German President Horst Koehler (left) welcomes Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili in Berlin, February 2, 2006.
Photo: AP
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Georgia Makes Itself Heard
// Russian-Georgian Conflict
Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili, on his arrival in Germany yesterday on an official visit, called Russia a “very rich, insidious, malicious and experienced enemy.” Shortly before that, Georgian Ambassador to the UN Revaz Adamia accused Russia of genocide of Georgians. Thus Georgian officials are doing everything they can to place Russian-Georgian differences on a world level and gain Western support in the issue of withdrawing Russian peacekeepers from South Ossetia and Abkhazia.
A Blow against Peacekeepers
The war of words between Russia and Georgia reached a new height on February 1. The cause of the escalation was a collision between a Russian military truck and a private Georgian automobile. Nerves were so tense on both sides that the simple traffic accident led to an explosion of emotion.
Attempts by the Russian military to get the truck away from the Georgian police who were trying to impound it enraged official Tbilisi. Georgian Defense Minister Irakly Okruashvili stated that he was angry at the “insolence of the Russian peacekeepers” and praised the police for their “worthy response.” Speaker of the Parliament Nino Burjanadze noted that the country was “continually threatened by provocations and explosions” and “the absence of positive steps from Russia.”
The incident with the Russian truck became the pretext for stringer measures in the fight against the presence of Russian peacekeepers on the border of Georgia and South Ossetia. Secretary of the Security Council of Georgia Konstantin Kemularia stated that the presence of the Russian peacekeepers in conflict zones, particularly around the Abkhazian capital of Tskhinvali, “creates a threat to the country.” Moreover, it was confirmed that a government report “On the Situation in South Ossetia” would be presented to the Georgian Parliament on February 10 and a resolution passed demanding that a procedure for the withdrawal of Russian peacekeepers first from South Ossetia and then, in a second stage, from Abkhazia (beginning in July of this year).
The parliamentarians' decisiveness was at first not echoed by the presidential administration. Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili, speaking of the withdrawal of the Russian peacekeepers, said that “we will defend our interests, but will not take hasty, overly impulsive steps that could damage the country's interests.” Georgy Khaindrava, State Minister for the Regulation of Conflicts, made it clear that he was also against the withdrawal of the Russian peacekeepers and would try to dissuade the parliament from radical measures at a closed session of the parliamentary bureau on February 7. “Those who like to make loud pronouncements have t consider what they may lead to,” he said. “The situation in Tskhinvali is completely controlled by the Russian FSB, which is capable of provoking any antagonism.”
Diplomatic Attack
In its desire to avoid further antagonism in the conflict area, Georgia began to bring the international community into the polemics with Russia. Georgian Ambassador to the UN Revaz Adamia accused Russia of genocide and ethnic cleansing in Abkhazia, saying that “hundreds of thousands of Georgians were driven from Abkhazia and tens of thousands killed” with the direct participation of Russia, whose armed formations “showed the separatists all kinds of cooperation.”
Adamia has been one of Saakashvili's closest advisors since the Revolution of Roses. Revaz is the former chairman of the Defense and Security Committee of the Georgian Parliament. He has repeatedly stated that he considers “restoring the territorial integrity of Georgia [his] main task and entire life's cause.”
The immediate cause for that harsh announcement was Russia's refusal at the last consultation between the permanent members of the UN Security Council to support the “Boden plan,” of German diplomat Dieter Boden who was until recently the UN secretary general's special representative for the regulation of the Georgian-Abkhazian conflict. The Boden peace plan proposed the federalization of Georgia and negotiations between Tbilisi and Sukhumi on demarcation of subjects of jurisdiction and constitutional authority. Abkhazian President Sergey Bagapsh stated, however, that the Abkhazian people have already determined the status of Abkhazia as an independent state and do not intend to discuss a federative agreement with Tbilisi. Moscow supported Sukhumi, saying that there could be no discussion at a Security Council meeting of a plan to federalize Georgia and include Abkhazia in a Georgian Federation, as Adamia wanted, because the plan was unacceptable to Abkhazia.
That was when Adamia called on the UN to examine the possibility of exchanging CIS peacekeeping forces in the zone of the Georgian-Abkhazian conflict for “a real operation to support peace under the leadership of the UN.” He based the need for that move on “the serious change in the Russian position” on perspectives for settling the conflict between Tbilisi and Sukhumi and suggests sidelining the Boden plan and introducing Ukrainian and Turkish contingents into the zone of conflict under the aegis of the UN. Both of those countries have expressed their willingness to take part. Secretary of the Ukrainian Security Council Anatoly Kinakh stated on Wednesday during a visit to Tbilisi that the Ukrainian military is prepared to replace the Russian peacekeepers in Georgia. In both Kiev and Ankara, they emphasize that they will dispatch contingents there only under the UN aegis and on the decision of the UN Security Council. Russia, however, has the right to a veto in the Security Council, however. Therefore, the chances of Adamia's plan being put into action any time soon are small. The only increased international pressure on Russia could provide Georgia with a way.
“Irresponsible licentiousness has free reign in communications with Russia in Tbilisi,” the Russian Foreign Ministry noted dryly in response to Adamia's statements.
The Georgian Foreign Ministry issued a statement on the situation in Abkhazia yesterday in which it is noted that “Russian peacekeepers enjoy the support of North Caucasian Wahhabis. Tbilisi claims that Russian the special services, the separatist state of Abkhazia and extremists are preparing a provocation in order to extend the mandate of the peacekeepers.
The Wahhabis being referred to are the Conference of Mountain Peoples of the Caucasus, founded in Sukhumi in 1991, which made a significant contribution to the victory of Abkhazia in the 1991-1993 war. Georgian leaders have repeatedly stated that they are the same “Wahhabis” that Russia is exterminating in Chechnya, but is willing to support in its conflict with Georgia. Tbilisi notes that the former leader of Conference, Musa Shanibov, recently moved to Sukhumi and was given a residency permit in Abkhazia.
Abkhazian President Sergey Bagapsh said of Adamia's statements that “There was no genocide of Georgians in Abkhazia. The Georgian ambassador has a sick imagination. He is trying to turn everything upside down… Georgia tried to carry out the genocide of the Abkhazian people and everybody knows it.” He also stressed that Abkhazia will not agree to the withdrawal of the Russian peacekeepers from the conflict zone or a change in the format of the peacekeeping operation. “Russia has effective supported peace in the region for more then ten years and lost about 100 servicemen in that time. We are immeasurably grateful to Russia for that. The leadership of Abkhazia does not think it expedient and will never agree to an expansion of participants in the peacekeeping operation,” he said.
Scandal in Front of the Whole World
This deterioration of Russian-Georgian relations coincided with Saakashvili's visit to Germany. He arrived there yesterday on the invitation of German Chancellor Angela Merkel. Today he went to Munich, where the 42nd conference on security issues is taking place. Merkel, Secretary General of NATO Jaap de Hoop Scheffer, Russian defense Minister Sergey Ivanov, U.S. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, British Defense Minister John Reid, French Defense Minister Michele Alliot-Marie, EU High Representative for General Foreign Policy Javier Solana, head of the Germany Foreign Ministry Frank-Walter Steinmeier and U.S. Undersecretary of State Robert Zellik.
In light of the current tension, Russian-Georgian relations are likely to be a key issue at the conference. Georgian authorities are likely to succeed in their goal of drawing world attention to the problem and receiving the support of Western politicians in their dispute with Moscow.
Yesterday, in preparation for tough debate in Munich, Saakashvili delivered a fiery speech to the Georgian ambassadors in Europe. “We have to be prepared for anything, we soldiers of the homeland, we have to course of retreat because the fatherland is behind us. We are dealing with a very rich, insidious, malicious and experienced enemy whose goal is not to allow the rebirth, unification and final liberation of Georgia,” he intoned.
Today Saakashvili is to deliver a report to the Munich forum called “The Role of Georgia in the System of European Security.” He is expected to draw attention to issues of energy and military security.
Vladimir Novikov, Tbilisi; Mikhail Zygar
All the Article in Russian as of Feb. 03, 2006
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