Civil Activist Wants Bush to Hint on Problems with Rule of Law in Georgia
Influential legal expert and civil society leader Davit Usupashvili, who is slated to become the leader of opposition Republic Party this summer, expressed hope that U.S. President George W. Bush will address the problems related with rule of law and democratic institutions during his visit to Georgia on May 9-10
“Along with his admiration towards the Georgian peoples’ aspiration for freedom, I think he will also make some hints that there still are many problems in Georgia which need to be solved and I don’t mean only the problem of territorial integrity. The strengthening of democratic institutions is not less problematic here,” Davit Usupashvili said in an interview with Rustavi 2 television.
In his weekly radio address to the nation on May 7, George Bush said that “the new democracies of Europe still have much work to do.”
“Free elections are a significant achievement, yet they are only part of a fully functioning democracy. Democratic governments must be committed to providing full and equal rights for minorities, resolving conflicts peacefully, encouraging a vibrant political opposition, and ensuring the rule of law,” Bush said.
