US PASSED RESOLUTION ON WITHDRAWAL OF RUSSIAN BASES FROM GEORGIA

PanARMENIAN.Net - The US Senate has passed a Resolution on Withdrawal of Russian Military Bases from Georgia. Democrats and Republicans spoke for the soonest completion of the Russian military presence in that country, reported Utro.ru. As Republican Senator Bill Frist noted, Moscow has not fulfilled the commitments to withdraw the bases assumed earlier. He also reminded that over 3 thousand Russian servicemen are in the territory of Georgia at the moment and time has come for them to leave that country. Russia has not fulfilled its commitments within the Istanbul arrangements on the Treaty on Conventional Armed Forces in Europe," notes the document. US State Secretary Condoleezza Rice being present at the Senate hearing assured the members of the upper chamber of the Congress that the Bush Administration does its best to convince Moscow to withdraw troops from Georgia as soon as possible. It should be reminded that during the OSCE Istanbul Summit in 1999 Russia signed an agreement according to which the Russian troops have to leave Georgia and Transdniestria within four years and now Washington demands that Russia meet these commitments. Being concerned over the NATO activities along the Russian borders, the Kremlin in its turn does not hasten to withdraw the peacekeepers. While the US Senate confirms its readiness to assist Georgia in the withdrawal of Russian troops, the State Duma in Moscow officially censures the harsh statements by the Georgian colleagues, who have put forward an ultimatum over the Russian military bases in Georgia. The State Duma has expressed its attitude to the Georgian message in a n address to President Vladimir Putin. At that time the Staff of the Group of Russian Forces in Tbilisi is not supplied with water for already two weeks. As reported by Tbilvodokanal company, the water supplies are suspended due to the debt for spending water that makes over 1 million laris (some $500). The company representatives assured that "the cease of water supply has nothing common with politics, as the company attitude to any persistent defaulter." At that the energy supplies of the staff is not stopped. TELASI Tbilisi electricity distribution company official representative Valery Pantsulaya told journalists today that the Group of Russian Forces in Transcaucasia pays for the electricity and "the company does not feel any political pressure either by the Georgian authorities, or Russia." In spite of that Georgian leaders officially assure that nothing threatens servicemen of the Russian bases, stated Speaker of the Georgian Parliament Nino Burjanadze. In the Speaker's words, she "does not understand the hysteria that has taken place in the Russian State Duma," she does not understand which irresponsible statements Russia accuses Georgia in. She also accentuated that "Georgia is not for exacerbation of the relations with any of its neighbors, especially Russia." However, in her words, it does not mean that Tbilisi will renounce its principles and interests: "We use all opportunities provided for by the international law to withdraw Russian bases from our territory."