Authorities Prepare for High-Profile Conference

Some details of the high-profile international conference, which is scheduled for November 1-4 in Tbilisi, have been announced on Monday, although list of participants is still unknown.

The conference under the name, Tbilisi Summit 2007: Building Europe?s East, has attracted lot of attention as it will come amid planned large-scale protest rally by opposition parties outside the Parliament on November 2 ? the day when the main part of the conference will take place.

Lawmakers from the ruling party have alleged that the opposition deliberately scheduled the protest rally for November 2. The Georgian government first announced about its plans to organize conference, which, it said, would feature presidents of several countries, on October 8 – a week after ten opposition parties said they planned a protest rally outside the Parliament.

The official website of the conference said that issues related with EU Neighborhood Policy, energy security and secessionist conflicts would be discussed. The venue of the conference is not indicated. Usually, large-scale conferences in Tbilisi are hosted either by Sheraton Metechi Palace, Tbilisi Marriot, or Courtyard Marriot hotels. The two latter hotels are located less than couple of hundred meters away from the Parliament.

Trips to South Ossetian conflict zone and Adjara Autonomous Republic are also planned for the conference participants on November 3 and November 4. Trip to the conflict zone will involve the areas under the Georgian side?s control. The conference is organized in cooperation with the German Marshall Fund of the United States.

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