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EURASIA INSIGHT

UN GENERAL ASSEMBLY: GEORGIAN PRESIDENT LIGHTS A FIRE IN THE BEAR’S DEN
Deirdre Tynan and Camelia-Entekhabi Fard 9/27/07

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Kazakhstan’s Nursultan Nazarbayev and Turkmenistan’s Gurbanguly Berdymukhamedov did not make waves when their turn at the podium came at the 62nd United Nations General Assembly. The same cannot be said about Georgia’s Mikheil Saakashvili.

During his September 26 speech before the Assembly, Saakashvili assailed Russia and called for a complete review of the United Nations observer mission in Georgia, along with the wider peace process with the regions of Abkhazia and South Ossetia. [For background see the Eurasia Insight archive].

Saakashvili also accused Russia of leading "terror" missions aimed at destabilizing Georgia, a reference to the killings of two Russian officers September 20 in the Kodori Gorge, a Georgian-held area of the separatist region Abkhazia. The Georgian government insists the Russian officers were training Abkhaz separatists how to conduct an insurgent operation, and that Georgian special forces were merely conducting a "law-enforcement operation" when a shoot-out occurred.

"Our most challenging relationship today remains with our neighbors in the Russian Federation, which continues to interfere in our domestic politics. A senior Russian official made an unconstructive, unsubstantiated, and wholly untrue accusation that Georgian forces killed two innocent people in upper Abkhazia," said Saakashvili.

"One has to wonder - what was a lieutenant colonel of the Russian military doing in the Georgian forests, organizing and leading a group of armed insurgents on a mission of terror?" Saakashvili continued. "I want to ask our Russian friends - is there not enough territory in Russia? Are there not enough forests in Russia for Russian officers not to die in Georgian territory in Georgian forests?"

Russia’s UN ambassador, Vitaly Churkin, said the officers were "instructors" conducting "anti-terrorist training" maneuvers, adding that their group was caught up in an "unprovoked" attack. Churkin added that the officers had been killed by gunshots to the head. "This to us is another manifestation of the course of action that, regrettably, the Georgian authorities have taken lately in the Georgian-Abkhazian conflict and in other conflict situations in Georgia. They have been doing everything to aggravate tensions," Churkin said.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov had even harsher words for Georgia. "That was a brutal killing of people who laid down arms [on the command] of a Georgian special task unit, but were executed," Lavrov said. "We are indignant at the fact that the Georgian side, which is perfectly aware of the circumstances and the killing, warns that its special task units will continue to do the same in the future."

Saakashvili also accused Russia of building a military base in the breakaway region of South Ossetia, adding that he had "a conclusive body of evidence with me today, to show our friends in the international community the truth that others conceal."

"Elements from Russia are actively and illegally building a new military base in South Ossetia, in the small town of Java, hoping that arms and violence will triumph over the will of the people. And this dangerous escalation is taking place under the very noses of international monitors whose job it is to demilitarize the territory," he said.

Meanwhile on September 26, Lavrov said Georgia refused to attend bi-lateral meeting between the states. "If Georgia wants to avoid an unpleasant discussion of problems of South Ossetia and Abkhazia, that does not do them credit," Lavrov said.

In his General Assembly speech, Nazarbayev, who has presided over Kazakhstan’s impressive spurt of economic growth, sought to burnish his credentials as a statesman. He cast himself and his Central Asian nation as a potential peace broker.

Citing Kazakhstan’s "renunciation" of nuclear arms that it inherited upon the Soviet collapse in 1991, Nazarbayev cautioned his fellow world leaders to pursue economic development, rather than seek atomic weapons. "Why not follow our example instead of wasting astounding amounts on the arms race?" Nazarbayev said.

Nazarbayev went on to draw attention to the nuclear crisis revolving around Iran, calling on Tehran to take confidence-building measures. "The people of our region like the entire international community count on a peaceful solution of the so-called crisis around Iran," Nazarbayev said. "The best way to achieve that is for Iran, whose people have a great history and culture, is to prove the peaceful character of its nuclear program."

In his first appearance at the UN, Berdymukhamedov portrayed himself as an agent of change for Turkmenistan, which is widely viewed as one of the most repressive nations on earth. [For background see the Eurasia Insight archive]. Berdymukhamedov told the assembled leaders that he was prepared to steer his country away from the smothering system implemented by his predecessor, Saparmurat Niyazov. [For additional information see the Eurasia Insight archive]. He stopped short of saying, however, that he would make a complete break with the cult of personality built up by Niyazov.

Berdymukhamedov said Turkmenistan was developing "a genuinely democratic and legal" system of governance. "A constructive, innovative search for a reasonable balance between the authority of the state and society at large is underway," Berdymukhamedov said.

"We are not trying to speed up the process; we are not pushing it into some artificial timeframe," Berdymukhamedov added. "Most important is that it has become irreversible and that it is getting recognition and support both within and outside the country."

Underscoring the growing outside support for Turkmenistan, Berdymukhamedov had a brief meeting September 25 with US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice. The two explored ways to broaden bilateral energy cooperation. Rice also urged Berdymukhamedov to follow through on democratization pledges.

A day earlier, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s speech to the UN generated far less buzz than did his appearance on September 24 at Columbia University. [For background see the Eurasia Insight archive]. During his UN speech, Ahmadinejad tried to bring closure to the controversy surrounding Iran’s nuclear program. "The nuclear issue of Iran is now closed," he said defiantly.

In gauging reaction to Ahmadinejad’s appearance, observers inclined to focus more on the Iranian leader’s talk at Columbia than on his comments made at the UN. Many UN diplomats expressed dismay over Ahmadinejad’s reception at Columbia. "Ahmadinejad expressed his opinion and in our culture when a guest comes in we respect the guest and the host should remain respectful," said Afghan Foreign Minister Rangin Dadfar Spanta.

Editor�s Note: Deidre Tynan is a freelance journalist specializing in Central Asia. Camelia Entekhabi-Fard is a specialist in Iranian and Afghan political affairs.

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