Saakashvili Speaks of Winning Hearts and Minds of S.Ossetians

President Saakashvili said on February 23 that only peaceful initiatives and economic growth in Georgia will help to reintegrate breakaway South Ossetia.

Speaking at a news conference, he said that the Georgian government plans the construction of an entertainment complex in the Georgian-controlled villages of the conflict zone to make them attractive for those living in the breakaway South Ossetia?s capital Tskhinvali.

Below is a transcript of a section of Saakashvili?s news conference in which he speaks of South Ossetia:

?Currently only 7 000 people live in Tskhinvali. When we build all these skyscrapers in Tbilisi; when it will be possible to arrive from Tbilisi in Tskhinvali by a newly built high-speed highway in 40-45 minutes and while Tskhinvali remains in the condition it is in now, what do you think: will these 7 000 people stay there, or will they come to Tbilisi and do work here?

Moreover, after we open a disco club in Tamarasheni [a Georgian village less than kilometer north of Tskhinvali] in a month and a half, along with a cinema with Dolby Digital System and a sports palace, where do you think the Ossetian youth will go in the evening? Will they open fire at the disco club, or will they put down their arms and go to this club and dance with their compatriots?

After this statement of mine, I know for sure that some people will decide to allocate more money to build a good disco club in Tskhinvali. I only welcome such an initiative, because then we will have two disco clubs [in the conflict zone], one in Tskhinvali and another one in Tamarasheni.
 
We plan to set up gas lines in all of these [Georgian] villages and we want to do the same in Tskhinvali and the other villages that are not controlled by us. And they immediately allocated money for the same reason. Very good, I welcome this because it will save our money?

?People have a natural aspiration towards a good life. There is a TV company Alania [which was set up by Tbilisi especially targeting the population of South Ossetia]. I watch it in the evenings. 95% of the Tskhinvali population watches it. We know this from public opinion polls. This company broadcasts a very popular [call-in] show [for teenagers] anchored by Masha and Gosha. Once, when I was watching it, a young guy from Tskhinvali phoned and the anchor asked him what he was doing in evenings, whether he was going to cafes or disco clubs. And he answered that there are no cafes and disco clubs in Tskhinvali. Then, the anchor continued: ?And for shopping do you go to a supermarket?? and the young man answered ?No, we have no shops and supermarkets here?. ?And what are you doing then?? And he answered: ?I am driving my unkle?s car in the evenings.”

Do you know why am I telling you this story? They [the authorities in breakaway South Ossetia] have installed special equipment to silence Alania TV and their major target is this music show. This is an absurd situation, when these dwarf authorities [of South Ossetia] are afraid of Masha and Gosha. This means that they have no great future and that is what makes me calm.?

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