Late Compromises or Slow Palestine People
Beso Kurtanidze, Liberal
After
Israel side failed to persuade Arabs to accept the conditions of
dividing the territory, the Foreign Minister of Israel Abba Eban said:
“Arabs never miss opportunity to miss chance.” Initially, they offered
60 % of disputable land to Palestine people. Since Arabs considered
“one stadium” of land was too much for Jewish, they did not agree – and
rebelled, started war and in 1948 already independent Israel offered
only 44 % of the territory to the defeated Palestine in accordance to
the UN plan. The opposite side did not accept their offer either.
Israel was recognized by Nauru. On the same year, Israel defeated
coalition of Arab states and invaded 78 % of the territory. In 1967
after the “six-day war” they occupied 84 % of the entire territory.
Arabs had left only 16 % of the initially offered 60 %.
Arabs declared three No to Israel: No to recognizing Israel, No to negotiations with Israel and No to peace with Israel.
In 2002, 35 years
after three “No-s” Arabs admitted that if they had accepted 22 % of the
land offered by Israel, it could have been enough to establish
Palestine state.
In 2000 Bill Clinton offered them 20 % of the territory and Arabs agreed, though two years later.
“Half bread is
better than no bread,” Jewish people started to gain their lands back
under this slogan; while Arabs always refused to get half bread.
Nobody will
appreciate comparing Georgians with Arab people. However, I do not
think Arabs would like to equalize them with us either. We also won all
wars and after the war in August of 2008 we also lost about 20 000 sq.
kilometers of the land. Although, Palestine was later abandoned by many
Arab states, they are not alone in this world. Neither we are alone.
Before winning the
war, Abkhazians could have been satisfied with the status of federation
entity. However, in the past we did not want to grant them even
autonomy and nobody has ever discussed the topic of federation at all.
Autonomy was too little for Abkhaz people.
After losing the
Abkhaz war, Ardzinba arrived in Tbilisi based on the request of former
foreign minister of Russia Primakov. Negotiation between President of
Georgia Shevardnadze and Ardzinba lasted several hours. How do you
think, if Ardzinba wanted independence of Abkhazia why did he arrive in
Tbilisi? - to request recognition of their independence? No! He was
ready to agree with confederation. Shevardnadze discussed Abkhazia as a
federal part of the country; that means we agreed to grant Federal
status to them; but it was after we lost the war; so, later Ardzinba
was not agree with that.
In 1998 we lost one
more war in Gali district. Our army left the district earlier than
people. Russians and others assisted Abkhaz people; it was not
unexpected fact at all. Later, representative of the Russian “King” in
the Caucasus Ramazan Abdulatipov announced three-point plan again: 1.
Abkhazia recognizes territorial integrity of Georgia. 2. Government of
Georgia shall not interfere in the internal affairs of Abkhazia and 3.
Abkhazia shall become de-militarized zone. Neither this plan was
considered seriously. We concluded: “Abdulatipov is spy of Kremlin; he
cannot give positive suggestions to us.”
After Rose
Revolution, some kind relationships were restored between politicians
and de-facto foreign minister Shamba visited Tbilisi. He was walking
along Sharden Street in Tbilisi when Saakashvili visited military base
in Senaki which was one of the nearest ones to Abkhazia; he checked
military readiness of the base. Why did Abkhaz people get afraid? What
circumstances were changed in favor of us? Russia still supported them
as well as north Caucasian nations and the only thing which encouraged
Saakashvili was his army which “was no longer dirty, unclothed and
hungry.” How could rusty tanks and corrupted army of Abkhazia and
Russia resist Georgian army?
Results of the war
in August of 2008 were much worse. Besides additionally lost
territories, independence of Abkhazia and Ossetia were recognized.
Situation was much better in South Ossetia to resolve the conflict than
in Abkhazia. Here personal relation exceeded smuggler and criminal
business; residents of Gori worked in Tskhinvali. They used to go to
work in the morning and returned in the evening. Georgian journalists
could visit Tskhinvali without companions and observers.
In the film of Nino
Kirtadze about the war in August of 2008 Mikheil Saakashvili is
watching Putin on TV. He gets astonished and thraws control panel at
the TV-set and cries out: “The war has not finished yet and let us see,
who will win it.” If we trust his words, maybe we face much more
disaster in future. Besides that, after the war in august,
commander-in-chief stated: “It is no problem that we have not lost only
two districts.”
How can we blame
Il-Ghaz or Tbilisi Amira in everything who did not allow Davit
Aghmashenebeli to resolve problems diplomatically? However, our
president is trying to be the governor like Aghmashenebeli. Maybe he is
thinking about Ruis-Urbnisi meeting too (meeting of orthodox
high-ranking clergymen in 1104 where serious reforms were initiated by
the King Aghmashenebli in Orthodox Church).
What do Georgian
people think about South Ossetia and Abkhazia? On Facebook there is a
group with this title where many people express their opinions.
However, you have heard and read similar opinions since 1980s except
several of them.
I think, after the
first war of Abkhazia, we learned only one thing – Abkhaz people do not
have Georgian hostages in Tkvarcheli mines and we are deeply sure about
it. On the other hand, nothing has changed; Abkhaz people are still
Georgians like I am Imereli (resident of Imereti region of Georgia);
very small nation of Absua is people who arrived here from the
mountains; and as for the innovation – soon 2 million tourists will
visit Batumi unlike Abkhazian seaside. Anaklia will be better resort
than Gagra.
South Ossetia is
still Samachablo. Tskhinvali region is the only thing which is
associated with Ossetians. But cultural autonomy is enough for them.
Leading politicians
still offer federation to Abkhaz people. In current reality it is
incredible. The only thing we can think of is co-existence in one state
which will be impossible until we call them Absua. In 1992-93, in 1998
and in 2008 we were defeated in Abkhazia and in Tskhinvali three times;
after that, people who won the war three times will never accept our
proposals. Besides that, Russia has already recognized them.
How can any of
separatist government persuade their population that accepting the
proposals of the defeated Georgia is not treason? Neither our
presidents could take adequate measures because of fear of being
traitor; so we cannot request the separatists to do the same.
Geese have rescued
Rome but nobody respects them now for their deed. If we want to gain
respect from our opponents, we should build strong and fair state. “It
is no matter what Gos say about us, the point is what Jewish do,” said
Ben-Gurion and these words are important for us too.
If the society
requests the government to look for those three missing Ossetian
fellows – a bit older than those Georgian children who were kidnapped
from Tirdznisi, it can be considered as a first step taken towards
Ossetian people. Those young people disappeared after the war last
year. You can see the video-recording how those young boys were beaten
on the following site: http://cominf.org/video.
It should be done today. Children from Tirdznisi were released and now
it is our turn to do the same. I personally feel ashamed and think that
we owe something to Ossetian people because we do not do anything to
find those missing Ossetian fellows.
12 Feb. '10 ...back
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