Immunity Waived

WASHINGTON: The Republic of Georgia made the unusual move of waiving diplomatic immunity for a high ranking diplomat who caused a fatal car accident which killed a 16-year-old girl in Washington this past January. The decision, made by Georgian President Eduard Shevardnadze, clears the way for the arrest of George Makharadze who police say was drinking and apparently speeding before the crash. Early reports indicate the Justice Department may indict the diplomat on charges of involuntary manslaughter. State Department spokesman Nicholas Burns commended the Georgian government's decision, calling the waiver "courageous" and rare in the annals of diplomatic history. The mother of the deceased girl, who has held nightly vigils at the site of the accident, also praised the Georgian Government and called the United States "a country of justice" where "immunity is not impunity." The teenage girl was killed after Makharadze's car slammed into the rear of another vehicle near Dupont Circle January 3. The resulting impact sent the car soaring through the air and onto the top of a third car in which the girl was a passenger. She died shortly thereafter at a local hospital. The case has received wide spread attention throughout the Washington area and is likely to focus debate on the accountability of foreign diplomats in the United States.