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On Georgia, Weakened French Draft Draws Russian
Ire, Leninist Diplomacy on War Crimes
Byline: Matthew Russell Lee of
Inner City Press at the UN: News Analysis
UNITED NATIONS,
August 11 -- As conflict continued
to spread in Georgia, France on Monday evening unveiled a draft UN
Security
Council resolution calling on "all parties" to withdraw to their
positions before August 6. The text was
prepared without the involvement of Russia, the Permanent
Representative to the
UN of Russia Vitaly Churkin told reporters, and it does not include a
Russian
demand that Georgia commit to renounce the use of force to retake
either of its
two breakaway regions, South Ossetia and Abkhazia.
Inner City Press asked Georgian Ambassador
Irakli Alasania what he thought of the draft. It's not as strong as
we'd like,
he said, but we wanted something that might pass. "Might" is the
operative word. For now, it appears that Russia would veto the
resolution. "I cannot see us accepting
this French
draft," Ambassador Churkin said.
Inner City Press asked
Churkin if Russia wants
to refer Georgia's president for prosecution in the Hague for war
crimes.
"We are collecting evidence," he answered. "There is a serious
process to build a case." Video here, from Minute 13:35.
Later additional Russian sources made analogy
to Slobodan Milosevic and said, "You [the United States] taught us."
Amb. Churkin at UN, Leninist diplomacy not
shown
After
U.S. Ambassador Khalilzad said that his question to Churkin about
statements
that Russia demanded "regime change" in Georgia had led to a change
in Russian policy, Inner City Press asked Amb. Churkin for his
response. He
laughed and said, "They put into our mouth something we didn't say"
then used it to "scare" Georgia's president. "It is not our
intent to try to overthrow" the president of Georgia, he said, adding
that
"we cannot see how we can do business with him." This was later tied
to Russia's position that he is now a war criminal.
Churkin
went out to say, "We shared this confidentially" with the United
States, then they engage in "Leninist diplomacy... We are training on
Leninist diplomacy, there are all sorts of these we can reveal." Amb.
Khalilzad had left by then, but Inner City Press will pursue these
questions,
including of reported U.S. military involvement in South Ossetia, in
coming
day.
For now,
the text of the French draft resolution:
The Security Council,
Gravely concerned at the
escalation of violence in Georgia, which began on August 7 in the area
of South
Ossetia (Georgia), and resulted in the loss of numerous lives,
injuries, and
severe damage to property and infrastructure ;
Gravely
concerned at the extension of violence
throughout Georgian territory, including Abkhazia (Georgia);
Gravely concerned at the
introduction of additional forces into Georgian territory;
Distressed by the
increasing number of refugees and internally displaced persons, and
their
rapidly deteriorating situation;
Determined
to achieve an
immediate end to this outbreak of
violence, and to facilitate a peaceful and durable settlement through
negotiations;
Dismayed that hostilities are occurring during the
Olympic Truce, which Member States were urged to observe during the
Games of
the XXIX Olympiad in Beijing;
Recalling
the statements of the Secretary
General on this
issue, including that of 9 August 2008 ;
Reaffirming its support for the United Nations
Observer Mission in Georgia
(UNOMIG) and its resolution 1808 (2008);
1.
Reaffirms the
commitment of all Member
States to the sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity of
Georgia
within its internationally recognized borders ;
2.
Calls for the
immediate and unconditional
cessation of hostilities, and the complete withdrawal of Russian and
Georgian
forces to their positions prior to August 7, 2008 ;
3.
Stresses the
urgent need for all parties
to refrain from further use of force;
4.
Calls on all
parties to the conflict to
engage immediately in negotiations aimed at finding a
peaceful
and durable solution ;
5.
Expresses
its strong support for mediation efforts undertaken by
Member States
and relevant organizations, including those of the European Union and
the
Organisation for Cooperation and Security in Europe;
6.
Expresses
its intention to take further action, as appropriate,
to help bring about
and implement a peaceful and durable solution to the crisis;
7.
Urges
all parties to the conflict in Abkhazia (Georgia) to implement fully
the Moscow
agreement on ceasefire and separation of forces of 14 May 1994
(S/1994/583) and
to cooperate fully with the UNOMIG;
8.
Calls
on all parties to the conflict to allow full and unfettered access
of
humanitarian assistance to victims, including refugees and internally
displaced
persons;
9.
Decides to remain actively seized of the matter.
Watch
this
site. And this (on
South Ossetia), and
this --
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