Tweet
INTERVIEW WITH GEORGIAN OPPOSITION LEADER
Spiegel Online
http://www.spiegel.de/international/world/0 ,1518,589586,00.html
Nov 10 2008
Germany
'I Can't Allow My Government to Lie to the World'
Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili has promised to redress
democratic shortcomings in his country. Nice words, says opposition
leader Nino Burdzhanadze in an interview with SPIEGEL ONLINE. But
she says it is time for real reform in the country.
SPIEGEL ONLINE: Ms. Burdzhanadze, three months have now passed since
the beginning of the Russian-Georgian war. What do you think the
repercussions have been for your country?
Nino Burdzhanadze: Despite the assistance from the US and from the
European Union, for which we are grateful, Georgia finds itself in a
very difficult situation. In violation of the cease-fire agreement
negotiated by French President Nicolas Sarkozy, Russian troops are
still stationed on Georgian territory, including outside of South
Ossetia and Abkhazia. These are areas that Russia didn't control
before.
AFP The opposition in Georgia has begun to find its voice after the
summer war with Russia.
SPIEGEL ONLINE: Are you satisfied with the job the EU is doing in
monitoring the cease-fire agreement?
Burdzhanadze: We are grateful. But we observe that Russia has not kept
to an important part of the agreement, requiring all troops to return
to positions held prior to the beginning of the hostilities. Instead,
Russia is establishing large military bases in Abkhazia and South
Ossetia.
SPIEGEL ONLINE: What are the lessons for Russia, Georgia and the EU
from the five-day war?
Burdzhanadze: I'm not really sure if Russia is able to learn. Should
the country still feel like the victor, then they are kidding
themselves. The country's image in the world has been badly damaged. In
addition, there is a growing uneasiness among Caucasian peoples within
Russia. Separatism is on the rise.
SPIEGEL ONLINE: And what about the lessons for Georgia and the EU?
NINO BURDZHANADZE APNino Burdzhanadze was head of Georgian parliament
from 2001 until 2008 and has twice served brief stints as Georgian
head of state, most recently at the end of 2007 when current
President Mikhail Saakashvili stepped down to run for re- election
in snap presidential elections. In October 2007, she announced that
she was setting up an opposition party called Democratic Movement-
United Georgia. Burdzhanadze: We also have to adjust our relationship
with Russia. Russia is our neighbor whether we like it or not. But
the territorial integrity of our country cannot be allowed to be
compromised. Europe made a large mistake by not becoming more involved
prior to the war. It is wrong to think that, because Georgia is far
away, it is of little concern to Europe. Brussels should intensify
its European Neighborhood Policy (ENP) activities with Georgia but
also with its Caucasian neighbors Armenia and Azerbaijan. You are
interviewing me here on the sidelines of a joint conference sponsored
by the Heinrich Böll Foundation and the Bertelsmann Foundation
where leading politicians from the region are discussing future
regional strategy with European diplomats and experts. Such events
are extremely important.
SPIEGEL ONLINE: The summit meeting between EU member states and Russia
takes place this week in Nice. What would you like to see from EU
leaders such as German Chancellor Angela Merkel, French President
Nicolas Sarkozy and British Prime Minister Gordon Brown?
Burdzhanadze: Georgia must remain high up on the list of global
priorities. Europe needs to put pressure on Russia so that it withdraws
from South Ossetia and Abkhazia. And for that we need a unified Europe
that speaks with a single voice. Otherwise, Russia will have achieved
its aim. We want to see it made easier for Georgians to obtain visas
to travel in EU member states. Why was Russia granted such a relaxation
but we were not?
REPRINTS Find out how you can reprint this SPIEGEL ONLINE article in
your publication. SPIEGEL ONLINE: Should the European Union resume
talks on a political and economic pact with Russia -- talks which
were broken off when the war in Georgia began?
Burdzhanadze: Europe should carefully consider how it wants to proceed
in its relations with Russia. And it needs to diversify its energy
supplies so as not to become overly reliant on Russia.
SPIEGEL ONLINE: Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili has spoken
recently, including during his address before the United Nations
General Assembly in New York, about a "new wave of democratic
reforms." Do you believe him?
Burdzhanadze: Those are nice words, but ones, as has so often been the
case, that have not been followed by action. The only good thing about
such utterances is that it is an admission that we have deficits when
it comes to democracy. The measures that he has taken are cosmetic
in nature. He wants to construct an attractive facade.
SPIEGEL ONLINE: Do you agree with Saakashvili that Georgia has
come further than most other countries that were part of the former
Soviet Union?
Burdzhanadze: That isn't inaccurate. But we should be comparing
ourselves with Eastern European countries like Poland or the Czech
Republic, or with the three Baltic States.
SPIEGEL ONLINE: A year ago, President Saakashvili used violence to
break up an opposition demonstration and closed down a television
station that was critical of his government. Since then, he has often
said in interviews with the Western press that freedom of the press
is alive and well in Georgia and that there are three opposition
television channels. Is that accurate?
Burdzhanadze: Everyone who knows Georgia knows that this is not true. I
cannot allow my government to continue to lie to the world. To this
day, our people still don't know the truth about the recent war. For
this reason I have sent a catalogue of 43 questions to President
Saakashvili and his government.
SPIEGEL ONLINE: What is it you would like to know?
Burdzhanadze: Why we allowed ourselves to be drawn into a Russian trap;
who gave the order for the military operation; why our army lost so
quickly. In what capacity my successor as parliamentary president
called on the population to engage in a guerrilla war against Russia
while at the same time the army was ordered to withdraw. Take a look
at the entire list. The government is lying to the Georgian people
about this war and they are cynical enough to say that Georgia won
because it resulted in more attention from the world. That is what
our citizens and our soldiers died for.
SPIEGEL ONLINE: Have you received the answers you are looking for?
Burdzhanadze: So far I haven't. Instead, the president undertook a
cosmetic reshuffling of his government. You might laugh, but the only
ones who had to resign were the culture minister and the environment
minister. The defense minister and the others who were responsible
for the war and the catastrophic defeat remain in office. In what
other democracy is such a thing possible?
NEWSLETTER Sign up for Spiegel Online's daily newsletter and get the
best of Der Spiegel's and Spiegel Online's international coverage in
your In- Box everyday.
SPIEGEL ONLINE: Given the democratic shortcomings you have
mentioned, how should the EU approach the government of President
Saakashvili? Should the Europeans cease paying out billions in
aid money?
Burdzhanadze: No. The aid shouldn't cease. We need this money. But the
allocation should be tied to strict conditions and Europe needs to
closely monitor how the money is spent. It has to help the people,
not the government. It needs to go to the refugees from those
areas affected by the war. And it needs to go towards strengthening
democracy.
SPIEGEL ONLINE: You have just founded a party in an effort to displace
Saakashvili. But the opposition is fragmented and your prospects
don't seem to be especially good.
Burdzhanadze: I don't want to sound vain, but I am still rather
popular. We are demanding that new parliamentary elections be held
next spring.
--Boundary_(ID_V75QFQHz9oeQveDbY/zrqQ)--
Spiegel Online
http://www.spiegel.de/international/world/0 ,1518,589586,00.html
Nov 10 2008
Germany
'I Can't Allow My Government to Lie to the World'
Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili has promised to redress
democratic shortcomings in his country. Nice words, says opposition
leader Nino Burdzhanadze in an interview with SPIEGEL ONLINE. But
she says it is time for real reform in the country.
SPIEGEL ONLINE: Ms. Burdzhanadze, three months have now passed since
the beginning of the Russian-Georgian war. What do you think the
repercussions have been for your country?
Nino Burdzhanadze: Despite the assistance from the US and from the
European Union, for which we are grateful, Georgia finds itself in a
very difficult situation. In violation of the cease-fire agreement
negotiated by French President Nicolas Sarkozy, Russian troops are
still stationed on Georgian territory, including outside of South
Ossetia and Abkhazia. These are areas that Russia didn't control
before.
AFP The opposition in Georgia has begun to find its voice after the
summer war with Russia.
SPIEGEL ONLINE: Are you satisfied with the job the EU is doing in
monitoring the cease-fire agreement?
Burdzhanadze: We are grateful. But we observe that Russia has not kept
to an important part of the agreement, requiring all troops to return
to positions held prior to the beginning of the hostilities. Instead,
Russia is establishing large military bases in Abkhazia and South
Ossetia.
SPIEGEL ONLINE: What are the lessons for Russia, Georgia and the EU
from the five-day war?
Burdzhanadze: I'm not really sure if Russia is able to learn. Should
the country still feel like the victor, then they are kidding
themselves. The country's image in the world has been badly damaged. In
addition, there is a growing uneasiness among Caucasian peoples within
Russia. Separatism is on the rise.
SPIEGEL ONLINE: And what about the lessons for Georgia and the EU?
NINO BURDZHANADZE APNino Burdzhanadze was head of Georgian parliament
from 2001 until 2008 and has twice served brief stints as Georgian
head of state, most recently at the end of 2007 when current
President Mikhail Saakashvili stepped down to run for re- election
in snap presidential elections. In October 2007, she announced that
she was setting up an opposition party called Democratic Movement-
United Georgia. Burdzhanadze: We also have to adjust our relationship
with Russia. Russia is our neighbor whether we like it or not. But
the territorial integrity of our country cannot be allowed to be
compromised. Europe made a large mistake by not becoming more involved
prior to the war. It is wrong to think that, because Georgia is far
away, it is of little concern to Europe. Brussels should intensify
its European Neighborhood Policy (ENP) activities with Georgia but
also with its Caucasian neighbors Armenia and Azerbaijan. You are
interviewing me here on the sidelines of a joint conference sponsored
by the Heinrich Böll Foundation and the Bertelsmann Foundation
where leading politicians from the region are discussing future
regional strategy with European diplomats and experts. Such events
are extremely important.
SPIEGEL ONLINE: The summit meeting between EU member states and Russia
takes place this week in Nice. What would you like to see from EU
leaders such as German Chancellor Angela Merkel, French President
Nicolas Sarkozy and British Prime Minister Gordon Brown?
Burdzhanadze: Georgia must remain high up on the list of global
priorities. Europe needs to put pressure on Russia so that it withdraws
from South Ossetia and Abkhazia. And for that we need a unified Europe
that speaks with a single voice. Otherwise, Russia will have achieved
its aim. We want to see it made easier for Georgians to obtain visas
to travel in EU member states. Why was Russia granted such a relaxation
but we were not?
REPRINTS Find out how you can reprint this SPIEGEL ONLINE article in
your publication. SPIEGEL ONLINE: Should the European Union resume
talks on a political and economic pact with Russia -- talks which
were broken off when the war in Georgia began?
Burdzhanadze: Europe should carefully consider how it wants to proceed
in its relations with Russia. And it needs to diversify its energy
supplies so as not to become overly reliant on Russia.
SPIEGEL ONLINE: Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili has spoken
recently, including during his address before the United Nations
General Assembly in New York, about a "new wave of democratic
reforms." Do you believe him?
Burdzhanadze: Those are nice words, but ones, as has so often been the
case, that have not been followed by action. The only good thing about
such utterances is that it is an admission that we have deficits when
it comes to democracy. The measures that he has taken are cosmetic
in nature. He wants to construct an attractive facade.
SPIEGEL ONLINE: Do you agree with Saakashvili that Georgia has
come further than most other countries that were part of the former
Soviet Union?
Burdzhanadze: That isn't inaccurate. But we should be comparing
ourselves with Eastern European countries like Poland or the Czech
Republic, or with the three Baltic States.
SPIEGEL ONLINE: A year ago, President Saakashvili used violence to
break up an opposition demonstration and closed down a television
station that was critical of his government. Since then, he has often
said in interviews with the Western press that freedom of the press
is alive and well in Georgia and that there are three opposition
television channels. Is that accurate?
Burdzhanadze: Everyone who knows Georgia knows that this is not true. I
cannot allow my government to continue to lie to the world. To this
day, our people still don't know the truth about the recent war. For
this reason I have sent a catalogue of 43 questions to President
Saakashvili and his government.
SPIEGEL ONLINE: What is it you would like to know?
Burdzhanadze: Why we allowed ourselves to be drawn into a Russian trap;
who gave the order for the military operation; why our army lost so
quickly. In what capacity my successor as parliamentary president
called on the population to engage in a guerrilla war against Russia
while at the same time the army was ordered to withdraw. Take a look
at the entire list. The government is lying to the Georgian people
about this war and they are cynical enough to say that Georgia won
because it resulted in more attention from the world. That is what
our citizens and our soldiers died for.
SPIEGEL ONLINE: Have you received the answers you are looking for?
Burdzhanadze: So far I haven't. Instead, the president undertook a
cosmetic reshuffling of his government. You might laugh, but the only
ones who had to resign were the culture minister and the environment
minister. The defense minister and the others who were responsible
for the war and the catastrophic defeat remain in office. In what
other democracy is such a thing possible?
NEWSLETTER Sign up for Spiegel Online's daily newsletter and get the
best of Der Spiegel's and Spiegel Online's international coverage in
your In- Box everyday.
SPIEGEL ONLINE: Given the democratic shortcomings you have
mentioned, how should the EU approach the government of President
Saakashvili? Should the Europeans cease paying out billions in
aid money?
Burdzhanadze: No. The aid shouldn't cease. We need this money. But the
allocation should be tied to strict conditions and Europe needs to
closely monitor how the money is spent. It has to help the people,
not the government. It needs to go to the refugees from those
areas affected by the war. And it needs to go towards strengthening
democracy.
SPIEGEL ONLINE: You have just founded a party in an effort to displace
Saakashvili. But the opposition is fragmented and your prospects
don't seem to be especially good.
Burdzhanadze: I don't want to sound vain, but I am still rather
popular. We are demanding that new parliamentary elections be held
next spring.
--Boundary_(ID_V75QFQHz9oeQveDbY/zrqQ)--