GEORGIAN PARLIAMENTARIANS READY TO BLOCKADE RUSSIAN BASES
RIA Novosti
MOSCOW, February 28 (RIA Novosti) - The Russian military bases in Georgia may be outlawed, speaker of the Georgian parliament Nino Burdzhanadze said on Saturday. Georgian members of parliament supported her and said they were willing to personally blockade access roads to Russian military units, writes Novye Izvestia.
Deputy Ivlian Khaindrava recalled that since 1994 the Georgian parliament had repeatedly called on the authorities to speed up the withdrawal of Russian bases. According to him, parliament will support the speaker's initiative because President Mikhail Saakashvili controls the parliamentary majority.
Nodar Natadze, the chairman of the Popular Front, believes that the "presence of Russian troops in Georgia amounts to the continued annexation of Georgia by Soviet Russia in 1921."
Not only politicians but also ordinary people take this view in Georgia. They are dissatisfied that Russia is ignoring Tbilisi's demands, although Ms. Burdzhanadze said with good will, the problem could be resolved within two or three months, which would normalize Russia-Georgia relations. But Mr. Khaindrava says, "Moscow is testing the patience of Georgia, and there is a limit to patience. So, if a new round of confrontation begins, the blame will be squarely on Russia."
Tbilisi does not rule out the possibility of non-parliamentary methods of putting pressure on Russia. The Georgian deputies have announced their intention to personally blockade access roads to the military bases, and they also suggest cutting off their electricity, gas (which comes from Russia), and communications.
According to Mr. Natadze, if the government fails to ensure the closure of bases within the next few days, the Georgian public and patriotic forces will solve the problem as they see fit, without limiting their choice of methods.
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