Parliament Ready to Ban Foreign Troops if Russians Pull Out

Georgian Parliamentary Chairperson Nino Burjanadze said on April 22 that the Georgian Parliament is ready to pass a resolution banning the deployment of foreign troops on Georgian soil, ?but only after the Russian military bases pull out from Georgia.?

?Deployment or non-deployment of foreign military bases on the Georgian territory is Georgia?s internal affair. But we understand Russia?s concerns about its southern borders. That is why we have even proposed the idea that the Georgian Parliament is ready to pass a law on non-deployment of foreign military bases on the Georgian territory, but the withdrawal of Russian military bases form Georgia should be a precondition [for the adoption of this law]. After the Russian military bases pull out from Georgia, we will be ready to launch discussion of a law on non-deployment of foreign troops,? Nino Burjanadze said after talks with Sergey Mironov, the Chairman of the Council of Federation.

Tbilisi refuses to include a provision banning Tbilisi from stationing a third country?s military bases in Georgia in a Russo-Georgian comprehensive framework agreement.

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