Georgian Foreign Minister Salome Zourabichvili and Parliamentary Chairperson Nino Burjanadze failed to convince parliamentarians to postpone the discussion of a draft resolution against the Russian military bases stationed in Georgia; as a result the document will be discussed on March 10. Meanwhile, Russia warned on March 9 that endorsement of this resolution will make it difficult to reach “a compromise” over the military bases.
A new version of the draft resolution, which was presented at the parliamentary session on March 9 and which enjoys the support of an overwhelming majority of parliamentarians, including the opposition factions, sets January 1, 2006 as the deadline for the Russian bases withdrawal. This document also instructs the government to prepare measures which will enter into force if there is no progress in Russo-Georgian negotiations over a “reasonable” timeframe for the withdrawal of the military bases before May 15, 2005, as opposed to May 1, as was envisaged by the initial version of the draft resolution.
These measures include halting of issuing entry visas to Russian military servicemen and assessment of the total debt for the functioning of the bases. Chairman of the Parliamentary Committee for Foreign Affairs MP Kote Gabashvili said that according to very preliminary calculations, this total debt is around USD 300 million.
The resolution sparked controversy between Parliamentary Chairperson Nino Burjanadze and leading parliamentarians from the ruling National Movement party, who initiated this draft resolution.
Nino Burjanadze fears that adoption of this kind of document is untimely and might hinder negotiations between the Russian and Georgian sides, who are expected to set a timeframe for the bases’ withdrawal in or before early May.
She said at the parliamentary session on March 9 that the MPs should “return to the draft resolution and demand unconditional pullout of the bases” only if the Russian side fails to offer any reasonable proposals before early May, as was agreed during a visit by Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov in Tbilisi in February.
The Parliamentary Chairperson’s position triggered the holding of a special meeting of the parliamentarians from the ruling National Movement party to discuss the issue. Georgian Foreign Minister Salome Zourabichvili was also invited to this meeting.
Salome Zourabichvili shares Nino Burjanadze’s stance and recommended that the parliamentarians postpone discussion of the draft resolution. “It would have been better if the discussion of the resolution had been postponed,” Salome Zourabichvili told reporters, but added that it is up to the Parliament to make the final decision.
After the draft resolution underwent minor amendments, the document was officially presented at the parliamentary session on March 9, and the MPs decided to approve the document on March 10.
Meanwhile, the Russian Foreign Ministry stated on March 9, while commenting over the Georgian Parliament’s intention to endorse this resolution, that discussion of this kind of document in the Parliament would be “unproductive.”
“It is difficult for negotiators to find a compromise under strained conditions,” an information note issued by the Russian Foreign Ministry states.
The Russian side will offer Tbilisi particular proposals aimed at “making a breakthrough in the persisting problem” of withdrawal of the Russian military bases from Georgia in “the nearest future,” according to this information note.
“Holding of intensive negotiations in March-April was the result of an agreement reached in February during the talks held by Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov in Tbilisi over a set of bilateral issues that included the problem of the Russian military bases in Georgia… At the moment, active preparations for talks are underway,” the Russian Foreign Ministry stated.