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Apr il 28, 2009
Saakavili's "Order No. 2"
Georgian Plots?
By CONN HALLINAN
At the bottom of the recent demonstrations that have packed the
capital city of Tbilisi with tens of thousands of protesters demanding
the resignation of Georgian President Mikheil Saakavili is an
investigation by the European Union (EU) as to who started last
summer's war between Georgia and Russia. According to a report in the
German newspaper Der Spiegel, `A secret document may prove that the
Georgian president had planned a war of aggression in South Ossetia.'
The Russians charge that Georgian troops launched a surprise attack on
South Ossetia last Aug. 7, while Saakavili claims that Georgia was
merely defending itself from an invasion by 150 Russian tanks through
the Roki Tunnel connecting South Ossetia with North Ossetia. The
latter is part of Russia.
But an investigation by the EU has uncovered `Order No. 2' dated Aug.
7, that says that Georgia was not defending itself but acting to
`reestablish constitutional order' in South Ossetia. The EU is
closely examining an Aug. 7 television interview in which Georgian
Gen. Mamuka Kurashjvili used just those words. President Saakavili
announced Aug. 8 that `Most of South Ossetia's territory is
liberated.' He did not claim that Georgia was acting in `self-defense'
until Aug. 11. By that time Russian troops had driven the Georgian
Army out of South Ossetia and were within 31 miles of Tbilisi. The war
lasted five days.
The general's remarks, reports Der Spiegel, `indicate that Georgian
President Mikheil Saakashvili was not repelling `Russian aggression,'
as he continues to claim to this day, but was planning a war of
aggression.'
The EU commission questioned the Russian deputy head of the general
staff, Anatoly Nogovitsyn, who said that the Russians had intercepted
Order No. 2, and that it indeed contained the phrase about
reestablishing constitutional order. `If the order, which Russian
intelligence intercepted, is authentic, it would prove that
Saakashvili lied,' says Der Spiegel.
The investigation found that Georgia had massed 12,000 troops and 75
tanks on the South Ossetian border for the Aug. 7 attack. The Russians
tanks did not transit the tunnel until Aug. 8. While the Commission is
also critical of the Russians for meddling in South Ossetia and not
preventing South Ossetians from destroying some Georgian villages,
`the EU investigation seems to be more of a problem for Tbilisi than
for Moscow,' according to Der Spiegel.
The Georgians refuse to turn over Order No. 2 to the commission,
claiming it is a state secret. And Georgian Minister Temur
Yakobashvili charges that the investigation is being funded by Russian
gas giant, Gazprom. The commissioners , who reject the charges, are
Swiss diplomat Heidi Tagliavini, and former German ambassador to
Georgia, Uwe Schramm. Former German Foreign Minister Joschka Fischer
advises the commission.
`More and more former allies of Saakashvili are now blaming the
authoritarian president for the war and calling for his resignation,'
says Der Spiegel. Indeed, Nino Burjanadze, who helped lead the
revolution that put Saakashvili into office, and Irakli Alasania,
former Georgian ambassador to the United Nations, are leading the
opposition demonstrations.
So far, Saakashvili has not unleashed the police as he did in breaking
up similar rallies in 2007, but he arrested 10 opposition members on
the eve of the current demonstrations, accusing them of planning a
violent overthrow of the government. The charge is based on a secret
tape that records a man identified as a `coordinator' for Burjanadze's
Democratic Movement - United Georgia Party saying that the former
speaker is planning to provoke violence. Burjanadze denies knowing the
so-called `coordinator' and says he has no position of authority in
her organization.
Saakashvili, who came to power in 2003, says he has no intention of
resigning and will finish out his term in 2013. But demonstrators say
they will not disperse until he steps down and calls an early
election.
The beleaguered president says he is willing to negotiate with the
opposition, however most the people camped out in front of the
Parliament say that the call for `talks' is a ploy. `He says things
like this only for the U.S. and Europe,' farmer Amiran Tsertskhladze
told The New York Times, `but no one here believes he really wants
dialogue.'
Sobering thought for the week: Only the opposition of Germany and
France kept the Bush Administration from adding Georgia to the North
Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) back in 2007. While the Obama
Administration is not currently pushing for Georgia to join the
alliance, the country's membership is still on the agenda. Had Georgia
been a NATO member during the Russia-Georgia War, it would have
triggered Article 5 of the treaty requiring member states to come to
Georgia's aid - and NATO might have been snookered into a war with
Russia.
Conn Hallinan can be reached at: [email protected]
Apr il 28, 2009
Saakavili's "Order No. 2"
Georgian Plots?
By CONN HALLINAN
At the bottom of the recent demonstrations that have packed the
capital city of Tbilisi with tens of thousands of protesters demanding
the resignation of Georgian President Mikheil Saakavili is an
investigation by the European Union (EU) as to who started last
summer's war between Georgia and Russia. According to a report in the
German newspaper Der Spiegel, `A secret document may prove that the
Georgian president had planned a war of aggression in South Ossetia.'
The Russians charge that Georgian troops launched a surprise attack on
South Ossetia last Aug. 7, while Saakavili claims that Georgia was
merely defending itself from an invasion by 150 Russian tanks through
the Roki Tunnel connecting South Ossetia with North Ossetia. The
latter is part of Russia.
But an investigation by the EU has uncovered `Order No. 2' dated Aug.
7, that says that Georgia was not defending itself but acting to
`reestablish constitutional order' in South Ossetia. The EU is
closely examining an Aug. 7 television interview in which Georgian
Gen. Mamuka Kurashjvili used just those words. President Saakavili
announced Aug. 8 that `Most of South Ossetia's territory is
liberated.' He did not claim that Georgia was acting in `self-defense'
until Aug. 11. By that time Russian troops had driven the Georgian
Army out of South Ossetia and were within 31 miles of Tbilisi. The war
lasted five days.
The general's remarks, reports Der Spiegel, `indicate that Georgian
President Mikheil Saakashvili was not repelling `Russian aggression,'
as he continues to claim to this day, but was planning a war of
aggression.'
The EU commission questioned the Russian deputy head of the general
staff, Anatoly Nogovitsyn, who said that the Russians had intercepted
Order No. 2, and that it indeed contained the phrase about
reestablishing constitutional order. `If the order, which Russian
intelligence intercepted, is authentic, it would prove that
Saakashvili lied,' says Der Spiegel.
The investigation found that Georgia had massed 12,000 troops and 75
tanks on the South Ossetian border for the Aug. 7 attack. The Russians
tanks did not transit the tunnel until Aug. 8. While the Commission is
also critical of the Russians for meddling in South Ossetia and not
preventing South Ossetians from destroying some Georgian villages,
`the EU investigation seems to be more of a problem for Tbilisi than
for Moscow,' according to Der Spiegel.
The Georgians refuse to turn over Order No. 2 to the commission,
claiming it is a state secret. And Georgian Minister Temur
Yakobashvili charges that the investigation is being funded by Russian
gas giant, Gazprom. The commissioners , who reject the charges, are
Swiss diplomat Heidi Tagliavini, and former German ambassador to
Georgia, Uwe Schramm. Former German Foreign Minister Joschka Fischer
advises the commission.
`More and more former allies of Saakashvili are now blaming the
authoritarian president for the war and calling for his resignation,'
says Der Spiegel. Indeed, Nino Burjanadze, who helped lead the
revolution that put Saakashvili into office, and Irakli Alasania,
former Georgian ambassador to the United Nations, are leading the
opposition demonstrations.
So far, Saakashvili has not unleashed the police as he did in breaking
up similar rallies in 2007, but he arrested 10 opposition members on
the eve of the current demonstrations, accusing them of planning a
violent overthrow of the government. The charge is based on a secret
tape that records a man identified as a `coordinator' for Burjanadze's
Democratic Movement - United Georgia Party saying that the former
speaker is planning to provoke violence. Burjanadze denies knowing the
so-called `coordinator' and says he has no position of authority in
her organization.
Saakashvili, who came to power in 2003, says he has no intention of
resigning and will finish out his term in 2013. But demonstrators say
they will not disperse until he steps down and calls an early
election.
The beleaguered president says he is willing to negotiate with the
opposition, however most the people camped out in front of the
Parliament say that the call for `talks' is a ploy. `He says things
like this only for the U.S. and Europe,' farmer Amiran Tsertskhladze
told The New York Times, `but no one here believes he really wants
dialogue.'
Sobering thought for the week: Only the opposition of Germany and
France kept the Bush Administration from adding Georgia to the North
Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) back in 2007. While the Obama
Administration is not currently pushing for Georgia to join the
alliance, the country's membership is still on the agenda. Had Georgia
been a NATO member during the Russia-Georgia War, it would have
triggered Article 5 of the treaty requiring member states to come to
Georgia's aid - and NATO might have been snookered into a war with
Russia.
Conn Hallinan can be reached at: [email protected]