VZCZCXRO3597
OO RUEHIK
DE RUEHSI #2277/01 3570532
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
O 230532Z DEC 09
FM AMEMBASSY TBILISI
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 2628
INFO RUEHZL/EUROPEAN POLITICAL COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
RUEKJCS/OSD WASHINGTON DC PRIORITY
RHEHAAA/NATIONAL SECURITY COUNCIL WASHINGTON DC PRIORITY

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 TBILISI 002277 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PREL PGOV PHUM RS GG
SUBJECT: GEORGIA: WWII MEMORIAL RELOCATION IN KUTAISI ENDS 
TRAGICALLY - DRAWS CRITICISM 
 
TBILISI 00002277  001.2 OF 002 
 
 
¶1. (SBU)  Summary/Comment:  The planned relocation of a 
bronze Soviet-era memorial and destruction of its backdrop 
took a tragic turn when the explosion designed to demolish 
the backdrop killed two and injured others.  The memorial was 
removed to make way for the construction of a new parliament 
building to accommodate a plan to move some parliamentary 
functions from Tbilisi to Kutaisi sometime in the future.  A 
mother and 11 year old child were killed and several others 
sustained injuries from the flying debris.  President 
Saakashvili immediately sacked the governor of the region but 
the ham-handed handling of the whole affair has given Russian 
critics more rhetorical fodder and sparked some small scale 
protests.  Drawing on incorrect information that the whole 
memorial was slated to be demolished, Russian news sources 
have criticized Georgia's plans for the past few weeks. 
Kutaisi residents seem to be at a loss as to why and how the 
monument was destroyed and question the hasty nature in which 
the episode transpired.  End Summary/Comment. 
 
The Memorial at Issue 
 
¶2.  (U)  The memorial consisted of a monument of a horseman 
and a 46 meter high backdrop commemorating those who fought 
against Nazis in WWII.  According to MFA officials, the 
horseman was slated to be moved to a new site while the 
backdrop, a large stone wall, was to be destroyed.  The 
relocation/destruction project was necessitated by a GoG 
decision to move some parliamentary functions to Georgia's 
economically depressed second city, Kutaisi, in order to 
stimulate economic and political activity in the region. 
According to press reports, the Russian MFA issued statements 
in advance of the relocation/destruction condemning the 
decision calling it "disrespectful" to WWII veterans.  Local 
opposition groups in Kutaisi objected to the decision to 
relocate/destroy the memorial without taking into 
consideration the local population's views or the views of 
memorial designer Merab Berdzenishvili.  The Georgian MFA 
issued a statement on December 18, criticizing the Russian 
statement and its "immoral habit of permanently interfering 
in other countries' internal affairs." 
 
What Happened - Why 
 
¶3.  (U)  On December 18, the horseman was removed for 
relocation to a different site and workers placed explosives 
at the bottom of the 46 meter backdrop. Local residents were 
supposed to have been evacuated, but not all got the message 
leaving a number in the area of the explosion.  Flying debris 
struck nearby dwellings and residents injuring a number of 
people and killing a mother and her 11-year-old daughter. 
Local journalist Keti Berdzenishvili (Radio Dzveli Kalaki) 
told Emboff that local residents were highly critical of what 
they viewed as a hasty, secretive decision to demolish the 
memorial and obvious disregard for proper safety measures. 
Nato Gubeladze (Newspaper P.S.) told Poloff that residents 
support the relocation of Parliament to Kutaisi but are of 
the general opinion that the monument and new Parliament 
building could easily have fit without destroying the 
monument.  Gubeladze noted that she had not met a single 
resident who supported the destruction of the monument. 
Gubeladze added that the memorial was in terrible physical 
shape but the decision to destroy it was at odds with local 
authorities' promises to restore the monument and surrounding 
park. 
 
The Aftermath 
 
¶4.  (U)  The press reported that President Saakashvili cut 
Q4.  (U)  The press reported that President Saakashvili cut 
short his trip to Copenhagen to return to Georgia and 
immediately sacked the governor of Imereti region (where 
Kutaisi is located), Mikheil Chogovadze.  Presidential 
spokesperson, Manana Mangaladze confirmed the dismissal was 
related to the "tragic incidents" but provided no further 
context.  Chief prosecutor Murtaz Zodelava commented that 
"(a)ccording to the preliminary information, safety measures 
were not met" and stated that an investigation had been 
launched.  The chief technician of SakPetkMretsvi, the 
demolition company hired to do the work, already has been 
arrested.  The Georgian press publicized the statement from 
the Russian MFA calling the demolition "an act of state 
vandalism, insulting the feeling of any civilized person." 
It continued to call the destruction "a disgraceful act by 
the current leadership in Tbilisi in its maniacal drive to 
erase historical memories of its own people."  The Georgian 
MFA has not released any statement since the explosion and 
the GoG has remained largely silent on the incident. 
 
Protests Take a Strange Turn 
 
 
TBILISI 00002277  002.2 OF 002 
 
 
¶5.  (U)  A small group of non-parliamentary opposition 
protesters led by former PM Zurab Noghaideli (For Fair 
Georgia), Salome Zourabichvili (Georgia's Way), Koba 
Davitashvili (People's Party) and Gubaz Sanikidze (National 
Forum) traveled to Kutaisi to protest the decision to 
dismantle the monument.  Speakers called on the GoG to 
restore the memorial and build an Orthodox church on the site 
to commemorate the death of the mother and child. 
Controversy erupted when a number of local Kutaisi residents 
started shouting at the Tbilisi-based opposition speakers not 
to "politicize" the issue for their own purposes and heckled 
them, telling them to return to Tbilisi.  Journalist 
Berdzenishvili said there were more opposition activists at 
the sight than Kutaisi residents. 
BASS