UN STANDS UP FOR GEORGIA, TOO

As our magazine went to press, the UN General Assembly adopted the Georgian-sponsored draft resolution on refugees and internally displaced persons in the Georgian-Abkhaz conflict zone. The resolution was supported by delegations from 14 countries, including the USA, while 11 states voted against it and 105 abstained. Another 62 delegations decided not to attend the vote.

Georgia was supported by Azerbaijan, Albania, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Hungary, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Sweden, the USA and Ukraine.

Armenia, Belarus, Venezuela, India, Iran, North Korea, Myanmar, Serbia, Syria and Sudan voted against the resolution, i.e. supported Russia's position.

The document calls for a timetable to be drawn up for the return of Georgian refugees to Abkhazia and the ethnic composition of this republic to be restored to the situation before the Georgian-Abkhaz conflict in 1992. According to the text of the resolution, the General Assembly "stressed the urgent need to draw up as soon as possible a timetable to ensure an immediate and voluntary return of refugees and internally displaced persons to their homes in Abkhazia". The creation of such a timetable, even if it is based on a nonbinding resolution, will make it possible to set a clear deadline and if it is not implemented, to hold up to shame those who violate it, i.e. the Abkhaz side.

The draft resolution contains even more serious requirements as well. For example, it urges all UN members not to allow people under their jurisdiction "to buy property on the territory of Abkhazia (Georgia) in violation of the rights of refugees who return there". This requirement is clearly anti-Russian because Russian government agencies and citizens have bought a lot of property in Abkhazia. Armenia, an outpost of Moscow, is not lagging behind its "big brother" in this issue.

The longer-term aim of the resolution is defined by the provision with which the General Assembly must confirm the "unacceptability of geographic changes as a result of the conflict" in Abkhazia and condemn "any attempts to change the pre-conflict demographic composition" of the unrecognized republic. Tbilisi's actions are quite logical and are based on mistakes made by the former Yugoslav leadership in Kosovo. Belgrade had to accept the forcible change of Kosovo's demographic composition, as a result of which there are not enough Serbs in the region to reject anti-Serbian decisions in a referendum, including the proclamation of independence. Georgia is trying to prove that the current population of Abkhazia (without the Georgian refugees) has no right to solve issues related to the future of this region.

The resolution also requests that UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon "submit a comprehensive report on the fulfillment of the requirements of this resolution". This made the document even more significant and gave Tbilisi more grounds for more serious accusations against both Moscow and Sukhumi.

Moscow's reaction was quite expected. It described the resolution as "biased and lopsided". According to the Russian side, the Georgian-backed draft resolution "enforces a distorted idea of the Georgian-Abkhaz conflict, keeps silent about its history and examines only some of its consequences, ignoring the causes of the current situation".

Georgia did not leave it unanswered either. The first reaction of the Georgian leadership was a statement by Minister of State for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration Giorgi Baramidze who announced "a significant victory in the international arena in terms of defending Tbilisi's interests". "It is important that all this is happening against the background of Russian aggression and in response to this aggression," Baramidze stressed, expressing the hope that this resolution would yield its political and diplomatic results.

Meanwhile, Moldova's position can be regarded as quite unexpected as it decided not to support the resolution sponsored by its GUAM partner. Perhaps, the temporary "thaw" in relations between Chisinau and unrecognized Tiraspol with Moscow's mediation played a major role in this.

Instead, Armenia stood out for its anti-Georgian position, though Tbilisi said through its ambassador in Yerevan Giorgi Saganelidze on 6 May that if Armenia votes against the Georgian-backed document, "this will have negative consequences". But Armenia did not dare to disobey Moscow, which is proved by the arguments that Armenian ambassador to the UN Zograb Mnatsakanyan cited before the UN vote. His speech was quite similar to that of the Russian ambassador. The Armenian diplomat said that it is impossible to solve the problem of refugees separately from the Georgian-Abkhaz conflict itself.

But despite all statements by opponents of UN discussions on so-called "frozen conflicts", another member country of GUAM (Georgia, Ukraine, Azerbaijan and Moldova) gained a clear victory. GUAM gained its first resounding victory in September 2006 when the organization ensured that the UN General Assembly includes a provision on the "frozen conflicts" in Abkhazia, South Ossetia, Nagornyy Karabakh and the Dniester region on its agenda. Russia opposed the discussions on this issue at the time, but this decision was backed by most General Assembly members. Quite recently, in the middle of March, the UN General Assembly adopted a resolution on the situation in Azerbaijan's occupied territories. It is planned to include the provision "Frozen conflicts in GUAM and their impact on international peace, security and development" on the agenda of the 63rd session of the General Assembly.