Parliament Ratifies US-Georgian Military Accord

Some Experts Say US May Consider Using Georgia’s Airfields

Experts say that the decisions of the Turkish and the Georgian Parliaments increases possibility of use of Georgian military airfields by the US in the war against Iraq.

Georgian Parliament voted 138 votes to 1 to ratify the US-Georgian military agreement on March 21, thus allowing the US government to occupy mutually agreed territories and buildings in Georgia for use by the US administration’s civilian and military personnel, transport vehicles, vessels and aircraft. The agreement was ratified after the short, but heated debate.

The ratification of the US-Georgian Agreement on Defense Cooperation by the Georgian Parliament on March 21 would ease the possible use of Georgian military infrastructure by the United States.

According to the document, the US government is entitled to free access and use of mutually agreed facilities in Georgia. The US government’s military and civilian personnel will also be able to enter and leave the country without visas and passports, using only their ID cards, or under collective or individual orders.

They will also enjoy privileges and immunities, similar to those of the administrative and technical staff of the embassy. According to the agreement, the military and civilian personnel will have the right to possess and carry arms on the Georgian territory. These simplified entry requirements and immunities triggered the basic objections of the MPs.

After the ratification of the US-Georgian military accord Georgia created a legal base for fulfilling its will to assist the United State, however Washington has not requested for this kind of support so far.

Experts say this is where Georgia might come into play. Irakli Aladashvili, military observer of the “Weekly Palette” newspaper, told Civil Georgia that the March 20 decision of the Turkish Parliament not to allow for use of its airbases to the allied aircraft increases possibility of use of Georgian military airfields by the US Air Forces.

“[Some of the] American warplanes will fly to Iraq from Europe through Turkey. This is a very long route and they will need midway airfields. Turkey has denied use of its airbases, hence possibility of use of the Georgian bases is becoming more real,” Irakli Aladashvili said.

He added that such possibility would increase further, if a war in Iraq is stretched in time. “But in any case, the Georgian bases will be used only for transport and logistics purposes and not for launching strikes on Iraqi targets,” the military expert said.

As experts explain, there are two bases in Georgia, Vaziani and Shiraki, which might be used by the allied forces, as they have 3000 meters runways.

By Giorgi Sepashvili, Civil Georgia