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| Zhvania to meet Abashidze again in Batumi. |
President Saakashvili will dispatch next week Prime Minister Zurab Zhvania to the Adjarian Autonomy to discuss with the defiant leader of the region Aslan Abashidze details of draft over distribution of powers between the Autonomy and the Georgia’s central authorities.
Meanwhile, Georgian Security Ministry reported on April 2, that assassination attempt against President Saakashvili, “masterminded by the Adjarian leadership” was unveiled.
Georgian Deputy Security Minister Gigi Ugulava told a press conference on April 2 that four men on suspicion of plotting assassination of President Mikheil Saakashvili were arrested.
“These men are the members of a group based in Adjarian Autonomy and operating under the direct orders of Adjarian Security Minister Soso Gogitidze, his deputy Gogi Kupreishvili and Deputy Interior Minister of Adjara Davit Bakuridze,” Gigi Ugulava said.
He added that two other members of the group are in Adjara and the Georgian law enforcers are unable to arrest them in defiant region.
Meanwhile, Saakashvili sends more warnings to the Adjarian leader. Inspired with a landslide victory in March 28 parliamentary elections, President Saakashvili stepped up a radical stance towards Abashidze, whose party failed to gain seats in the Parliament, according to the official results of the elections.
Military rhetoric prevailed in recent statements of President Saakashvili. He said on April 1, while addressing the servicemen of the 11th brigade, which is the best trained unit in the Georgian army, “any individual who takes up arms and refuses to submit to the Georgian state is a traitor and should be punished as such.”
He gave no further details, but no one doubts that Saakashvili had paramilitary forces in Adjara in his mind. Armed supporters of Abashidze barred him entering region last month that brought the country on the brink of the armed conflict.
“Besides national armed forces, three private armies, three illegal groups made of armed bandits, are operating on Georgian soil, and some of their members speak Georgian,” he added, however did not specify those “three private armies.”
Despite radical stance, Saakashvili will try to negotiate with Abashidze over the legal issues in relationship between Tbilisi and Batumi. Prime Minister will go to the Adjarian Autonomy next week to discuss the issue with Aslan Abashidze.
“We are ready to start a dialogue over distribution of powers between the central government and the Autonomous Republic. This issue should be settled once and forever,” President Saakashvili said on April 2.
“The central authorities do their outmost to force Abashidze to resign peacefully and together with threats they continue talks with him [Abashidze] to convince him to resign,” political analysts Ia Antadze told Civil Georgia.
Meanwhile, Abashidze’s opposition in Adjara has already voiced their demands over snap elections in Adjara.
According to the controversial constitution of the Adjara Autonomous Republic, elections of the local legislative body is scheduled for 2007 and elections of the Head of the Autonomy (the post currently held by Aslan Abashidze) – in 2006.
“From April 3 we will start collection of signatures of the Adjarian population with the demand of holding snap elections of the Adjarian Parliament and resignation of Aslan Abashidze,” Koba Khabazi, leader of the major Adjarian opposition movement told Civil Georgia on April 1.
“The March 28 elections showed that Abashidze has no support in Adjara,” he added.
However, election results in Adjara proved opposite. According to the Central Election Commission, with almost all the votes counted, Abashidze’s Revival Union garnered only 6,02% in the Sunday’s parliamentary elections, thus failing to gain seats in the Parliament. Unlike the nation-wide election results, tally of votes only in Adjara gives a victory to the Revival Union.
According to the official results the Revival Union received 52,5% of Adjarian votes, while the President Saakashvili’s party – 40,1%.
“We will use all the legal means to prove our truth. We have relevant documents, which confirm that the authorities have rigged the ballot results; otherwise we would have cleared the 7% threshold. We will deliver all these materials to international organizations,” representative of the Adjarian Autonomy in Tbilisi Hamlet Chipashvili told Civil Georgia.
Abashidze intends to hold a referendum in the region, as he said, “to help determine who the population of Adjara actually supported in the 28 March parliamentary elections.”
However, Georgian Justice Minister Giorgi Papuashvili told reporters on March 31 that Georgia’s constitution does not consider holding of the referendum only in one particular region of the country and it would be illegal. “The referendum can be held only by order of the President of Georgia at the demand of 200 thousand citizens.”
Meanwhile, the Central Election Commission annulled on April 2 results in Khulo and Kobuleti – two election districts in Adjara, where the Revival Union received most of the votes.
Chairman of the Central Election Commission Zurab Tchiaberashvili explained decision with mass irregularities during the polls on March 28. The repeated elections in these two election districts will be held on April 18.
