www.innercitypress.com/un4abkhazia052908.html
UNITED NATIONS, May 29 -- As the fallout of the unmanned aerial vehicle or drone shot down over Abkhazia on April 20 reaches into the UN Security Council, Georgia on Thursday disputed the UN's statement that its drone flights over Abkhazia violate its commitments in the so-called Moscow Agreement. Georgian Ambassador Irakli Alasania compared the drones to a camera in the hand of a photographer. He said Georgia has been forced to deploy its intelligence assets in light of Russian moves in Abkhazia. Inner City Press asked if, as the UN's report on the drone downing says, the flights violate the Moscow Agreement. No, Amb. Alasania said. Video here.
Inner City Press asked Russian Ambassador Vitaly Churkin to comment on this. "Illogical and strange," Amb. Churkin called it, that Georgia would be asking for a Security Council meeting based on a report which, in what Churkin calls its only statement of fact, criticizes Georgia for the drone flights. Churkin said that unanimity had not been possible on its request that Abkhaz representatives be allowed to attend the Security Council meeting, which will therefore be unbalanced, and held behind closed doors. He predicted that support was growing for Abkhaz involvement in the Council's meeting in two months on the UN's next Georgia report. Given the support in this dispute for Georgia, by the U.S. and others, consensus is hard to imagine.
Inner City Press asked Amb. Alasania, since Georgia is asking compensation, how much each drone costs. I don't know, he answered, that would be negotiated bilaterally with Russia. With Abkhazia -- said by a Georgian minister to have more weaponry than Syria -- claiming to have shot down seven drones, Inner City Press asked Amb. Alasania how many drones have been downed. We are speaking about the April 20 incident, Alasiania said.
And see, www.innercitypress.com/un4abkhazia052908.html
