Wednesday 26 November 2008

Ex-Envoy’s Hearing at War Commission Ends in Brawl

TV screenshot of Erosi Kitsmarishvili testifying before the commission on November 25.

Civil Georgia, Tbilisi / 25 Nov.'08 /

A testimony by Erosi Kitsmarishvili, Georgia’s former ambassador to Russia and President Saakashvili’s former insider, before the parliamentary commission studying the August war, was thwarted after a verbal brawl between Kitsmarishvili and commission member, MP Givi Targamadze.

The hearing, which was aired live by the public TV’s second channel and lasted over three hours, was often marred by a verbal sparring between Kitsmarishvili and the commission members, mainly those from the ruling party. The hearings were often growing into political debates between the former ambassador, who in late September lashed out at former allies accusing the authorities for a failure to avert the August war, and the commission members.

The most heated exchange came between Kitsmarishvili and Givi Targamadze, a senior lawmaker from the ruling party; during this exchange of barbs, MP Targamadze was seen in the live televised pictures throwing a pen into the direction of Kitsmarishvili. Just before this Kitsmarishvili was telling something to Targamadze, but his microphone was turned off and it was not possible to hear what he said. Later Targamadze, who apologized before the commission members, said he could not tolerate the word – scoundrel, which, he said, Kitsmarishvili told him. Read more...

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Georgia war hearing marred by angry exchanges

By Margarita Antidze and Matt Robinson - Reuters

Erosi Kitsmarishvili, Georgia's former ambassador to Russia, told the parliamentary commission he had received information "from high-ranking Georgian officials" that Tbilisi was preparing to "militarily storm" the South Ossetian capital, Tskhinvali.

"Russia was ready for this war, but the Georgian leadership started the military action first," he said.The chairman of the bi-partisan commission, opposition lawmaker Paata Davitaia, said the former ambassador's statements were "irresponsible."

Kitsmarishvili told reporters: "They don't want to hear the truth." Read more...

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Tbilisi responsible for South Ossetian tragedy – Georgian diplomat / RT News


The former Georgian ambassador to Russia, Erosi Kitsmarishvili, says that Tbilisi bears the main responsibility for starting the war in South Ossetia last August.

”It was the Georgian government that launched the military action, it doesn’t matter whether it was provoked or not,” Kitsmarishvili stressed. ”

As for the fact that Russia was prepared for it, Moscow was ready to perform the actions it did, because they were part of Russia’s overall plan. I am not saying Georgia is to blame for everything, because Russia was not an innocent lamb either,” he added. Read more...

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