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CON F IDE N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 MOSCOW 11958

DEPARTMENT ALSO FOR INR/B

E.O. 12356: DECL:OADR

TAGS: PINS, PHUM, PINR, UR
SUBJECT: GEORGIAN ACTIVIST ON EVENTS IN TBILISI

1. (C - ENTIRE TEXT.)

SUMMARY
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2. A PROMINENT GEORGIAN ACTIVIST BELIEVES
SHEVARDNADZE WAS INSTRUMENTAL IN THE DECISION TO USE
TROOPS TO DISPERSE THE APRIL 9 DEMONSTRATION IN
TBILISI. SHEVARDNADZE'S INTENTION WAS TO OUST
GEORGIAN FIRST SECRETARY PATIASHVILI, ACCORDING TO
THIS SOURCE. THESE VIEWS ARE CONTRADICTED BY OTHER
ACTIVISTS WHO POINT TO THE FACT THAT SHEVARDNADZE WAS
ABROAD WHEN TROOPS WERE FIRST DEPLOYED TO TBILISI,
THAT PATIASHVILI REPORTEDLY ARGUED FOR THE USE OF
TROOPS IN CC BURO MEETINGS, AND THAT PATIASHVILI WAS
NOT REPLACED BY A SHEVARDNADZE ALLY. (OTHER SOURCES
CLAIM GUMBARIDZE IS IN FACT A SHEVARDNADZE
RELATIVE. ) WHILE WE ARE SKEPTICAL OF THIS THEORY,
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THIS ACTIVIST'S VIEWS ARE OF INTEREST AS AT LEAST

ONE GEORGIAN INTELLECTUAL'S PERCEPTIONS OF POLITICAL
ALLIANCES IN GEORGIA.

UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF STATE

REVIEW AUTHORITY: ROBERT 0 HOMME UNCLASSIFIED
DATE/CASE ID: 24 SEP 2009 200802196
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END SUMMARY. UNCLASSIFIED
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3. A GEORGIAN ACTIVIST IN THE "MODERATE"
CHAVCHAV~ZE SOCIETY RECENTLY TOLD EMBOFF HE
PERSONALLY BELIEVED SHEVARDNADZE WAS BEHIND THE
DECISION TO USE TROOPS IN TBILISI ON APRIL 9.
LOOKING FOR WHOSE INTERESTS THE USE OF TROOPS SERVED,
HE COULD FIND ONLY SHEVARDNADZE - WHOSE POLITICAL
ENEMY PATIASHVILI WAS OUSTED AS A RESULT OF THE
DECISION. ACCORDING TO OUR SOURCE, SHEVARDNADZE HAD
RECOMMENDED GEORGIAN PARTY SECRETARY KHABEISHVILI TO
BE HIS SUCCESSOR AS REPUBLIC FIRST SECRETARY WHEN
SHEVARDN~ZE MOVED TO MOSCOW IN 19G5. DESPITE HIS
RECOMMENDATION, PATIASHVILI -- LIGACHEV'S CANDIDATE
-- WAS ELECTED. PATIASHVILI HAD DEVELOPED TIES WITH
LIGACHEV IN HIS WORK AS GEORGIAN PARTY SECRETARY
RESPONSIBLE FOR AGRICULTURE. PATIASHVILI MOVED
QUICKLY AGAINST KHABEISHVILI: IN 1985, HE WAS
ARRESTED FOR CORRUPTION AND SENTENCED TO FIFTEEN
YEARS; HE IS NOW IN PRISON. SHEVARDNADZE HAS BEEN
DETERMINED TO OUST PATIASHVILI SINCE THEN. ONE
AVENUE OF PRESSURE WAS THROUGH GEORGIAN SECRETARY FOR
IDEOLOGY POPKHADZE,WHO WAS NAMED IN MAY 1988 AND
KNOWN TO BE A "TRUE ALLY" OF SHEVARDNADZE.
POPKHADZE'S ROLE, IN OUR SOURCE'S VIEW, WAS TO
DESTABILIZE THE SITUATION IN GEORGIA IN AN EFFORT TO
BRING PATIASHVILI DOWN. THUS, OUR SOURCE BELIEVED
POPKHADZE HAD BEEN ACTIVE IN ENCOURAGING CERTAIN
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ELEMENTS IN ABKHAZIA TO PUSH FOR AN AUTONOMOUS

REPUBLIC.

4. OUR SOURCE BELIEVED PATIASHVILI HAD NOTHING TO

GAIN AND EVERYTHING TO LOSE BY BRINGING IN TROOPS TO
DISPERSE THE DEMONSTRATION, PARTICULARLY THE SPECIAL
MVD (SPETZVOYN) TROOPS THAT WERE USED. THE END
RESULT WAS THAT PATIASHVILI WAS REMOVED. AND THE
OFFICIAL SPOKESMAN ON THE EVENTS WAS NONE OTHER THAN
POPKHADZE, WHO LAID THE BLAME SQUARELY ON
PATIASHVILI.

5. OTHER GEORGIAN ACTIVISTS HAVE POINTED OUT THAT

SHEVARDNADZE WAS OUT OF THE COUNTRY WITH GORBACHEV
WHEN TROOPS WERE FIRST DEPLOYED TO TBILISI; HE

LTNCLASSIFIED
RETURNED APRIL 7. SEVERAL OTHER GEORGIAN DISSIDENTS
HAVE ALSO REPORTED THAT POPKHADZE IS LINKED CLOSELY
UNCLASSIFIED
TO SHEV~NADZE AND IS THE MOST LIBERAL MEMBER OF THE
GEORGIAN LEADERSHIP . . OUR SOURCE DID NOT EXPLAIN WHY
GUMBARIDZE WAS ELECTED TO REPLACE PATIASHVILI. SOME
OF OUR CONTACTS SAY GUMBARIDZE IS NOT A SHEVARDNADZE
ASSOCIATE, BUT OTHERS CLAIM THAT HE IS A RELATIVE.
OTHER GEORGIAN DISSIDENTS AND INTELLECTUALS HAVE
CONTRADICTED THE CLAIM THAT "PATIASHVILI HAD NOTHING
TO GAIN" BY THE USE OF TROOPS AGAINST THE
DEMONSTRATORS. ACCORDING TO THESE REPORTS, AS WELL
AS PUBLIC STATEMENTS BY TRANSCAUCASUS MILITARY
DISTRICT COMMANDER RODIONOV, PATIASHVILI TWICE
COUNSELLED THE USE OF TROOPS AGAINST THE
DEMONSTRATORS IN TWO SEPARATE CC BURO MEETINGS,
COUNSEL THAT RODIONOV HAD AT FIRST OPPOSED.

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COR R E C TED COP Y (TEXT)

DEPARTMENT ALSO FOR INR/B

E.O. 12356: DECL:OADR

TAGS: PINS, PHUM, PINR, UR
SUBJECT: GEORGIAN ACTIVIST ON EVENTS IN TBILISI

COll®1ENT
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6. THE BELIEF THAT THE ORDER TO USE SPETZVOYN TROOPS
TO DISPERSE THE TBILISI DEMONSTRATION HAD TO BE
APPROVED IN MOSCOW IS WIDESPREAD IN THE GEORGIAN
CAPITAL, ACCORDING TO OUR SOURCES. THE GEORGIAN
MODERATE IS THE ONLY SOURCE WHO HAS PINNED
RESPONSIBILITY ON SHEVARDNADZE AND HIS DESIRE TO
UNSEAT PATIASHVILI, HOWEVER. WE ARE VERY SKEPTICAL
OF THIS THEORY. WE DOUBT THAT SHEVARDNADZE WOULD
HAVE PUT PERESTROYKA AT RISK BY ALLOWING OR EVEN
QUIETLY ENCOURAGING AN ALLY TO DESTABILIZE THE
SITUATION IN GEORGIA IN ORDER TO BRING DOWN A
POLITICAL FOE. THAT SAID, THIS ACTIVIST'S THEORY IS
AT LEAST ILLUSTRATIVE OF HOW BYZANTINE ARE POPULAR
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PERCEPTIONS OF POLITICAL RIVALRIES IN GEORGIA AND THE

COMMUNIST PARTY THERE.

7. LENINGRAD MINIMIZE CONSIDERED. MATLOCK

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