[Congressional Record Volume 154, Number 73 (Monday, May 5, 2008)]
[House]
[Pages H3028-H3031]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




              SENSE OF HOUSE REGARDING REPUBLIC OF GEORGIA

  Ms. WATSON. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the 
resolution (H. Res. 1166) expressing the sense of the House of 
Representatives regarding provocative and dangerous statements and 
actions taken by the Government of the Russian Federation that 
undermine the territorial integrity of the Republic of Georgia.
  The Clerk read the title of the resolution.
  The text of the resolution is as follows:

                              H. Res. 1166

       Whereas, since 1993, the territorial integrity of the 
     Republic of Georgia has been reaffirmed by the international 
     community, international law, and 32 United Nations Security 
     Council resolutions;
       Whereas the Government of the Republic of Georgia has 
     pursued in good faith a peaceful resolution of territorial 
     conflicts in the regions of Abkhazia and South Ossetia since 
     the end of hostilities in 1993;
       Whereas, on March 28, 2008, and on April 12, 2008, Georgian 
     President Mikheil Saakashvili introduced new and far-reaching 
     peace proposals to resolve the territorial conflict in 
     Abkhazia, including international guarantees of Abkhaz 
     autonomy, broad political representation for the Abkhaz, the 
     right to veto legislation related to the constitutional 
     status of Abkhazia as well as its language and culture, the 
     establishment of a joint Free Economic Zone in the Gali 
     region, and an offer for more active involvement by the 
     international community and Russian Federation to help forge 
     a peaceful resolution to the conflict;
       Whereas, for several years, the Government of the Russian 
     Federation has carried out policies that seek to undermine 
     the sovereignty of the Republic of Georgia in Abkhazia and 
     South Ossetia by awarding individuals in these regions with 
     Russian citizenship, Russian passports, economic subsidies, 
     and the right to vote in Russian elections;
       Whereas the Government of the Russian Federation has also 
     detailed Russian officials to take up positions in the 
     separatist governments, provided military equipment and 
     support to separatists in the regions, and encouraged Russian 
     volunteers to serve in militias in Abkhazia and South 
     Ossetia;
       Whereas the announcement from the Government of the Russian 
     Federation on April 16, 2008, that it will establish 
     ``official ties'' with the regions of Abkhazia and South 
     Ossetia, recognize their official documents and legal 
     entities, and further involve itself in aspects of their 
     governments appears to be a thinly veiled attempt at 
     annexation;
       Whereas, on April 20, 2008, tensions between the Russian 
     Federation and the Republic of Georgia further escalated when 
     an unarmed and unmanned Georgian reconnaissance aircraft was 
     shot down over Georgian territory, reportedly by a Russian 
     MIG-29 fighter jet;
       Whereas Russian officials have denied any involvement in 
     the downing of the reconnaissance plane, claiming that 
     Abkhazian rebels were responsible for the incident, although 
     neither Georgia nor Abkhazian defense forces have MIG-29 
     fighter jets;
       Whereas the statements and counter-productive actions of 
     the Government of the Russian Federation in these regions has 
     undermined the peace and security in Abkhazia and South 
     Ossetia, the Republic of Georgia, and the Caucasus region as 
     a whole;
       Whereas the consistent effort to undermine the sovereignty 
     of a neighbor is incompatible with the role of the Russian 
     Federation as one of the world's leading powers and with its 
     commitments to international peacekeeping made to the United 
     Nations Security Council and the Organization for Security 
     and Cooperation in Europe; and
       Whereas, on April 23, 2008, Secretary of State Condoleezza 
     Rice stated that ``the United States is firmly committed to 
     the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Georgia, that we 
     support Georgia's efforts to make certain that the people of 
     Abkhazia

[[Page H3029]]

     and South Ossetia feel fully a part of Georgia, and that we 
     are very concerned at the recent move by the Russian 
     Federation, the presidential decree that was issued'': Now, 
     therefore, be it
       Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
       (1) condemns recent decisions made by the Government of the 
     Russian Federation to establish ``official ties'' with the 
     regions of Abkhazia and South Ossetia, a process that further 
     impedes reconciliation between those regions and the 
     Government of the Republic of Georgia and that violates the 
     sovereignty of the Republic of Georgia and the commitments of 
     the Government of the Russian Federation to international 
     peacekeeping;
       (2) calls upon the Government of the Russian Federation to 
     immediately revoke its decision to establish ``official 
     ties'' with the regions of Abkhazia and South Ossetia;
       (3) strongly supports the restoration of the territorial 
     integrity of the Republic of Georgia and a peaceful 
     resolution of the conflicts within Georgia's internationally 
     recognized borders;
       (4) encourages the Government of the Russian Federation to 
     work with the Government of Georgia, the peoples of Abkhazia 
     and South Ossetia, and the international community to find a 
     peaceful solution to the conflict;
       (5) welcomes the measured reaction of the Government of the 
     Republic of Georgia to recent developments and commends 
     President Saakashvili's latest initiatives to resolve 
     territorial conflicts through peaceful means;
       (6) calls on United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon 
     to conduct an investigation of the April 20, 2008, incident 
     in which an unarmed Georgian reconnaissance aircraft was shot 
     down by what reports indicate was a missile launched from a 
     Russian MIG-29 fighter jet;
       (7) urges all parties to the conflicts in the Republic of 
     Georgia and governments around the world to eschew rhetoric 
     and actions that escalate tensions and undermine efforts to 
     negotiate a peaceful settlement to the conflicts; and
       (8) supports the declaration of the North Atlantic Treaty 
     Organization's (NATO) Bucharest Summit in Romania, which 
     stated that the Republic of Georgia will become a member of 
     NATO, reiterates its support for the commitment to further 
     enlargement of NATO to include democratic governments that 
     are able and willing to meet the responsibilities of 
     membership, and urges the foreign ministers of NATO member 
     states at their meeting in December 2008 to consider 
     favorably the application of the Government of the Republic 
     of Georgia's Membership Action Plan.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentlewoman from 
California (Ms. Watson) and the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Poe) each 
will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from California.


                             General Leave

  Ms. WATSON. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members 
have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include 
extraneous material on the resolution under consideration.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentlewoman from California?
  There was no objection.
  Ms. WATSON. Mr. Speaker, I also rise in strong support of this 
resolution and yield myself as much time as I may consume.
  I am pleased to support this resolution that adds the House's voice 
to the chorus of condemnation from the administration and our European 
allies to the provocative actions taken in recent weeks by the Russian 
Federation against the Republic of Georgia.
  I commend my distinguished colleague, Representative Wexler of 
Florida and chairman of the European Subcommittee, for promptly 
introducing this important resolution.
  For several years, the Russian Government has promulgated policies 
that have increasingly sought to undermine the sovereignty of the 
Georgian Government and its territorial integrity over Abkhazia and 
South Ossetia. Such harmful policies include awarding residents in 
these regions with Russian citizenship, Russian passports, and even the 
right to vote in Russian elections.
  In addition, the Kremlin has assigned Russian officials to hold 
positions in the separatist governments in South Ossetia and Abkhazia. 
It has also provided military equipment and volunteer fighters to 
support militias active in these regions. Such behavior is 
counterproductive to efforts to find a peaceful resolution to these 
conflicts and contrary to Russia's commitments to international 
peacekeeping.
  Irritated by international recognition of Kosovo's independence 
despite its objections and incensed by Georgia's clear future in NATO, 
Russia escalated its dangerous actions towards Georgia in the weeks 
leading up to and immediately following NATO's Bucharest Summit. On 
March 6, Russia withdrew from the sanctions regime imposed on Abkhazia 
in 1996 by the Commonwealth of Independent States thereby eliminating 
the remaining limits on direct Russian economic relations with 
Abkhazia.
  On March 21, the Russian Duma passed a nonbinding declaration asking 
the government to consider the ``expediency of recognizing the 
independence of Abkhazia and South Ossetia.'' On March 25, Dmitry 
Medvedev, Russia's incoming president, spoke out against NATO 
membership for Georgia. During the NATO Summit, Russian President Putin 
sent letters to the separatist leaders of Abkhazia and South Ossetia to 
express his support for their regimes.
  As outlined in this resolution, President Putin instructed his 
government on April 16 to establish official ties with these separatist 
regimes. He further ordered his government to recognize legal documents 
issued by these authorities as well as legal entities registered by 
them. The tension reached its climax on April 20 when an unarmed and 
unmanned Russian reconnaissance aircraft was shot down over Georgian 
territory, reportedly by a Russian MIG-29 fighter. Despite Russian 
claims of innocence, neither the Georgians nor the Abkhazian rebels 
have this plane in their fleet.
  Last week Russia further strained relations by moving an extra 
contingent of troops into Abkhazia. The Kremlin claims to be responding 
to a Georgia military buildup along the border, which the Tbilisi 
Government denies. Although Russia's troop level remains within the 
3,000 soldier limit allowed under the 1994 U.N. ceasefire agreement, 
NATO has backed Russia's assertion that any increase must be approved 
by all parties.
  Such hostile actions are in stark contrast to the recent attempts 
made by Georgian President, Mikheil Saakashvili, to find a peaceful and 
lasting solution to this conflict in the Caucasus. As he rightly 
stated, ``There are no issues that we and the Abkhazians cannot solve 
through negotiations.''
  On March 28 and April 12, President Saakashvili introduced new 
proposals to facilitate a resolution to the conflict. They included 
international guarantees of Abkhaz autonomy, broad political 
representation for the Abkhaz, the right to veto legislation related to 
the constitutional status of Abkhazia as well as its language and 
culture, and the establishment of a joint Free Economic Zone in the 
Gali region. President Putin has turned a deaf ear to these 
suggestions.
  I ask my colleagues to join me in calling on the Russian Federation 
to revoke immediately its decision to establish official ties with 
these regions and to support the territorial integrity of Georgia's 
borders.
  Rather than engaging in provocative acts, President Putin should 
respond favorably to President Saakashvili's call for active 
involvement by the Russian Federation as well as the international 
community to forge a peaceful and lasting solution to this conflict.
  Furthermore, NATO should uphold its Summit promise to Georgia of a 
future in the Alliance by considering the extension of a Membership 
Action Plan at its December meeting. This act would welcome the country 
into the Euro-Atlantic community and could serve as a deterrent to 
further Russian aggression. I strongly support this resolution and urge 
my colleagues to join me.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. POE. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I believe that there was a time when we could honestly 
hope that Russia was playing a fair and supportive role with regard to 
the resolution of the separatist conflicts in the Republic of Georgia. 
Unfortunately, our optimism in that regard is almost exhausted. It now 
appears obvious that Russia seeks to play a destabilizing role in 
Georgia, with the goal of undermining Georgia's political and economic 
development and, ultimately, its own sovereignty.

                              {time}  1445

  Over several years Russia has reportedly supported the separatist 
forces

[[Page H3030]]

with arms and trained personnel. It has applied boycotts on Georgian 
goods and shut off energy supplies to Georgia. It has broadly granted 
Russian citizenship and issued Russian passports to people living in 
Georgia's separatist regions. It has provided economic subsidies to the 
separatist regions and granted residents of those regions the right to 
vote in Russian elections. Its so-called ``peacekeeping'' forces in the 
separatist regions appeared to have played a biased role in favor, of 
course, of the separatist regime. More recently, on April 16, the 
Kremlin issued a decree further expanding its ``official'' ties with 
the separatist regions.
  Most objective observers would affirm that the Georgian Government 
has tried to be fair and open-minded in its efforts to negotiate a 
settlement in the separatist conflicts. One has to wonder, however, if 
sporadic and mysterious incidents involving small-scale attacks on 
Georgian territory and forces are meant to provoke the Georgian 
Government.
  One such incident occurred on April 20. An unmanned and unarmed 
Georgian reconnaissance aircraft was shot down over Georgian territory, 
reportedly by a Russian MIG-29 fighter. Since neither Georgia nor the 
separatist regimes have MIG-29 jets among their forces, it seems 
difficult for Russia to deny its involvement.
  Mr. Speaker, the Georgian people have made tremendous progress since 
the ``Rose Revolution'' of 2003. Georgia is not a perfect democracy, 
but it's heading in the right direction. It certainly compares very 
well with the trends in Russia, where a totalitarian regime is steadily 
being constructed once again.
  Georgia deserves the support and encouragement of leading states of 
Europe and the support of the United States. Democracy and reform in 
Georgia will only succeed if the European Union, the leading states of 
Europe, and the United States remain engaged and strongly support it.
  The resolution calls for the Kremlin to immediately revoke its 
decision to expand ``official ties'' with the separatist regions in 
Georgia. The resolution expresses strong support for the restoration of 
the territorial integrity of Georgia and for the peaceful resolution of 
conflicts within Georgia's borders. It also restates the declaration 
made by the NATO heads of state at the recent summit in Bucharest, 
Romania, in which they confidently stated their belief that the 
Republic of Georgia will become a member of NATO some day. And it urges 
NATO allies to favorably consider Georgia's application for admission 
in the Membership Action Plan, or MAP, during the NATO Ministers 
meeting this December, MAP being a program to simply help interested 
applicants for membership and prepare them to meet the standards 
required of all NATO allies.
  Mr. Speaker, this resolution is intended to support the sovereignty 
of Georgia and support an end to any irresponsible actions by the 
Russian Government that undermine its sovereignty and the prospects for 
a peaceful resolution of the separatist conflicts in that country.
  I note again as well that nothing stated in this resolution with 
regard to NATO and Georgia's interest in membership in that alliance is 
any different from what was stated at the recent NATO summit.
  I support this resolution and urge all my colleagues to do the same 
as well.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Ms. WATSON. Mr. Speaker, I yield 4 minutes to the gentlewoman from 
Pennsylvania (Ms. Schwartz).
  Ms. SCHWARTZ. Mr. Speaker, as the co-Chair of the Congressional 
Georgia Caucus, I rise in support of House Resolution 1166 and to 
express my strong support for the sovereignty and territorial integrity 
of the Republic of Georgia.
  On April 16, 2008, the Russian Government declared that it would 
establish legal and official ties with Abkhazia and South Ossetia. This 
is nothing more than a thinly veiled attempt by Russia to extend these 
regions, which are part of the sovereign nation of Georgia. This action 
was denounced by the international community, including the European 
Union and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, better known as NATO 
to all of us. Nonetheless, Russia remained unfazed by international 
opinion and further escalated tensions in the region just 4 days later 
by shooting down a Georgian unmanned aerial drone over Georgian 
territory.
  Georgia is one of the strongest allies in the Caucasus region, and it 
is important for the United States to continue to stand by our allies. 
I spoke with President Saakashvili on Thursday, and he's very concerned 
about the situation and, as was mentioned by previous speakers, has 
offered a number of peace proposals. But he very much appreciates the 
statements that were made in support of Georgia by our State Department 
and is grateful for this resolution and the strong bipartisan support 
it demonstrates from Congress.
  Since speaking with the President last week, the situation has become 
even more difficult for Georgia. The Russian Federation continues to 
move troops into Abkhazia, and yesterday we heard reports of possibly 
two more Georgian aircraft being shot down.
  Considering our close relationship with Georgia, it is appropriate 
that the House of Representatives join the international institutions 
that have condemned Russia's actions and called for a peaceful 
resolution to the current tensions in the region. This resolution is 
supported by the chairman and ranking member of the Foreign Affairs 
Committee, who were original cosponsors of the resolution. And it was 
introduced by Representative Wexler, the chairman of the Europe 
Subcommittee.
  I urge my colleagues to support this important resolution and 
appreciate its bipartisan nature.
  Mr. SMITH of New Jersey. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support 
of H. Res. 1166. The international community has affirmed the 
territorial integrity of the Republic of Georgia many times, and 
Georgia has sought in good faith a peaceful resolution of the conflicts 
with its regions of Abkhazia and South Ossetia. The Georgian Government 
has made generous proposals regarding internationally guaranteed 
autonomy, political representation, and the constitutional status of 
the regions.
  I am deeply concerned that the Government of Russia has not responded 
with equal good faith. It has consistently undermined Georgian 
sovereignty over these regions, for example, by giving people in these 
regions Russian citizenship, passports, voting rights, and even 
economic subsidies. The Russian Government has provided leaders, 
volunteers, and arms to separatist movements in these regions, and 
threatened to establish ``official ties'' with the Abkhazian and South 
Ossetian regions. According to reliable reports, the Russian Government 
has shot down unmanned drones over Georgian territory. It is outrageous 
for one state to undertake such hostile actions against a neighbor.
  Mr. Speaker, I have no doubt that the Secretary of State did the 
right thing when she recently committed the United States to Georgia's 
territorial integrity and sovereignty, and that the House will reaffirm 
American support for Georgia and condemn the Russian Government's 
unjust and destabilizing actions. Over and over again, we have seen how 
there are always people who are quick to make excuses for the Russian 
Government's unjust actions toward the small nations on its border--or 
toward the Russian people themselves. In the communist era, and since 
1991, there have always been people who argued that, if we will just 
look the other way, allowing the Russian Government to do as it likes 
in some ``sphere of influence,'' the Russian Government will respond by 
becoming become kinder, gentler, and more peaceful.
  The historical record belies this argument. Alexander Solzhenitsyn, 
President Reagan, Pope John Paul II, Father Gleb Yakunin, the 
refuseniks in Russia in the 1970s and 1980s, the brave and beleaguered 
Russian human rights movement today--these people spoke the truth to 
and about the Russian Government. They have done more to promote peace 
and justice in the former Soviet Union than all those who argued for 
silence and compromise. Mr. Speaker, I am glad that this House is today 
choosing their road. What the Russian Government is doing to undermine 
Georgia is wrong, it is outrageous, and it must stop.
  Mr. POE. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  Ms. WATSON. Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time, and I 
yield back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentlewoman from California (Ms. Watson) that the House suspend the 
rules and agree to the resolution, H. Res. 1166.
  The question was taken.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. In the opinion of the Chair, two-thirds 
being in the affirmative, the ayes have it.

[[Page H3031]]

  Mr. LEWIS of California. Mr. Speaker, I object to the vote on the 
ground that a quorum is not present and make the point of order that a 
quorum is not present.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to clause 8 of rule XX and the 
Chair's prior announcement, further proceedings on this motion will be 
postponed.
  The point of no quorum is considered withdrawn.

                          ____________________