Georgian Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to Russia Erosi Kitsmarishvili during a press conference devoted to addressing problems in Georgian-Russian relations at RIA Novosti.
Photo: Àíäðåé Ìàõîíèí/Êîììåðñàíòú
| Other Photos |
 |
|
 |
War Has No Diplomatic Immunity Any Longer
// Former Georgian Ambassador to Russia disclosed details about preparing military operation
Former Georgian Ambassador to Russia revealed military secrets
Yesterday’s meeting of the Georgian Parliament’s ad hoc commission on investigation of the August war ended with a scandal. Former Georgian Ambassador to Russia Erosi Kitsmarishvili, who was summoned to testify, disclosed a great deal of facts concerning Tbilisi’s plans to return Abkhazia and South Ossetia. Having heard the former Ambassador, MPs concluded that his diplomatic work was ineffective and announced their intention to punish him for “negligence”.
Erosi Kitsmarishvili, who worked as Georgian Ambassador to Russia from February to August, offered testifying before the ad hoc commission on investigation of the August war. The hearing in the Parliament lasted for three hours and finished with a big scandal, which was prompted by the former Ambassador’s statements about his having information on Georgia’s preparing a military assault on Tskhinvali. “I got this data from high-ranking officials,” Mr. Kitsmarishvili said refusing to name his sources however. “They also told me that certain western governments greenlighted a military operation against South Ossetia and Abkhazia.”
According to Erosi Kitsmarishvili, Tbilisi had planned to return Abkhazia and South Ossetia back in 2004. “At a meeting chaired by President Saakashvili in the summer of 2004 launching a large-scale operation in South Ossetia was discussed, but the majority of the participants objected to it because the army was not ready for such an operation,” the former diplomat said. Also, he told the commission that then Interior Minister Irakli Okruashvili and South Ossetian leader Eduard Kokoity secretly negotiated for settling the crisis. According to Erosi Kitsmarishvili, Irakli Okruashvili and Eduard Kokoity discussed those plans during hunting together. For a reward worth some million dollars Eduard Kokoity was ostensibly ready to make certain concessions. But it didn’t happen because soon his relations with the Georgian party deteriorated.
Mr. Kitsmarishvili said that he also knew about Russia’s aggressive plans concerning Abkhazia. He argued that he had proved data about Russia’s preparing for an attack on Georgia. “It was decided to attack the Kodori Gorge to clear it from Georgian law enforcement officers,” the former ambassador stated. “But the assault was put off after the Abkhaz party insisted on it: it would have told on tourism.”
The commission didn’t like the former ambassador’s confessions much. They lashed out at Mr. Kitsmarishvili’s interviews he gave when in office regarding Georgia’s conflict settlement means. Chairman of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Defense and Security Georgy Targamadze was the one to get most irritated by Erosi Kitsmarishvili’s statements. Mr. Targamadze accused the former ambassador of presenting Russia’s version of the August developments. At the peak of the discussion the MP hurled a pen at Mr. Kitsmarishvili. A scuffle was about to break out, and Mr. Kitsmarishvili had to leave the Parliament.
The commission, headed by Paata Davitaia assessed Erosi Kitsmarishvili’s speech as “politically engaged.” They also announced their intention to bring a suit against the former ambassador for “negligence.” “The ambassador did not inform the Georgian Foreign Ministry about escalating tensions in Russian-Georgian relations and Russia’s preparing military aggression against Georgia,” Paata Davitaia stated after the meeting.
Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili is expected to testify before the commission this week.
Nikolai Filchenko
All the Article in Russian as of Nov. 26, 2008
|
|
|
