Solana Meets Alasania in Brussels

Irakli Alasania, Georgia’s former UN envoy and leader of newly set up opposition Alliance for Georgia, met with EU foreign policy chief, Javier Solana, in Brussels on March 5, Solana’s press office has confirmed.

Alasania has explained and informed Solana about his and Alliance for Georgia’s “vision and approach” on political developments in Georgia and also “expressed gratitude” for EU’s role in monitoring ceasefire through its 246 observers on the ground in Georgia, according to the EU foreign policy chief’s press office.

Alliance for Georgia, uniting Alasania’s political team, New Rights and Republican parties, has set, what it called, an ultimatum to President Saakashvili late last month to call a referendum before March 5 asking whether voters want early presidential elections or not. Senior lawmakers from the ruling party have already said that the authorities were considering neither early election, nor holding of referendum on the matter. The Alliance said it would announce about its further action plan after the deadline expired.

Alliance for Georgia has refused, at least for now, to join another, larger group of opposition parties calling for launching protest rallies from April 9 to demand President Saakashvili’s resignation. The Alliance said the opposition has a bad experience of pre-announced dates for protest rallies, when the opposition was failing to mobilize large number of supporters at rallies, because of insufficient preparatory works. The Alliance, however, does not rule out resorting to street protest rallies at some point and even joining the planned rallies from April 9.

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