Questions and Answers from "Developing Europe's East" Conference

Assistant Secretary Fried's remarks

Question 1--Imedi television: Nino Mamaladze from Imedi TV. You had a number of meetings today, and among them a meeting with the opposition members this morning. After the meeting with you they said that you or other U.S. representatives may play the role of a mediator in the current situation in Georgia. What is your view of tomorrow's event, the rally scheduled.

Assistant Secretary Fried Response 1: The United States does not see its role as a mediator. I think that it is for the Georgian government, Georgian political parties, including the Georgian opposition to work out the rules of the game in a democratic fashion in an atmosphere of respect, also in an atmosphere of competition, because that's what democracy is about. As for the demonstration - demonstrations are things that democracies have, demonstrations are normal, especially when they are peaceful, as I hope this one will be.

Question 2--Mze television: Lela Tkleauri, Mze TV company. Regarding the Ganmukhuria events, we would like to listen to your comments. We all just saw how the Russian peacekeepers treated the law enforcers there. We would like to hear your specific evaluations of that. What is their role if they are treating in such a manner the Georgian law enforcers?

Assistant Secretary Fried Response 2: Well, I like practically every person in Georgia have now seen the famous video. This was, let us say, at the very least a very unfortunate event, and I don't understand why the use of force was necessary. But, stepping back from this incident, its very clear that repeated incidents - whether they involve the peacekeepers, or other forces, outside forces - repeated incidents, clashes, provocations, are neither good for Georgia nor the people in Abkhazia, nor the region, and not good for Russia either. We want to see a process which is peaceful but also active to put Georgia's relations with Abkhazia off of a crisis management, short-term track, and on a track of actual resolution based on respect for the people of Abkhazia, respect for the territorial integrity of Georgia, and respect for the need to come up with arrangements that will provide for a peaceful lasting settlement of this problem. That's what everybody should be doing here. And by everybody I include the governments of Georgia, the authorities in Abkhazia, the United States, the U.N., the Friends of Georgia group, and Russia. We all have a role to play and we should play it, without provocations, without threats of force, and without perpetual crises.

Question 3--Rustavi 2 television: Davit Ikalishvili, Rustavi 2 television. Will the United States' administration support the replacement of theRussian peacekeepers in the zone by any other international force. And the second question is whether the United States Government will support Georgia's aspiration to transfer from the Individual Membership to the MAP status?

Assistant Secretary Fried Response 3: We support a peaceful resolution of all the questions between Georgia and Abkhazia. We don't think Georgia's interest would be served right now by an immediate diplomatic crisis over the status of the peacekeepers. We fully support the position of the Georgian Government which is to consult with its allies and to press very hard for more effective international efforts to move this whole situation from defensive crisis management toward resolution. I think the Georgian Government is behaving in this sense with wisdom and a good strategic sense by seeking not to divert attention into a crisis but to focus attention on the need to actually start resolving this question in a peaceful way. So that is what we support. With respect to Georgia and NATO, I certainly devoted a lot of time to it in the speech, so look what I said, cause I could say it again.

Question 4-- Bloomberg:  Helena Bedwell, Bloomberg. A non-Georgian topic, but still interesting because Russia is our neighbor. The U.S. has said that it won't offer Russia any more concessions, we're talking about the missile defense system here. Can you tell us Mr. Fried, how you see the situation unfolding now, given that Russia rejected the U.S.'s offer?

Assistant Secretary Fried Response 4: We hope to work with Russia in a cooperative way on Missile Defense. I don't think we are going to take Russia's current position as the last word. We are going to keep trying to work with them. We've made some offers in good faith. We want to work with Russia. We want Russia to be part of common multilateral solution and not a piece of a problem. That is our approach.

I think we'll be summoned so, thank you very much.