‘Stop Language of Ultimatum’ – Ruling Party MPs Tell Opposition
The nine-party opposition coalition’s January 17 statement is an ultimatum at odds with dialogue, lawmakers from the ruling party have said.
“We are calling for dialogue and consultations, but in response we again hear the language of ultimata, which is unacceptable,” Levan Bezhashvili, the chairman of the parliamentary committee for legal issues, said.
“Unfortunately they [the opposition] perceive our calls for dialogue as weakness; they should abandon this stance, as ultimata will not faciliate dialogue; I hope they change their position,” MP Pavle Kublashvili said.
The nine-party opposition coalition said in the statement that it would not recognize Mikheil Saakashvili as the legitimate president and would not cooperate with him. It also put forth a number of demands addressed to Parliament.
Davit Usupashvili, leader of the Republican Party, part of the coalition, told a Tbilisi-based radio station, Ucnobi, on January 17 that the opposition was trying to have their demands met in talks with Nino Burjanadze. “We need to quicken the pace of negotiations with Burjanadze, before she steps down as acting President,” Usupashvili said. “The issue here is one of legitimacy. Burjanadze has legitimacy.”
