Azerbaijan, Baku, August 24 / Trend E. Tariverdiyeva /
Georgian possible admission of prisoners from U.S. prison in Guantanamo threatens with new confrontation between opposition and Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili. It will threat to Georgian national security, experts said.
"Georgian opposition will unambiguously oppose Georgian President Saakashvili's action, who is trying to get support from the new U.S. Administration", European expert on the South Caucasus, Amanda Akcakoca, said.
The influential U.S daily, 'The Washington Post', has spread information about Georgia's readiness to admit prisoners of the U.S prison in Guantanamo (Cuba). The author of the article wrote that according to information from a representative of Barack Obama's administration, Washington has already held positive talks with Tbilisi on this issue.
Head of Information and Analytical Department of the Georgian Interior Ministry, Shota Utiashvili, neither confirmed nor denied a report on possible transfer of Guantanamo detainees to Georgian prisons, 'Kommersant' reported on August 24.
It can mean well-grounded reports in the U.S. press about the negotiations on the transfer of prisoners of the U.S prison in Guantanamo to Georgia.
Georgian Deputy Prime-Minister of the Georgian government, Temur Yakobashvili, told 'Independent newspaper' that there is no a decision concerning the prisoners of Guantanamo yet.
"We just expressed willingness to consider U.S request. If the agreement is reached, we will consider each candidate to be admitted. One case when it deals with a terrorist, and other one - a man who was taken in!" Yakobashvili said.
Chairman of the European Integration Committee, David Darchishvili, considers no threat for Georgia to transfer prisoners of the U.S prison in Guantanamo (Cuba) to Georgia. "I think that there is nothing bad," MP of the Georgian Parliament told Trend .
Experts said that if Georgian leadership agrees with transfer of Guantanamo's prisoners, it will be another cause for opposition and President Saakashvili to resist.
The relations between President Saakashvili and opposition are rather strained, Akcakoca said.
"I do not think that they will support a decision to transfer prisoners from Guantanamo. It will cause new confrontation," Expert of the European Centre for Policy (Belgium), Akcakoca, told Trend over phone from Brussels.
She said that Saakashvili is just trying to get a support from Obama administration which hasn't been very strongly as a George Bush government was.
According to Washington, if the deal is concluded, it will be a definite ungraciousness to Tbilisi, as this project is extremely unpopular in the West, political scientist, Mikhail Remizov, said.
"In this case, part of his unpopularity had fallen to Saakashvili, who, as a strong politician, needs U.S support, more than ever," director of the National Strategy Institute, Remizov, told Trend over telephone from Moscow.
Remizov said that Saakashvili is a disputable leader in domestic policy. He keeps control, but consolidated a large part of society and political elite against himself. U.S. support is a decisive factor in this situation.
"It will turn into another ground to denounce Saakashvili, as the opposition uses each ground to discredit the President in public opinion," Remizov said
He said that if this decision is made, it will be fully used by opposition.
Observers consider increase of possible terrorism in Georgia as another negative result if this decision is made.
Admission of Guantanamo's prisoners by Georgia is likely to increase the risk of terrorism in Georgia, expert on security, Irakli Sesiashvili, said, 'InterpressNews' reported.
He said that the issue on placing Guantanamo's prisoners in the Caucasus is political topic for the USA.
"Partner relations with the USA oblige Georgia much. This issue is likely to be one of these issues," Saakashvili said.
Expert said that all consequences of this decision must be considered.
At present, the situation in Georgia in the view of security is far from being ideal and in case of placement of such camps it will become more complicated. The country, where such camp exists, is the target of terrorism," he said.
If part of the Guantanamo prisoners are dispatched to Georgia, then an isolated facility should be constructed specifically for them. In addition, the U.S. will have to pay Georgia a definite amount to accommodate such camps, the expert added.
Georgian expert, Soso Tsiskarishvili considered the possibility of dispatching the prisoners from the U.S. military base at Guantanamo Bay to Georgia as a 'play with fire'.
"I am not aware of the conditions which the Georgian authorities may accept to take this step. But it is not worth to take such steps just to gratify the partner, even knowing that it will affect adversely the security of our country," Tsiskarishvili told Trend .
The expert believes that, by assuming a commitment to send the Georgian military contingent to Afghanistan, the country does not need to assume additional responsibility for the terrorists, whom even the U.S. could not handle.
If the Georgian authorities decide to transfer prisoners from Guantanamo to Georgia, it will be the next irresponsible step of the Georgian authorities, Tsiskarishvili added.
V. Zhavoronkova contributed in the article.
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