Saakashvili Offers to Mediate in Kyrgyz Crisis

The Georgian President?s press office reported on March 22 that Mikheil Saakashvili sent a letter to his Kyrgyz counterpart Askar Akayev calling on him to take a ?more cordial position? towards the opposition in order to prevent bloodshed.

The Georgian President has expressed ?concern? regarding the situation in Kyrgyzstan, where the authorities have lost control of several southern cities after thousands took to the streets in protest of reported ballot-rigging.

?The Georgian President is ready to visit Kyrgyzstan and play the mediator in a constructive dialogue with the opposition,? the President?s press office reported.

Mikheil Saakashvili also expressed hope that his ?friendly proposal? will not be perceived by Kyrgyzstan as an attempt to meddle in the country?s internal affairs.

Meanwhile, unofficial reports say that one of the Georgian leading parliamentarians from the ruling National Movement party Givi Targamadze, who chairs the Parliamentary Committee for Defense and Security, is visiting Kyrgyzstan. However, no details about the purpose of this visit have been reported.

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