US Assistant Secretary of State Met Shevardnadze

(Tbilisi, July 7, 2003, Civil Georgia) – Elizabeth Jones, US Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs, met with Georgian President Eduard Shevardnadze on July 7 to discuss upcoming elections.
 
She arrived in Georgia together with the former US Secretary of State James Baker and stayed in Tbilisi to further monitor implementation of the US-suggested election guidelines.
 
Elizabeth Jones said at the briefing today after the meeting with Shevardnadze that very important meeting will be held on July 8 between Eduard Shevardnadze and the opposition leaders. She expressed hope that the pro-governmental and opposition parties would reach an agreement over composition of the Central Election Commission.
 
Earlier today President Shevardnadze expressed readiness to meet with the opposition leaders in the State Chancellery on July 8.
 
According to the US proposal, the CEC should be composed of five representatives of the pro-Presidential political parties; the opposition parties will be represented in the commission with nine members. The Chairman of the CEC will be appointed by the OSCE. The model of the pre-election campaign is also defined.

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