Kommersant, Russia
May 11 2005
The George’s Triumph : US President Received Hero’s Welcome in Georgia
Yesterday George Bush finished his visit to Georgia. This trip might
become the main international triumph of President Bush. The
President was greeted by 150,000 cheering people gathered in
Tbilisi’s Freedom Square.
The Long-Awaited Guest
American presidents were called in Georgia many times. Eduard
Shevarnadze was hoping to see one in Tbilisi. Mikhail Saakashvili was
even more persistent trying to persuade a US president to come to his
country. The first information about a possible visit by Bush in
Georgia appeared about month ago. And at that time, the Georgian
president press-secretary Alana Gagloeva categorically denied it. The
Georgian authorities didn’t believe that first visit to the country
by an American president would come true.
To prepare for the Bush visit, there was a special staff created. It
was managed by the head of Saakashvili’s administration. The total
cost of the visit was about $100,000. In the hurry, the center of the
city was cleaned, the buildings painted and the avenues were
decorated. Of course, security was also a priority. A special group
from the FBI and Secret Service arrived in Georgia in early April.
They were checking on the smallest details of the trip itinerary. A
false rumor was intentionally spread that the president would be
staying in the Sheraton in the Old City. However, in reality it was
planned that Mr. and Mrs. Bush will stay in Sheraton on the Rustaveli
Avenue.
Right before the high guest’s visit, Georgian law enforcement found
in the shed of one of the streets close to Freedom Square a Rocket
Propelled Grenade “Mukha”. The president was supposed to be speaking
on the Square. Though, after an investigation, authorities
established that the RPG was left in the shed since the civil war
several years ago.
On Monday, all four Georgian TV stations were doing live reports of
US Air force One landing in Tbilisi airport. Georgian President
Saakashvili and his wife, Sandra Rulovs, the Parlaiment Speaker Nino
Burdjanadze and prime-minister Zurab Nogaideli met George and Laura
Bush in the airfield.
Right from the airport the cortege with the presidents went to the
Old City, where the best Georgian folk dancers gave a special
performance for the heads of states. Bush was definitely impressed.
He even tried once to join the dancers.
Then, Mr. and Mrs. Bush had to try Georgian cuisine in the restaurant
“Gorgasali.” One day before the visit, Secret Service agents from the
Bush entourage visited the restaurant and told the Georgian side,
that during non-official meals, the American president eats only food
that is brought with him from the US. The Georgians were so
frustrated and angered by this fact that the Secret Service had to
give up and let the president try Georgian specialties. The rare
special wine Shavnabada was awaiting the American leader. But Bush
refused to drink and didn’t touch the wine. When leaving restaurant,
the US President was praising the Georgian chefs. His favorite dish
was khinkali – the pita with melted white cheese. He was so impressed
by the food that he almost started to dance when he encountered
another folk musical band at the restaurant exit.
Russian Interest
The official ceremony of the American president’s reception was
conducted in the yard of the Georgian Parliament building. After
that, the two presidents went for a private talk. On the following
press conference, Bush said that he thanked president Saakashvili for
the warm reception. Then, he made several important statements. Bush
promised, for instance, that USA will help Georgia to reunite the
country by participating in conflict settlement with Abkhazia and
South Osetia. The US president also added that the Georgian president
can call him on the phone and ask for support.
According to Kommersant information, the original plans of the US
administration were more radical. It was planned during the visit to
have a peace summit with participation of Saakashvili and leaders of
unrecognized republics — Sergey Bagapsh of Abkhazia and Eduard
Kokoyta of South Ossetia. Though, Washington decided not to be
directly involved in the confrontation among Tbilisi, Sukhumi and
Tskhinvali. Bush limited himself by expressing support to
Saakashvili’s proposal to provide autonomy to both unrecognized
republics. The second important statement was made by Bush about the
closing of Russian military bases in Georgia. He said that Russia and
Georgia should continue to negotiate the terms of the withdrawal,
thus letting Tbilisi understand that he does not support Georgia’s
overly tough position in that problem.
Right before the V-E Day celebration Sergey Lavrov, Russian foreign
minister, and his Georgian counterpart Salome Zurabishvili had tense
negotiations in Moscow about the Russian military bases. They were
discussing the text of the declaration about the withdrawal of
Russian troops from Georgia. The Kremlin was hoping that Saakashvili
will come to Moscow to celebrate the 60th Anniversary of Victory
where he would sign together with Vladimir Putin the declaration.
However, Lavrov’s and Zurabishvili’s negotiation fell through and
Saakashvili refused to come.
According to Kommersant information, during the meeting in Moscow on
May 8 President Putin asked his American colleague to influence on
Saakashvili, so he would refuse from his tough stance on the
timetable of the Russian bases closure. And it looks like, judging by
his statements in Tbilisi, the US president accomplished this task.
That was probably the only good news for Moscow. The rest of the
results should alert the Russian government. The experts think that
Bush’s visit itself demonstrated American decisiveness to help
post-Soviet republics to leave Moscow’s control.
There was one more conflict situation in Georgia before Bush’s
arrival. The Georgian State Minister for Structural and Economic
Reforms Kakhi Bendukidze wanted to sell the strategic gas pipeline,
connecting the Russian pipeline network with Georgian and Armenian,
to Gazprom. The US was categorically against this deal and gave
Georgia tens of millions dollars to rehabilitate the pipeline.
Washington thought that the sale of the natural gas pipeline to
Gazprom might prevent the building project of the pipeline
Baku-Tbilisi-Erzrum.
To the City and To the World
The height of Bush’s visit to Tbilisi was the president’s speech on
Freedom Square, where he was met by 150,000 cheering Georgians.
Almost the same number of people went out in the Tbilisi streets
during the “Rose Revolution,” noticed Saakashvili.
The format of giving a speech to the foreign people was tried for a
first time two months ago in Slovakia. There, he spoke with
Bratislava residents. Only the late Pope John Paul II was talking to
foreign nations like that.
The George Bush speech in Bratislava was successful. But there was no
comparison with the Tbilisi speech.
The people started to gather on the square from 9 a.m., when the
speech was supposed to start only at 2 p.m. Thousands of people were
going through tens of metal detectors. Already by noon it was decided
that the Square was full and the police blocked the access. However
thousands of people kept coming. And head of the Bush Secret Service
decided to move the metal detectors to clear the way. The recent
Bush’s Bratislava speech was a bit spoiled by anti-American slogans
and posters. In Tbilisi, Bush did not meet opponents of America. The
opposition Labor Party was given a place on other side of Rustaveli
Avenue, where they held their own meeting.
President Saakashvili started his speech in a pretty pompous way. He
remembered, that “all great empires: Rome, Byzantium, Turks,
Persians, Mongols, Russians went to Tbilisi and to Georgia to
conquer.” And only George Bush –“the leader of great country came to
us to support our freedom and independence.” “After the “Rose
Revolution” no other country was standing so close to Georgia as
USA,” Saakashvili was screaming. After that, he promised to fight for
democracy all over the world together with Washington– like it was
in Ukraine, like it is now in Iraq.
Saakashvili remembered about Iraq on purpose. Washington admitted
that Georgia sent to Iraq more soldiers than some much larger
countries – NATO members. Right now there are 500 Georgian soldiers
and officers stationed in Iraq, but soon this number will be
increased up to 2,000. In the end of his speech, Saakashvili
announced that he is rewarding George Bush with the Order of
Saint-George “for support of freedom and democracy in Georgia, for
the president’s outstanding deeds in all post-Soviet space and Middle
East.” The American president has become the first recipient of the
Order. This reward was introduced only half a year ago and nobody
deserved it yet.
However, Bush, who is famous for his love to pompous speeches, easily
overshadowed his Georgian counterpart. His speech exceeded all the
expectations of Georgians. He gave high praises to the “Rose
Revolution” as a triumph of democracy and he called Georgia the
“lighthouse of the freedom” in post-Soviet space and all over the
world.
He started by saying greetings in Georgian – Gamarjoba. Than he
remembered about events in Tbilisi on April 9, 1989, when Soviet
troops dispersed peaceful a demonstration and dozens of people died
as a result. “Since that time, you continue to fight for freedom and
American people will be always with you.” George Bush announced the
Rose Revolution to be a mother of all revolutions `which inspired
many people.’ `Today from the Caucuses to Central Asia, people demand
freedom and they will get it,’ predicted the U.S. president. `You are
helping to free other people. Georgian soldiers right now are serving
in Afghanistan and Iraq, thus helping to free other people and
deserving gratitude from Americans and all allied countries.’
The square was exploding with applause. And George Bush continued to
compare Georgia and Iraq, speaking about the Rose Revolution with the
same words that he used to characterize the war in Iraq. `Spreading
freedom is spreading peace because free societies are peaceful
societies.’ In the end George Bush promised to help integrate the
republic into Europe. And he finished his speech in Georgian.
`Gaumardjos Sakartvelos’ (Long Live Georgia).
by Vladimir Novikov, Tbilisi; Mikhail Zyga