Sam Brownback: “I serve on the Foreign Affairs Committee and I note, last night an attempt was made on the life of President Eduard…”

“I serve on the Foreign Affairs Committee and I note, last night an attempt was made on the life of President Eduard Shevardnadze of The Republic of Georgia by assailants who have yet to be identified. President Shevardnadze survived the attack without injury. Unfortunately several members of his personal security detail were killed, and number of others were wounded. The Republic of Georgia is one of the key linchpins of the new Eurasia. It is the most democratic of all of the states that succeeded the Soviet Union. Under President Shevardnadze's inspired leadership a civil war has been put to rest, criminals have been jailed, private armies have been disarmed, and economic decline has been reversed. In 1997, Georgia's economy grew by nearly 8 percent, inflation was held in check and the Georgian currency remained rock solid. Democracy has flourished. Indeed, if democracy is allowed to fail in Georgia, it is unlikely to succeed anywhere in the region. Any attempt to kill Shevardnadze must be seen in those context. It is an attempt to derail a successful democratic process, and an effort to compromise the growing number of U.S. economic and strategic interests in Georgia and the region. According to Georgian authorities, the attempted assassination was well-planned and well-executed by as many as 30 well-trained assailants. They were armed with rocket propelled grenades and automatic weapons.”