GEORGIAN REPORT SAYS ARMENIAN COMMUNITY MAJOR FORCE IN ABKHAZ ELECTION

Rustavi-2 TV, Tbilisi, Georgia
Jan 16 2007

[Presenter] In the forthcoming elections, [Abkhaz separatist president
and vice president] Sergey Bagapsh and Raul Khadzhimba will be once
again sorting out their relationship. In the space of one month, the de
facto government will hold local and then parliamentary elections [on
11 February and 4 March respectively] in which the Armenian community,
the Russian Citizens’ Union and Abkhaz parties will contest seats.

Nato Makhviladze is live. Nato, is Khadzhimba strong enough to compete
with Bagapsh?

[Correspondent] Raul Khadzhimba has always been viewed as [Russian
President Vladimir] Putin’s favourite. The Russians have not lost
interest in him. This is quite a trump card because Russian special
services have always had the situation in Abkhazia under their control.

Raul Khadzhimba is quite a strong and influential figure. With the
elections approaching, he has managed to lure members of Amtsakhara
over to this side. These are veteran fighters. He also declared war
on one of the stronger communities, the Armenian communities.

[Passage omitted]

[Malkhaz Akishbaia, chair of the Tbilisi-backed Abkhaz cabinet of
ministers] They will fight for the electorate, that is to say, for the
Armenian community, the Georgian refugees who have returned to Gali and
ethnic Abkhaz. We should expect a serious conflict, with the situation
during the election potentially occasionally spiralling out of control.

[Khadzhimba, over the phone] Let no-one expect any kind of
destabilization. This won’t happen. The elections will be calm.

[Q] People say that you have tense relations with Bagapsh.

[Khadzhimba] Who has?

[Q] You, with the president.

[Khadzhimba] Perhaps this is what some want but, trust me, in reality
everything is normal.

[Correspondent] United Abkhazia and Amtsakhara have already been
registered for the elections. United Abkhazia is viewed as a party
which supports Bagapsh, while members of Amtsakhara have been lured
over by Khadzhimba. Representatives of the Armenian community too are
part of Bagapsh’s clan. They hold strong economic levers. Besides,
Armenians comprise 60 per cent of the Abkhaz population. With the
elections approaching, acts of provocation against the Armenian
community have become more frequent.

[Arno Stepanyan, chair of the Multiethnic Georgia NGO] [There have
been] explosions in Armenian schools. The circulation of propaganda
literature of anti-Armenian nature in Abkhazia is becoming more
widespread.

[Q] Who do you think is doing this?

[Stepanyan] Presumably, senior Abkhaz officials oriented towards
certain Russian forces.

[Q] Do you mean Khadzhimba?

[Stepanyan] I do not excluded that Mr Khadzhimba may be among them.

[Correspondent] The Armenian community is nevertheless planning
to take part in the parliamentary election and demands five seats
in the 35-member parliament [as said]. The chair of parliament’s
health committee, Galust Trapizonyan, has already made a statement
to this effect.

[Stepanyan] Presumably, the local Armenian community will win five
seats in the Abkhaz parliament. This effectively means that they will
control 17-per cent of the seats. [Passage omitted: ethnic Georgian
residents of Gali think their votes will be rigged, correspondent said;
local woman said she did not intend to vote]