"We cannot allow a civil war; therefore, we must be very careful"

Гражданской войны допустить нельзя, поэтому мы должны быть очень осторожны

From Kommersant.ru:

The Georgian opposition has begun preparations for large-scale protests set to begin on April 9. Leader of the party "For a United Georgia", ex-Speaker of Parliament Nino Burjanadze, told special correspondent Olga Allenova of the prospects for a new "velvet revolution" in Georgia.

-- Your supporters were arrested for buying arms. And now there are rumors going about that your party is preparing for a coup. What do you have to say to this?

-- The way the arrests happened is very strange. They happened at five in the morning. The chairman of our party in Adjara called us and said that 25 special-ops officers had burst into a home. Neither the neighbors nor lawyers [i.e. prosecutor's office] had ordered the special-ops. Naturally, the neighbors refused to sign the report that nearly an entire arsenal of "Mukha" grenades was found in the bathroom. I don't think that people who know that they're being investigated would store such weapons in their bathroom. After this there were a series of other arrests, and we saw some very strange footage.

-- You mean the footage released by the Ministry of Internal Affairs in which a couple of your supporters can be seen discussing the purchase of arms for the April 9th demonstrations?

-- We simply don't know who most of these people shown in these clips are. We have no connection to them whatsoever. In these clips you can see that there were attempts to pressure these persons into buying heavy arms, such as suggesting that they buy 10-16 automatic weapons instead of one pistol. We haven't seen footage in which the actual transactions take place, and moreover, footage which would make it clear whether or not this was an organized group.

-- You want to say that these persons could have been buying pistols for themselves?

-- It's hard for me to prove that. If someone broke the law, be he a member of my party or someone close to me, he should answer for that. But there is footage which I know for sure was recorded a year ago. In one of the clips, there is a man who, along with his wife, joined our party two months ago. But he's just a rank-and-file member of whom there are more than 15,000. This man has no relationship of any kind with those people who make decisions in the party. And how this man turned up in our office at 6 am is a mystery to me. And, of course, why is he looking directly at the camera, and saying lines that no one usually says? As a lawyer and the spouse of a former general prosecutor, I can say that I've never heard of a criminal case in which a person comes to buy heavy arms and tells the seller what they're needed for. Moreover, that he's preparing for a coup.

-- Are you suggesting that this incident was directed against you and your party? Why?

-- The President has always been rather afraid of me, and he never did trust me, even though I never gave him the slightest occasion to doubt my sincerity. But he knows my character. While I stood by his side, I supported him, even in very uncomfortable situations that hurt my image, but, having left for the opposition, I'm in it until the end. And he understands this. For him, this is dangerous. Because he knows that Nino Burjanadze is a person who's recognized not only within the country, but also abroad. A person who has a name, authority, and opinions that are considered. And that's why it's important for the president to make my party out to be radical.

-- You say that you're ready to go to the end. What does that mean? Will you enter into negotiations?

-- Negotiations could only be about the resignation of the president. His actions have made it impossible to talk about anything else. Negotiations could be held to discuss how to minimize the harm his resignation would have on the country.

-- You're speaking of early presidential elections?

-- Yes.

-- But it's clear that the authorities won't agree to this.

-- If they will not see the firm resolve of the opposition, then they won't agree [to early elections].

-- Has it occurred to you that, as a result of this scandal surrounding the heavy arms, you might have lost your authority?

-- I'm sure that the majority of people don't believe this story. The people understand that the government is the party actively talking about a coup, and that it's simply trying to prove that which it has thought up. And this has put the people on their guard. But I'm sure that a lot of people will come out on April 9. The people are disgusted by what's happening in their country, especially after August. Much depends on how the opposition will conduct itself. If we can make the most of these 10 days, I'm sure that we can have a serious demonstration.

-- And what if during the demonstration someone fires a shot in the crowd and you can't control the fallout?

There is that risk. But if you're afraid of wolves, don't enter the forest. It's necessary to take all precautions to prevent any shots from being fired, or any violence from breaking out. But we can't rule out anything--especially when dealing with this government. And from what I can tell, they plan to use force. And they're looking for an excuse to do so.

-- Can you rule out the possibility that April 9 might mark the beginning of a civil war?

-- I hope that this won't be the case, and I will do everything to see that this doesn't happen. As of now, there are no indications that there should be a civil war. An overwhelming majority of the populations has a negative opinion of Saakashvili. We cannot allow a civil war. And generally speaking, the country will not endorse a plan of action that would involve war. Therefore, we must be very careful.

-- And why are you not willing to wait until the end of the president's term? Or does the transfer of power in Georgia always happen on the streets?

-- To wait and allow the democratic institutions to strengthen is the ideal option.  But this government has done some much harm to my country and committed such crimes that it is pretty much impossible to talk about any constiutional term. Snap elections are also a normal European solution. After what happened last August, any normal government would have resigned. And as long as Saakashvili is in power, we have no guarantees that Georgia won't lose even more regions by 2013. This is a tragedy for our people--what happened in August. And all our president says is "So what, so we lost a few regions." We need a leader who is willing to fight for every last piece of land, and not necessarily by means of war, willing to fight for a democratic country.

-- But the authorities are saying that it was impossible to avoid the war.

-- This war could have and should have been avoided. The fact that today I'm criticizing Saakashvili does not mean that I approve of Russia's actions. Russia has acted entirely inappropriately, respecting neither the territorial integrity nor sovereignty of Georgia, nor the interests of the Georgian people. To say that Russia respects Georgia and the Georgian people, but doesn't like Saakashvili is not a very serious argument. The Georgian people were bombed, not Saakashvili. Georgian villages and cities. And territory was seized, when South Ossetia and Abkhazia were recognized, not from Saakashvili, but from the Georgian people. It became clear last August that we were being provoked. It was necessary to think two moves ahead before going to war with Russia.

-- You see this war as a Russian provocation?

-- It was a provocation. Saakashvili fell for it and dragged the country into war, a war which from the very outset was clear would be lost.

-- You recently had a meeting with the US Ambassador to Georgia and Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Bryza. What did you discuss, if it's not a secret?

-- There are no secrets. I believe it's important that representatives from friendly nations shoud know the real situation. They see one side of the story from the government, which is broadcast on TV, and we show them the other side.

-- Do they see April 9 as a real threat?

-- Certainly, everyone is watching the situation very closely because any sane person can see how serious the situation has become. And, of course, these people want everything to end peacefully, by constitutional means. And we desire the same.

Eduard Shevardnadze: "If I were Saakashvili, I would step down"

"На месте Саакашвили я бы ушел": Эдуард Шеварднадзе

Ex-Georgian President Eduard Shevardnadze stated that "if I were Saakashvili, I would step down." At a meeting with journalists, the 81 year-old Shevardnadze expressed his opinion that "if a hundred thousand or more people gather at the April 9 demonstrations, and they demand Saakashvili's resignation, then, I think, the president should not oppose the people, but should respect the will of the people and resign."

In response to the question, "Have you had contact with Saakashvili?", Shevardnadze answered: "It's already been several years since I last met with him or spoke with him over the phone." Shevardnadze also denied media reports that he intended to make a return to politics. "I'm a pensioner, and I am not meeting with officials nor Georgian politicians. Talk of my returning to politics or power is nothing more than a fairy tale."

Saakashvili has not once stated that he intends to resign before the end of his term in 2013. Authorities emphasize that the fate of Georgia--a country with a population of 4.5 million people--"cannot and should not be decided by 100 or 150 thousand demonstrators."

European Commission finds that Saakashvili initiated the "August War"

Комиссия ЕС признала, что инициатором августовской войны был Саакашвили

The European Commission, tasked with investigating last August's war in the Caucasus, has found that Georgian president Mikheil Saakashvili initiated the military conflict. The report was released on March 23 by the weekly paper Der Spiegel.

Der Spiegel's Moscow correspondent Uwe Klussmann writes: On August 7, 2008, General Mamuka Kurashvili, commander of the Georgian peacekeepers deployed in South Ossetia, appeared on national television and stated that Georgia had decided to "restore constitutional order in the region." And with that began the five-day war between Russia and Georgia which quickly escalated tensions between the East and the West, -- "to the most dangerous levels since the end of the Cold War." According to Der Spiegel, the European Commission singled out Kurashvili's television appearance as the primary factor. "His statements serve as proof that the president of Georgia, Mikheil Saakashvili, was not concerned with any 'Russian aggression,'

which he to this day claims to be his motive for invading South Ossetia, but rather was planning an offensive war. In fact, Kurashvili cited "Georgian Order Number 2" on August 7--a document which could answer the question as to who began this war," writes the author of the article.

"It is believed that the Commission's report, which is expected to be released early this summer, will mention that over the course of several years, Russia provided those living in South Ossetia with Russian passports. Experts in international law see this as an interference in Georgia's internal affairs. Nevertheless, the findings of the European Commission indicate that Tbilisi is more to blame than Moscow. Those close to the Georgian President have been reacting nervously to the Commission's efforts, like Temur Yakobashvili, the "Minister of Reintegration" of the breakaway provinces, for example. Now, he is spreading rumors that the Commission is financed by "Gazprom," says one source.

The Commission is made up of diplomats, military officials, historians, and experts in international law.

[Click here to read the original Der Spiegel article (in English)]

Former Insider Lashes Out at Authorities

From Civil.ge (not a translation)

Civil Georgia, Tbilisi / 29 Sep.'08 / 21:25

Erosi Kitsmarishvili, a person who once owned Rustavi 2 TV and was President Saakashvili’s administration insider, said a political force that would be an alternative to the current “discredited authorities” should be established.

Kitsmarishvili served as Georgia’s ambassador in Moscow, before he was recalled in July. Kitsmarishvili, who has never been a career diplomat, was dismissed by the Foreign Ministry in mid-September. He was the President’s close ally and was Saakashvili’s key strategist ahead of the January 5 snap presidential elections.

Kitsmarishvili used a newspaper interview published on September 29 in the largest-selling Georgian weekly Kviris Palitra, to unleash criticism of his former allies for as he put it a failure to avert war with Russia and also for degenerating level of democracy and freedom of media. He said that level of democracy was higher in the last years of Eduard Shevardnadze’s presidency, than it was now.

“People like me should no longer be part of this government; they should be opponents of these authorities with which the resource of relation has been exhausted,” Kitsmarishvili said.

“There are many interesting persons both within and outside the current authorities,” he continued, but did not specify the names. “We should create an alternative to these authorities. That is my position, because today we have discredited authorities.”

He said that this alternative was needed in order to restore political balance in the country and to create kind of a checks-and-balances system.

“I will be one of them who will implement this; the current reality [that has emerged after the August war with Russia] will help this process, as well as the political forces – which are in the process of establishment and part of them has already established themselves,” he said.

Kitsmarishvili said that the war could have been averted if President Saakashvili had listened to senior western diplomats and if he had not gone into the Russian trap.

“I, as the last ambassador of Georgia to Russia, want to stress that the Georgian authorities did not take into account the position of top diplomats regarding the conflict resolution issues,” Kitsmarishvili said. “Hence, I, who stood aside these authorities, despite numerous disagreements want to announce that there is no place for me to stay with the Saakashvili’s government… and I distance myself from him [President Saakashvili].”

He also said that planned “public activities,” but added he was not ready at this point to specify details of his future plans.

When speaking about the August war, Kitsmarishvili recalled Georgia’s UN ambassador Irakli Alasania’s efforts to push for the peace plan with Abkhazia.

“In case of implementation of this plan, we could have averted bloody scenario of events,” Kitsmarishvili said.

Also in this context he mentioned that ex-parliamentary speaker Nino Burjanadze; Irakli Alasania and “the Georgian diplomats” in general “have not been listened” by the senior decision-makers in the Georgian authorities.

He also suggested that “little chances” would have still remained for averting the war if Burjanadze was the Parliamentary Chairperson.

Kitsmarishvili is a founder of the Rustavi 2 television. He gained significant political weight – although he never was an acting politician - after the 2003 Rose Revolution as his television station sided with then opposition leaders and played key role in those developments back in November, 2003. He said that next day after ex-president Shevardnadze stepped down on November 23, Mikheil Saakashvili, Nino Burjanadze, Zurab Zhvania and he met and distributed powers and responsibilities in post-revolution Georgia. Kitsmarishvili has claimed that his role – as a participant of the Rose Revolution “project,” as he called it - was to oversee observance of the verbal agreement reached between the leaders.

Kitsmarishvili had to give up the television stations, supposedly, after disagreements with Zurab Zhvania, the late Prime Minister.

In the newspaper interview, Kitsmarishvili acknowledged having disagreements with Zhvania and even said: “we have parted ways as enemies.” He also said that he did not believe Zhvania’s death in February, 2005 was just an accident; “It was a murder,” he said, but did no elaborate further on the matter.

Kitsmarishvili’s criticism of the Saakashvili’s administration comes two weeks after the same newspaper published an interview with ex-Prime Minister Zurab Nogaidlei, who also under the pretext of the August war lashed out at his former allies. Nino Burjanadze, the ex-parliamentary speaker, stopped short of directly accusing the authorities for the August war, but said she had “tough questions” which needed answers from the government.

Giga Bokeria, a deputy foreign minister, and an influential figure within the administration, hinted that losing of official posts was the reason behind the critical remarks of former allies.

“It is strange that such criticism coincides as usually with the fact of losing bureaucratic posts,” he said in an interview with the Kviris Palitra also published on September 29. He declined to comment why Kitsmarishvili was dismissed.

Kitsmarishvili, meanwhile, has claimed that before quitting the Saakashvili’s administration, he had been offered a new post – which he refused to specify – but declined.

Ombudsman Speaks Out

From Civil.ge (not translated by me):

Ombudsman Speaks Out
Civil Georgia, Tbilisi / 26 Sep.'08 / 12:10


Georgia is not "ruled correctly" and it is necessary to replace the existing "authoritarianism" with real democracy in order to save the country, Georgian Public Defender Sozar Subari said in a statement issued on September 25.

"We reiterate our readiness for cooperation and open dialogue in order to change the existing authoritarian system with democratic governance, as well as to establish the rule of law in the country," Subari said. "To achieve this, we should employ all forms of peaceful protest to persuade the government."

The public defender also speaks about the August events and the human rights situation.

"Despite the president's promise to dedicate his presidency to the re-unification of Georgia, now the Ksani Gorge – now known as Akhalgori district – the Kodori Gorge, Didi and Patara Liakhvi Gorges and Prone Gorge have been added to the list of lost territories," the statement reads.

Subari blamed authoritarian governance for this development.

"New disasters are to be expected in the event of a continuation of authoritarianism," the public defender said. "The Russian model of authoritarian governance in Georgia, which envisages a unilateral and forceful settlement of problems inside and outside the country, is a fifth column responsible for Georgia's failure."

“The government that is locked within it, which listens only to itself and respects only its own judgment, has lost the capacity for proper decision-making; Russia took advantage of this and has executed its long plotted perfidious plan of conquering our territories. Our country and its people have fallen prey to these processes,” the statement reads.

It also said that the authorities, who lost the August war, are only thinking about the PR side of things.

“Even if there had been the smallest ground for optimism for the government - as if human casualties, loss of more territories, burned villages and a new wave of IDPs counted as a victory for the authorities - accelerating the process of unifiying the country and its prosperity, wisdom and common sense require that shouts of “we won”, concerts and celebrations should be postponed until at least even the contours of this victory are visible,” the public defender said.

He said that under current conditions the only way out is “to face the truth“ and to analyze what has happened in reality.

“Intolerance of different opinions, a tunnel vision, the side-lining of the law and permanent complacency have become the rule of life of the current system of governance. The culture of listening to different opinions, discussions, disputes and dialogue has been lost even among the authorities themselves,” Subari said. “The authorities are not interested in understanding what people think about them; they want that people constantly listen to their speeches about what the authorities think about themselves.”

“Georgia is not the property of the government; it belongs to each citizen,” he said. “At this time, silence and inactivity is equal to a crime.”

“Root” Democratic Reforms

The public defender said that under current conditions the only way out of the situation was to carry out “root [and branch]” democratic reforms, instead of making “pseudo-democratic” changes. Subari also said that a new wave of democratic reforms announced by President Saakashvili aims “at painting facades.”

He stressed that the democratic freedoms and human rights situation had worsened in the country; there are no courts, different opinions are persecuted, no fair elections are held, property rights are violated, so-called “elite corruption” is in place; no freedom of assembly or freedom to demonstrate is provided for; TV stations are completely controlled by the authorities; “all power is concentrated in the hands of the president and several leaders;” intimidation of citizens has become a lever in the hands of the authorities.

“It is especially cynical that all this happens under the banner and on behalf of democracy,” he said.

Subari also said that the authorities had “silence[d] the information space” and replaced it with “propaganda.”

“As a result, instead of receiving actual information, from dawn to dusk we are doomed to listen to the propaganda that “Misha is cool”, everything is fine, that we won and that Georgia will soon blossom,” he said.

In order to achieve “irreversible democracy," the public defender urged the authorities:

• To immediately stop persecution of people with different opinions;
• To set up fair and independent courts;
• To establish the rule of law;
• To provide freedom of speech and expression; to abolish state control over TV stations; to prevent state interference in media activities;
• To develop a fair elections code; to create the environment necessary for holding free and fair elections;
• To create a free and competitive political environment;
• To de-politicize law enforcement agencies and the Prosecutor’s Office;
• To provide checks and balances between various governmental branches; to distribute presidential power;
• To grant real functions to local self-governance bodies;
• To introduce the principle of government responsibility and accountability to society; freedom and accessibility of public information for each citizen;
• To ensure the inviolability of property rights;
• To create a stable, free, competitive business environment;
• To ensure freedom of assembly and association, and the right to protest;

Simultaneously, in a message to friendly countries and international community, the Georgian public defender noted that “Georgian people do not deserve an authoritarian regime… Georgia is ready for democracy.”

“Help us in [developing] democracy! Help us in persuading the authorities that declarations of the attributes and principles of democracy only on paper, while [at the same time] establishing an authoritarian system in reality, will lead the country towards catastrophe,” Subari said.

[See the Opposition reaction here]

EU against US fleet in Black Sea

ЕС - против флота США в Чёрном море

French Minister of Foreign Affairs Bernard Kouchner has voiced opposition to the presence of a US fleet in the Black Sea. At a press conference in Avignon summarizing the results of an informal meeting of heads of Ministries of Foreign Affairs of EU member nations, he said that the presence of the US fleet in this region "serves no purpose. We need to defuse the situation," specifying that the crisis "can only be resolved politically, not by war ships."

Commenting on Vice-President Dick Cheney's announcement that the US would allocate $1 billion to Georgia, Kouchner said: "I am happy for this, but what does this change? We are also giving a lot of money for restoration (of Georgia); we're not competing." Story from Bloomberg.

US plans to establish military bases in Georgia

США планируют создание военных баз в Грузии

The US is planning to establish permanent naval bases on the coast of Georgia. Currently, there are intense negotiations between the US, Georgia, and Turkey concerning the future presence of war ships in Poti and Batumi.

According to Georgian sources, the bases will be designed for quick response. Another purpose for the bases is to provide security for the energy corridor, which crosses Georgian territory. However, Turkey's position on this issue is not yet clear as it is afraid of the Russia reaction.

After the crisis surrounding South Ossetia developed, 7 NATO war ships entered the Black Sea. Just yesterday, the flagship of the 6 vessel US fleet the "Mount Whitney" docked at the port in Poti.

Burjanadze Says Warned Saakashvili Over S. Ossetia

The following is taken from civil.ge:


Nino Burjanadze, the former parliamentary speaker, said it was too early to say if the crisis could have been avoided.

“I need serious analysis. I need answers to the questions,” she said in an interview with Reuters on September 5 after speaking at Columbia University in New York.

When asked what would happen if it does turn out to have been avoidable, she said: “In this case, I don't wish to be in the place of the government.”

“I can say it's very difficult to imagine a good position for the president of a country that has such big problems,” Burjanadze said. “I don't think that he feels himself comfortable and well or stronger than he was before.”

“However, we, the Georgian people, do not consider the government as victims only and, of course, the time will come for a sober assessment of what went wrong in Georgia.”

She said that she had met with President Saakashvili “few days before the crisis.”

“I expressed my views and my vision. I was sure that Russia will attack if there will be any kind of military action from the Georgian side, and I saw that Russia wanted to provoke Georgia.”

“I always thought there is no military solution for Ossetia and Abkhazia because Russia will fight, Russia will send troops, Russia will send arms, Russia will send aircraft.”

“I understood that it's a real disaster for my country,” she added.

[A little background, Burjanadze was once a very popular politician. She rose to power with Saakashvili and was seen as his closest ally. However, she shocked Georgia when she decided against running for re-election in the Parliamentary elections last May. It looks like she had seen the writing on the wall.]