Byline: Matthew Russell Lee of Inner City Press at UN
www.innercitypress.com/un1abkhazia031108.html
UNITED NATIONS, March 11 -- "I won't see any Sochi Olympics happening," Georgia's Permanent Representative to the UN Irakli Alasania told Inner City Press on Tuesday, "if destabilization in region" continues. Ambassador Alasania had criticized Russia's lifting of sanctions against Abkhazia, a move that some have related to the Winter Olympics planned for 2014 in Sochi, fifty miles from Abkhazia.
Inner City Press asked Amb. Alasania about a quote by the chairman of the Georgian parliament temporary commission for the restoration of territorial integrity, Shota Malashkhia, that "if Russia continues to act in the same manner as currently, the Sochi Olympics will resemble that in Moscow in 1980."
While declining to comment directly on the statements of the legislative branch, Amb. Alasania went beyond the implicit boycott call to say that the Olympics might have to be canceled altogether. If the destabilization on the ground continues, he said, "I don't see how the Olympics can proceed." Video here, from Minute 12:47.
Inner City Press asked U.S. Ambassador to the UN Zalmay Khalilzad about the Georgian statement that the Sochi Olympics might have to be cancelled. U.S. entertainer Mia Farrow has called for a boycott, citing Darfur, of the upcoming Beijing Olympics; filmmaker Steven Spielberg himself boycotted participation in the Games. After initially declining to say anything, Amb. Khalilzad when pressed said "I have no comment on that... with regards to the Olympics issues." Video here, from Minute 5:54
Afterwards another Council diplomat told Inner City Press that the idea of boycotting the Sochi Olympics due to a dispute about Abkhazia or South Ossetia was "reminiscent of the Cold War." But there are those who say a new Cold War is brewing.
Russia beat out South Korea to win the 2014 Winter Olympics. Inner City Press asked Russian Ambassador Vitaly Churkin about Amb. Alasania's statement that the Games might have to be cancelled. Amb. Churkin laughed and called it "a far-fetched statement... I'm surprised that he made it." Video here, from Minute 4:09. Then again, Russia claims that its lifting of sanctions on Abkhazia has nothing to do with other countries' recognition of Kosovo's declaration of independence.
Serbian Foreign Minister Vuk Jeremic, asked by Inner City Press about any link between Abkhazia and Kosovo said of the latter that as an '"ethnic" secession, Kosovo "is a first, which is another way of saying precedent... Precedents aren't announced, precedents just happen." Video here.
The commander of the Georgian peacekeeping operations, General Mamuka Kurashvili, has accused Russian peacekeepers in Abkhazia of digging new trenches. Inner City Press asked the UN Spokesperson at Tuesday's noon briefing if the UN Mission in Georgia had any information in this regard, and later received a response that " UNOMIG has sent patrols to most of the reported locations. In most cases, the reports proved false. At several Abkhaz posts UNOMIG observed that 'light' works had been carried out to improve fortifications. There were also increase in manning levels at the Abkhaz posts following the February 29 incident, in which three Abkhaz police officers were wounded by a mine; the levels returned to normal as of March 7."
When Inner City Press later on Tuesday told a Permanent Five Council member diplomat about this "light fortification" work, the response was that rather than Russia using Abkhazia to gain leverage vis-a-vis Kosovo, they are using Kosovo to do what they want in Abkhazia. Other than from Olympian heights, how would one know?
