Opposition Stance on Talks with Authorities Unchanged

The nine-party opposition coalition reiterated on February 11 that it would not continue talks with the authorities unless tangible results were delivered.

“There was a verbal agreement [with the authorities] on the release of people arrested on November 7 and the dismissal of Tamar Kintsurashvili [public TV director-general] and Levan Tarkhnishvili [the chairman of the Central Election Commission], but nothing has materialized,” Giorgi Khaindrava, an opposition politician, said in a statement read out on behalf of the bloc. “The authorities are treating the talks with us as a PR stunt and are dragging out the process.”

“We will not attend the meeting tomorrow [planned with Parliamentary Chairperson Nino Burjanadze and other senor ruling party lawmakers],” Koba Davitashvili, the leader of Party of People, said.

“We are ready for talks and we will continue if the authorities follow up on the verbal agreements reached and meet our demands,” MP Davit Zurabishvili of the opposition Republican Party, said.