US embassy cable - 05YEREVAN887

UNCLAS YEREVAN 000887 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
 
DEPT FOR DRL AND EUR/CACEN 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV, PREL, AM 
SUBJECT: HAVING OUR SAY ON THE PROPOSED CONSTITUTIONAL 
AMENDMENTS 
 
REF:  YEREVAN 856 
 
1. (U) Sensitive but unclassified.  Please protect 
accordingly. 
 
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SUPPORTING THE COE 
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2. (SBU) The National Assembly passed the governing 
coalition's draft amendments in the first reading May 
11 (reftel).  The Council of Europe's (CoE) Venice 
Commission has been working closely with the GOAM and 
the National Assembly throughout the Constitutional 
reform process, and has provided the GOAM with 
detailed textual analyses of the draft amendments. 
 
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USG SHOULD WEIGH IN 
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3. (SBU) The period leading up to the second reading 
(probably mid-June) of the proposed amendments is 
crucial -- this is the period when any serious edits 
will occur.  We believe we can make a difference, and 
our message is simple: 
 
-- We urge the GOAM to continue to work closely with 
the Council of Europe to amend its constitution in 
line with western norms. 
 
-- We note that executive power must be subject to 
effective checks and balances, including a strong 
legislature. 
 
-- We urge the GOAM to ensure that the judiciary is 
independent and impartial. 
 
-- We look forward to seeing the GOAM empower regional 
and local government; governors and the Yerevan mayor 
should be elected. 
 
Although these points are perhaps excessively 
straightforward, we believe that, for most audiences, 
they are tactically more useful than the 124 detailed 
points (e-mailed separately to EUR/CACEN) laid out by 
the Venice Commission.  One of the key stumbling 
blocks for the amended constitution will be the public 
perception that the discussions took place among 
elites and specialists, which has the potential to 
harm the chances for a successful referendum to 
approve the changes. 
 
4. (SBU) We plan to make these points with 
interlocutors across the political spectrum -- 
together with the CoE's Venice Commission that is 
making a detailed text-in/text-out analysis of the 
draft amendments, we have the potential to help the 
GOAM do the right thing on these fundamental points. 
EVANS