OPPOSITION SAYS BASE AGREEMENT WILL LEGALIZE RUSSIAN SPY PRESENCE IN GEORGIA

Imedi TV, Tbilisi
13 Apr 06

[Presenter] The Democratic Front has welcomed the start of the process
for the withdrawal of Russian military bases from Georgia, but has
objections to a number of clauses in the agreement. They say that the
creation of a joint Georgian-Russian antiterrorist centre will impede
NATO membership. The opposition also thinks the Georgian-Russian
agreement on the transit of Russian military equipment to Armenia
through Georgia is unacceptable. Koba Davitashvili says that the
Georgian government is only interested in PR and is not taking real
steps to have the bases withdrawn.

[Davit Zurabishvili, MP] The withdrawal of the Russian bases is
absolutely essential, it is an urgent matter. However, this should be
a complete withdrawal. A Russian contingent should not be present in
a country which has ambitions of joining NATO and the EU. Therefore,
we are particularly concerned about several points in this agreement,
specifically the one on the establishment of a joint Georgian-Russian
so-called antiterrorist centre on the site of the Russian military
base in Batumi.

[Ivliane Khaindrava, MP] Why is the Batumi base going to be the site
of this centre? Why is it necessary to set up a Russian-Georgian
antiterrorist base or centre in Ajaria so close to the border with
Turkey, a NATO member? Why does Georgia need Russia’s GRU [Russian
Defence Ministry’s Main Intelligence Directorate] to have a formalized
spy station [Georgian: rezidentura] in the country? To what extent
does this match our country’s rapid progress towards NATO?

[Davitashvili] Russia is now free to use us as a transit country on
the way to Armenia as much as it wants, like never before, not even
in Shevardnadze’s time. They have refused inspections of the Gudauta
military base [in Abkhazia] which has not been withdrawn. This was
all signed so that in 2008 they can stage a PR stunt about the bases
being withdrawn. I would once again like to call on the government
to stop its obsession with PR. In reality this document is useless
and I call on members of the majority to refrain from ratifying it.