Urgent debate on Georgia
Prof. Vytautas Landsbergis, Member of the European Parliament
2008 05 08
 Ms. President,
Colleagues!
We need a clear wording.
– Stop the war! Ruki proch ot Gruzii – Hands off Georgia! No more UN mandate for conflict-keepers! – that is the only way to get Kremlin's ear listening. If EU is not able to say it, EU shares responsibility. We may say it here, requesting Russian paratroopers to land back in Russia.
Nobody issued such a warning before the January 1991 bloodshed in Vilnius, when paratroopers were already at the site.
As Russia goes now escalating tensions around and against Georgia, plus transferring them into more and more military format, the reasons may be seen as political ones, but not only. What insights may come here?
– to get incoming president D.Medvedev tied by le fait accompli, if the fighting occurs today between Russian and Georgian military what can be easily orchestrated by Russia's secret services; or, in contrary, to give him a chance to play a dove;
– to affect the forthcoming elections in Georgia,
– to revenge EU for Kosovo by punishing Georgia;
– to stop Georgia's progress in economy growth and fighting corruption what was gross shift from Russian type to Western type of state management.
Unfortunately, there is also a direct danger of a war against disobedient Georgia. In such provision, reminding possible link between Bucharest veto on NATO MAP for Georgia and rapidly growing aggressiveness of Russia, we could ask Germany to take mediatory role in Russia-Georgia conflict to avoid the worst. There is no more time to play the local, ethnic or frozen gimmicks. The case is European.
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