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At UN, Georgia Denies Ukrainian Backing, Longs for
NATO and Dismisses Hanging Threats
Byline: Matthew Russell Lee of
Inner City Press at the UN: News Analysis
UNITED NATIONS,
November 18 -- Asked about reports
that Russia's Vladimir Putin said in August that he wanted to hang
Georgian
president Mikheil Saakashvili by his testicles, Georgia's Ambassador to
the UN Irakli
Alasania told Inner City Press that Putin's quote "speaks for
itself." Video here,
from Minute 12:12.
Yes, it
just might. But ten days after OSCE monitors were quoted that Georgia
started
the August war in South Ossetia and Abkhazia, Alasania would only say
that it should be investigated. After
the press conference, he told reporters that this was no change at all
to his
previous denials that Georgia started it.
Two stories
above the UN briefing room in the Delegates' Dining Room, two senior
Georgian
representatives the next day told a more nuanced story. Of the threat
of
hanging, they encouraged Inner City Press to "ask the question of the
French at the stakeout," saying "there might be more to it than has
been reported." They said that at least the first stage of the second
round of meetings
in
Geneva had gone well. "You have to start somewhere," they said.
Alasania in
a second round of questions from Inner City Press was asked about
reported
involvement by Ukrainian troops in Georgia's August actions. Alasania
called it
groundless, saying it was similar to those who said the "war was waged
to
help one candidate here" in the United States. "We have good
neighborly relations with the Ukraine," Alasania said, going one
article
(the) too far. Video here,
from Minute 21:01.
Georgia's Alasania, putting the "the" in
Ukraine, projecting 2d ACABQ run
In response to Inner City Press' question about the U.S.
backing away
from supporting immediate NATO membership, Alasania said it might take
time.
Not as long as the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, noted one
wag, that
FYROM has sued Greece for blocking them in NATO.
Inner City
Press has asked Ambassador Alasania about attacks on media freedom in
Georgia.
He said the country was trying to do better, that the question should
be put to
"NGOs on the ground, I have not been on the ground for two years
now." Video here,
from Minute
29:28.
Finally,
Inner City Press asked Alasania if Georgia will trying again to
unseat
Russia from the Eastern European States seat on the UN's Advisory
Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions.
Alasania said, "Probably, sure, why
not."
Footnote: at the
same Delegates' Lounge reception
at which the two Georgian representatives told Inner City Press about
the
Geneva meeting, several Ambassadors spoke about ACABQ and the UN's
fifth
(budget) committee, predicting that in January when Sudan takes the
helm of the
Group of 77 and China, these will become forums for daily questioning
of Ban
Ki-moon. Oversight can't hurt.
Click here for Inner City
Press Nov. 7 debate on the war in Congo
Watch this site, and this Oct. 2 debate, on
UN, bailout, MDGs
and this October 17 debate, on
Security Council and Obama and the UN.
* * *
These
reports are
usually also available through Google
News and on Lexis-Nexis.
Click
here
for a Reuters
AlertNet piece by this correspondent
about Uganda's Lord's Resistance Army. Click
here
for an earlier Reuters AlertNet piece about the Somali
National
Reconciliation Congress, and the UN's $200,000 contribution from an
undefined trust fund. Video
Analysis here
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