Saakashvili Ready for Talks with Alternative S.Ossetian Leader

Tbilisi should launch official relations and talks with the Kurta-based Tbilisi-loyal alternative authorities of breakaway South Ossetia, President Saakashvili said in his annual state of the nation address to the Parliament on March 15.

He said that 2006 was a “very important year” for residents of South Ossetia because the “free part” of its population demonstrated “trust towards local Ossetian leaders” during the elections last November. Dimitri Sanakoev, a former defense minister of breakaway South Ossetia, was installed as “President” of the region and formed his government with the chairmanship of Uruzmag Karkusov.

“Dimitri Sanakoev’s movement has been set up. Sanakoev, Karkusov and others are individuals who were in the forefront of local separatism in its fight against the central authorities. But today, as their platform envisages peaceful co-existence within a united Georgia, naturally with full guarantees to protect ethnic Ossetians” interests, they have managed to find a common language with the local ethnic Georgians, which I think is a unique case in the history of the conflicts; I think we should not lose this chance,” Saakashvili said.

“So I think that we should announce our readiness to launch official relations and negotiations with Sanakoev”s movement; we should show everyone the Ossetian and Georgia peoples” strong aspiration for a peaceful and successful future and we will do this in the near future,” he said.

He also said that Tbilisi is ready to talk “with all parties involved in this conflict.”

“But first of all we are talking with our citizens and not to a certain group that has monopolized the right to talk on behalf of every citizen of the region,” Saakashvili added.

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