem is that journalists do not speak English 
and therefore were highly limited in their ability to 
research.  He said Georgian journalists fundamentally 
misunderstood the role of a free press but he hoped further 
exposure to the West could help remedy this problem.  He 
noted that during the protests the opposition had threatened 
journalists, and he reiterated previous requests for a 
USG-supported nationwide program of English language 
training. 
 
NEW MINISTER OF DEFENSE 
 
¶11.  (C) DAS Kaidanow expressed concern about the recent 
selection of Bacho Akhalia as Defense Minister, noting his 
poor human rights record.  Saakashvili immediately said he 
did not understand international criticism of his ministerial 
pick; as head of the prison department, Akhalaia had been 
responsible for tackling the mafia in Georgia, and as a 
result, Georgia had had more success in fighting organized 
crime than any other country of the former Soviet Union. 
Saakashvili went on to argue that former Defense Minister 
 
TBILISI 00001765  003 OF 003 
 
 
Sikharulidze had not made real progress on reform, that he 
had been a better diplomat than minister, and that he as 
President was obligated to hold Sikharulidze responsible for 
the attempted Mukhrovani coup attempt.  Saakashvili urged DAS 
Kaidanow and other officials to keep an open mind regarding 
Akhalaia's appointment and he invited DAS Kaidanow to provide 
an assessment of his performance.  DAS Kaidanow urged 
President Saakashvili to understand how this appointment had 
impacted on Georgia,s international reputation, and 
emphasized the importance of avoiding such actions in future. 
 
¶12.  (U)  DAS Kaidanow has cleared this cable. 
 
 
LOGSDON