Georgian Parliament Burned Out
// Friendship of nations
Yesterday, Georgian parliament decided to postpone passage of the act that would make Russian troops leave Georgia. Besides, the draft of the act is no longer that tough. That means Georgia is not ready to fight with Moscow.
Giga Bokeria and Givi Targamadze were the initiators of the tough act. The act was to be passed yesterday. However, it didn’t happen.
At the very beginning of the parliament session, Nino Burdzhanadze offered to postpone the discussion. She said: “We agreed with Sergei Lavrov, head of the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs to run extra consultations before Saakashvilly’s visit to Moscow” due to take place on May 9. Besides, head of the parliament said Mikhail Saakashvilly is against the radical act.
Burdzhanidze insisted that the discussion should be postponed. Opposition, as well as her pro-president colleagues protested though. Konstantin Gabashvily, head of the international affairs committee said: “How long are we going to be slaves to Russia and suffer from its military prescriptive?” He got no answer though. His colleagues asked him “to remain cool and to soberly evaluate the real possibilities of the country.”
The project of the act was changed. It says that the dates of the pullout should be determined before May 9. If no agreement is achieved, the pariament would ask government and the president to outlaw the Russian bases.”
As far as Kommersant is informed, the apologetic tone of the speaker is caused by definite reasons. A day before the discussion of the act, the speaker and the president talked over the phone and decided not to exacerbate relations with Moscow. President asked some members of the government to talk to the initiators of the act and tell them not to poison the atmosphere and give diplomatists a chance. Bokeria and Targamadze didn’t come for the session.
Observers think that Saakashvily’s decision not to exacerbate relations with Moscow shows that the authority realised the danger of the radical oposition to Russia. Russia quitted suplying Georgia with electricity right before the discussion of the act. Russia referred to some failure at the Kavkasiony power transmission line. The Georgians do understand the real reasons. The cutoff can become a catastrophe for the majority of the Georgian regions.
There are also other reasons. Experts have warned the Georgian authority that they should consult with Washington and other western partners before passinsg such acts. Apparently the United States is not happy to face radical actions of Tbilisi and Moscow’s reprisals.
Vladimir Novikov, Tbilisi
All the Article in Russian as of Mar. 10, 2005
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