PACE Resolution Debated in Georgia

Senior Georgian officials said a Parliamentary Assembly of Council of Europe’s (PACE) resolution on the August war was a hard-fought Georgian diplomatic victory.

Some opposition politicians, however, claim the Georgian acceptance of the resolution – in particular the fifth paragraph – constitutes a Georgian acknowledgement of responsibility for starting the August war.

The fifth paragraph of the resolution says that the shelling of Tshkinvali, the use of heavy weapons and cluster munitions “constituted a disproportionate use of armed force by Georgia, albeit within its own territory, and as such a violation of international humanitarian law and Georgia’s commitment to resolve the conflict peacefully.”

Levan Berdzenishvili of the opposition Republican Party, who is a former lawmaker and a former member of the Georgian delegation to PACE, said at a news conference on October 6 that the resolution was a failure for the Georgian delegation.

Giga Bokeria, the Georgian deputy foreign minister, told Civil.Ge on October 6 that although the Georgian side did not agree with assessments made in the fifth paragraph, the document overall was very important for several reasons. One of the major achievements of the Georgian delegation, he said, was that the resolution called on Russia to reverse its decision on Abkhazia and South Ossetia recognition.

The resolution reads: “The Assembly condemns the recognition by Russia of the independence of South Ossetia and Abkhazia as a violation of international law and Council of Europe statutory principles. The Assembly reaffirms its attachment to the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Georgia and calls on Russia to withdraw its recognition of the independence of South Ossetia and Abkhazia.”

Bokeria said the resolution was an important part in a process aimed at mounting international pressure on Russia, to make Russia “step-by-step retreat from its aggression.”

Another important point reflected in the resolution, Bokeria said, was the call on Russia to withdraw its forces to pre-war positions.

Parliamentary Chairman Davit Bakradze reiterated on October 6 that a reference to the ethnic cleansing committed against the Georgian population was also an important part of the resolution.

The resolution reads: “The Assembly is especially concerned about credible reports of acts of ethnic cleansing committed in ethnic Georgian villages in South Ossetia and the “buffer zone” by irregular militia and gangs which the Russian troops failed to stop.”

Bakradze also said that it was inappropriate to judge the entire resolution by “assessing only parts of the document.”

“This document is not a victory of the Georgian government, or the Georgian delegation; it is a victory for the entire country in this very important European organization,” he added.

MP Giorgi Targamadze of the Christian-Democratic Party, who is the parliamentary minority leader and a member of the Georgian PACE delegation, said on October 6 that although there “are some questions about the resolution, our position about this document in general is positive.”

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