Saying Russia is violating its international commitments, Georgian leaders are calling for increased international pressure on Moscow to withdraw its troops from a military base in Abkhazia. Russian military and political leaders, however, give few indications that the soldiers will be leaving anytime soon.
The Russian withdrawal from two bases in Georgia one at Vaziani, outside of Tbilisi, and one at Gudauta in Abhazia should have been completed by July 1, according to a 1999 commitment made by Russia at the OSCE summit in Istanbul. Moscow met the deadline for the Vaziani transfer, but has balked at handing over the Gudauta facility.
Russia's failure to meet the deadline has been condemned by a variety of Georgian politicians, including Parliament Speaker Zurab Zhvania. The Foreign Ministry labeled the Russian behavior as a classic example of obstruction and destructive activities. At the same time, officials allege Russian forces willfully damaged property at Vaziani before the hand-over, and add that the base is environmentally hazardous.
Georgian President Eduard Shevardnadze has been more restrained in his criticism of Moscow, citing the need to preserve strategic ties between Georgia and Russia. "Georgia will not be able to survive without Russia in the next two or three years and we must get used to it. Do not think that it is easy because we must take into consideration political issues," Georgian President Eduard Shevardnadze said at a government session in June.
Russian officials blame Georgia for the withdrawal delay, saying that Tbilisi had failed to follow up on a promise to a Russian proposal that would allow 300 Russian troops to remain at Gudauta, ostensibly to guard the base. The Georgian Foreign Ministry vehemently denied undertaking an obligation to consider the Russian proposal. Moscow has also cited a local protest against Russian troop withdrawal as a reason for staying. The Russian Foreign Ministry has rejected the assertion that it is in violation of its OSCE commitments, and has called on Georgia to take a "constructive attitude" on the base withdrawal issue.
On July 4, a youth rally took place outside the Russian embassy in Tbilisi. According to Georgian radio, representatives from 45 youth organizations presented a petition to Russian Ambassador Vladimir Gudev, calling on Moscow to fulfill its obligations. Georgian politicians have appealed to the international community to exert pressure on Russia to comply with withdrawal plans.
Russia and Georgia have been haggling over the base withdrawal issue for months. In addition to Vaziani and Gudauta, Russian and Georgian negotiators are struggling to set a withdrawal timetable for two other bases bases in Batumi, in the Ajarian autonomous region, and in Akhalkalaki, located in an area with a heavy concentration of ethnic Armenian inhabitants. Russia has said it needs 14 years to complete the withdrawal process, a time-frame rejected by Georgia as excessively long. Some Russian officials have expressed concern that the military withdrawal from Georgia would harm Moscow's economic and geopolitical interests in the Caucasus. Meanwhile, leaders of the separatist-minded Abkhazia have demanded a voice in the base-withdrawal discussion. Some Russian officials have supported the idea of Abkhazia's inclusion in the negotiations.
Moscow's hand-over of the Vaziani base did not occur without rancor. Georgian officials on July 4 were continuing to search for radiation hazards at the base, adding that they expected the inspection to last for the rest of July, in part because of funding difficulties. So far, three containers of Cesium-137, a radioactive element, have been discovered. The three containers have been placed in a secure storage facility and await transfer back to Russia.
The head of the press office of the Russian military troops in the Caucasus, Alexander Lutskevich, expressed surprise over revelations of the radiation hazards. According to Lutskevich, the radioactive material was used to calibrate aviation equipment.
The discovery at Vaziani was not the first instance of a radioactive hazard found at a former Russian base in Georgia. In 1997, 11 Georgian soldiers at the Lilo military base in the Tbilisi suburbs received radioactive burns. The victims have sued the Ministry of Health and other government agencies for $20 million. The Georgian government blames Russia for the accident. Pavle Eliauri, one of the victims and head of the non-governmental organization Anti-Radiation Movement says the victims will require up to 25 years of specialized treatment at foreign facilities.
Meanwhile, Giorgi Baramidze, chairman of the parliamentary committee for defense and security, has charged Russian military personnel with vandalizing the Vaziani base. He said the communications system had been wrecked, the fence destroyed and the sewage system left inoperable. Baramidze suggested Georgia will seek compensation for the damage.
The controversy over the base withdrawal comes at a precarious time for the Georgian government. A poll conducted by the Georgian Association for Public Research found that two-thirds of Georgians believe Shevardnadze is unable to handle the responsibilities of the presidency. A majority said the country was heading in the wrong direction, with only 6 percent expressing satisfaction with current government policies. The precarious state of Georgia's domestic political and economic situation increase Tbilisi's difficulties in its negotiation efforts with Moscow.
Editor's note:
Dimitri Bit-Suleiman is a freelance journalist based in Georgia.
