PACE Passes Resolution on Georgia

The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) passed a resolution on Georgian adherence to obligations and commitments at a session in Strasbourg on January 24. The final resolution differs somewhat from its initial draft.

The Assembly turned down a Russian proposal for the removal of the following sentence from the resolution: “All interested parties in the conflict, in particular the Russian Federation…” The Russian delegation said it could be interpreted as implying that the Russian Federation constituted a side in the conflict.

The Russian delegation also wanted a provision in the resolution calling on Georgia not to use force to restore its territorial integrity. A PACE rapporteur on Georgia, Matyas Eorsi, however, said it would be “unfair” to include it, as it presupposed that Georgia intended to use force.

The resolution notes that the Assembly “regrets” that the recent political crisis in Georgia has overshadowed “the numerous positive steps” taken by the authorities towards complying with Georgia’s obligations and commitments.

In respect of the recent crisis, the resolution reads: “The Assembly deplores the events which preceded the pre-term elections and in particular the violent dispersal of peaceful demonstrations on 7 November 2007, the subsequent temporary silencing of two opposition-controlled television stations and, finally, the decision to declare a state of emergency.”

“These actions have tarnished the reputation of the Georgian government both in the eyes of their own population and abroad,” the resolution says; it, however, adds that the decision to call a snap presidential election and a plebiscite on the timing of the next parliamentary elections “stopped the escalation of tensions and is to be welcomed.”

The resolution calls on all political forces in Georgia “to respect the officially announced result of the presidential election.” The initial draft of the resolution, however, contained a different wording, calling “to accept the officially announced results.”

Opposition parties say the results of the election were rigged and describe Mikheil Saakashvili as “illegitimate” and “a de facto president.”

The resolution also says, “any allegation of fraud or vote rigging should be pursued through the legal avenues prescribed by the Constitution of Georgia and related legislation.” The draft resolution continued with the foilowng phrase: “…not through street demonstrations.”

“The Assembly urges the Georgian authorities to investigate each complaint regarding the election process duly and impartially, and to bring those who may have violated the law to justice,” it reads.

The resolution also calls on the Georgian authorities to “pursue vigorous investigation of all allegations of intimidation, harassment and violation of electoral law and bring to justice all perpetrators of electoral fraud.”

It also welcomes the emergence of, as the draft resolution puts it, “a vibrant and united opposition.” It, however, emphasises that, “in order to gain long-term support at grassroots level, in particular in view of the upcoming parliamentary elections, the opposition should start offering issue-based and credible alternatives to the population and engage in a constructive dialogue with the governing party [instead of “the government” as it was indicated in the initial draft] on all major issues.”