Human rights, upcoming elections and secessionist conflicts were discussed during a meeting with visiting U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Matthew Bryza, opposition politicians said after the meeting on July 27.
Representatives of the New Rights Party, Republicans, Industrialists and Conservatives were present at the meeting.
Kakha Kukava, a lawmaker from the Conservative Party, said after the meeting that the opposition politicians had expressed concern over the existing election code, which, according to the opposition, does not provide ?fair, equal and competitive opportunities? ahead of the 2008 parliamentary elections.
He said that the opposition wanted the United States to play a positive role in ?guaranteeing free and fair elections.?
Ivliane Khaindrava, a lawmaker from the Republican Party, said the opposition had also raised the Irakli Batiashvili case during the meeting. Batiashvili, an opposition politician, is serving a seven-year prison term for providing ?intellectual assistance,? ? meaning providing advice ? to a rebel warlord, Emzar Kvitsiani. Batiashvili?s detention has been denounced by some human rights groups and opposition parties as a politically motivated prosecution.
?The major message? coming from the U.S. side, according to Khaindrava, was that they ?fully understand these numerous problems existing in this country.?
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