“My father was Georgian: many from his family were killed by Soviets and he fought against Russians himself. Then he married my mother, a Russian citizen. I remember my father used to say: you must look at people, no matter where they come from”. These are words by Elisabeth Kvitashvili, humanitarian aid councilor for USAID, United States Agency for International Development, visiting Rondine’s International Hall of Residence yesterday 15th November 2010.

Born in the USA, Elisabeth has been sent to work to many conflict zones, from the Caucasus to Afghanistan, from Bosnia to Rwanda. While she was answering the students’ questions she explained  how “all conflict are different but they have some common features, the desire for power for example. To try and reach conflict resolution it is necessary to find the way to sit at a negotiation table, talk and most of all listen. Thanks to my job I have understood the importance of knowing how to listen to people. Dialogue obviously must be reciprocal, so it is necessary to find a common space and neutral personalities, for example religious leaders who are traditionally committed to peace.

Receiving from the Association the 14 points for peace in the Caucasus, developed by some 150 participants at the international conference of May 2009 at La Verna (Arezzo, Italy), the expert expressed her opinion on US politics for the Southern Caucasus. “President George W. Bush had developed friendship relations most of all with single heads of State. For example he had a good relationship with Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili. I personally believe a mistake was committed sustaining individuals instead of peoples. We did not spare enough time for civil society and democracy”.

Continuing with this issue, Ms. Kvitashvili - committed to the work of the Bureau for Democracy, Conflicts and Humanitarian Assistance of USAID - underlined how a country’s politics can change in time depending on circumstances. “Even if the USA currently wants Abkhazia and South Ossetia to remain part of Georgia, it doesn’t mean it won’t change its mind in the next ten years. One thing is certain: we all want peace”. (L.M.)