Congressional Record, Volume 154 Issue 73 (Monday, May 5, 2008)

[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.

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