Analysts: International Attention Scant for Georgia’s Peacekeeper Woes

For the second time in six months, the Georgian parliament on July 18 voted to end Russian peacekeepers' mandate in the breakaway territories of Abkhazia and South Ossetia. Political analysts, however, question how much of an impact the parliamentary resolution will have on the regional peace process.

Terming the resolution "historic," Parliament Speaker Nino Burjanadze called on Georgia's government to act on it as soon as possible. "We should already start this process and finish it quickly," she told parliament on July 17. "We see that the peacekeepers are not doing anything there; quite the opposite - we see that they are an obstacle to ending the conflict."

The resolution calls on Georgia's executive branch to take the steps to end Russia's "so-called" peacekeeping operations in Abkhazia and South Ossetia, saying that the performance of Russian troops in the territories is part of "a permanent attempt to annex Georgia's territory." [For a translation of the resolution click here.]

Although the resolution easily passed parliament, not all deputies are convinced that the decision will be productive. David Gamkrelidze, leader of the New Rights opposition party, stated that members of the opposition who are boycotting parliament did not see any reason to participate in the vote since the government has not yet acted on an earlier resolution, passed in February. [For background see the EurasiaNet Insight archive.]

Deputy Foreign Minister Giorgi Manjgaladze characterized parliament's July 18 vote as "an expression of our frustration with the ongoing processes there and a demonstration of our