Briefing on Current Situation in Georgia
and Implications for U.S. Policy
Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe
Monday, October
25, 1993
Washington, DC
The briefing was held in room
2322 Rayburn House Office Building, Washington, DC, at
10 a.m., Samuel Wise moderator presenting. ...
"Director Wise. All right. I'm going to
open the briefing now of the Commission on Security
and Cooperation in Europe and welcome you this morning
to a briefing that we are pleased to be able to
sponsor on subject of the war-torn country of Georgia.
...
In September, Georgian forces were defeated in the
year-long conflict with Abkhazia. The forces of Georgian leader
Eduard Shevardnadze are now fighting supporters of
ousted president Zviad Gamsakhurdia, in Western
Georgia.
Shevardnadze has been reduced to appeal to Russia and
the CIS, Commonwealth of Independent States, which
Georgia joined only last week for assistance in
securing strategic rail lines connecting Western
Georgia and the rest of the country, as well as
Armenia and Azerbaijan.
Russian forces have agreed to ensure control of these
rail lines, though they staunchly deny intervention in
Georgian domestic affairs.
Even Georgian supporters of Shevardnadze have reacted
with bitterness to his invitation to Russia and his
political prospects appear bleaker than ever.
Meanwhile, President Clinton
sent Shevardnadze last week a letter of strong
continued support and an invitation to visit
Washington. ...
Having played at best an ambitious role in the
Georgian conflict, the Russians
have now assured Secretary Christopher in Moscow that
they will join the United States in supporting
Shevardnadze."
"Mr. Goltz. ... Mr.
Gamsakhurdia is a very problematic character, there is
no question about this. But he did have something
which we would call democratic legitimacy. He was
removed from power by a putch. ... But ladies
and gentlemen, my content is that the basic problem for Eduard
Shevardnadze in maintaining control of Georgia today
is that his house is built on sand; his government was
built on the basis of a putch, a military putch
against democratically elected leader of this country.
Also, the sad thing for Mr. Shevardnadze today and his
ultimate survivability, is that everything that has
happened since 1992, since the day of the putch, has
been a fulfillment of the direst predictions of the
Gamsakhurdia crowd. I do not agree with their
predictions, but everything has been fulfilled.
They said that Gamsakhurdia has been putched in order
to bring Shevardnadze back to Tbilisi. People denied
this. But 3 months later, Shevardnadze was back in
Tbilisi. Shevardnadze's people
then went to Abkhazia looting along the way.
That was Mr. Kitovani, then the Mkhedrioni,
aggravating what had previously been political problem
between the government of Georgia and the government
of the autonomous Abkhaz republic into a conventional
war and then beyond a conventional: A war marked by
great atrocities on both sides.
If you speak with the Gamsakhurdia crowd today or even
a month ago, their prediction was that Shevardnadze
was in Sukhumi in order to sell out the city, to give
it to the Abkhaz, to give it to the Russians in order
to force Georgia back into the Commonwealth of
Independent States and Invite Russian troops back into
the country.
And all these things happened. I don't agree with the
"Grand Conspiracy" aspect of this, but the
facts once again are underscored in red ink: for those who support the idea of
democratic legitimacy in Georgia, whether they liked
Mr. Gamsakhurdia or not, Mr. Shevardnadze is at the
very last a total failure, or to believe the
Gamsakhurdia crowd, he is a part of a grand conspiracy
to bring Georgia back into the CIS. ...
There is the internal dynamic of the dissolution of
Georgia, there is also external. The external I will
leave for you with a phrase from the Russian which is,
"Protiv loma net prepona", which means "There
is no defense against a crow bar", and I
think this is certainly true in Georgia today. ...
This morning I spoke with
Tbilisi and I was informed that Russian troops had not
only deployed, but that they were going forward in
tanks they had brought in-in the Poti region and
elsewhere in western Georgia against the Gamsakhurdia
crowd, who had been obliged to retreat. ..."
|
"There is no defense
against a Crow Bar" October 22, Tank regiment located in the
town of Kutaisi, Western Georgia approached Dafnari
village and appealed to the Gamsakhurdia's National
Guard for the permission to pass through the region
towards Vani town in order to transfer their families
from Kutaisi to Batumi. The same armed group (without
family members) came back from Vani and breaking
through the defense line near Dafnari continued the
way to Samtredia. At the same time the second part of
the tank regiment supported by Russian aviation and
artillery attacked Samtredia and Khoni settlements
from the side of Kutaisi - 220 houses were destroied
and 17 civilians were killed. To avoid ruining of this
settlements, National Guard was forced to leave the
territory controlled by them. Two other regiments of
Russian Air Landing Troops were observed participating
in military actions against Georgia at the same time. October 23, after seizing Samtredia and
Khoni, Russian Troops started the air bombardment of
Abasha and Martvili regions. On October 24 they broke
through Abasha and Martvili defense line. October 25, Russian troops occupied
Senaki, on October 26 - Khobi and October 28 - Poti. October 26, the additional forces
"Dzerzhinski Division" were transferred from
Russia. October
27, the
National Guard of Georgia started the counter attack. October 28, Khobi was liberated by
National Guard, heavy fights were carried out for
Senaki. October
30, Senaki was
also liberated. It became obvious, that the Russian
forces involved in these military operations were not
enough to resist the military offensive of National
Guard. Before the arrival of additional Russian
Landing troops -- the occupants started the heavy air
bombardment of Senaki region (National Guard has shot
down 3 Russian military aircrafts SU-27). November 2, the special landing group
(located in Sevastopol, Ukraine) of Black Sea Navy was
transferred to Poti. Under the official approval of
Mr. Kravchuk, President of Ukraine, following military
ships of Black Sea Navy have been participating in the
aggression against the Republic of Georgia: BDK
"N.Olshanski" with admiral Baltin,
Commander of Black Sea Navy on board,
SKR "Pitliviy", SKR "Sderzhanniy",
BDK "Ts.Kunikov",
BDK "69", SDK "02", MTS
"Zenitchik", MPK "127", TM
"Sventa", SB "524". The group of
ships was inforced with the Black Sea Marine Infantry
battalions -- 1910 OBRMP and 126 DBO. In the
possession of Marine Infantry battalions were 36
military units: 7 tanks "PT 76", 10 armored
carriers (BTR), 3 BRDM, 3 SAU "Nona", 4 SAU
"2 S-l", 3 ESU "Shilka", 6 PTUR
vehicles (on BRDM basis) and trucks. Almost 70% of
the personnel were the citizens of Ukraine
(who had given the oath of loyalty of Ukraine),
however the commandment - citizens of Russia (who had
given the oath of loyalty to Russia). The same day
(November 2) 2 battalions (700 soldiers) of
"Dzerzhinski Division" occupied Chkhorotsku
and Tsalenjiha. On
November 3 the Black Sea Marine Landing Troops
arrived to Anaklia from sea. Thus the legal armed
forces of the Republic of Georgia were totally
circled. National Guard left Senaki. |
