Ex-Defense Minister Lambastes Former Ally
Ex-defense minister and co-founder of the opposition Georgian Party, Irakli Okruashvili, said failure of his party “to put an end” to President Saakashvili’s government this May was a result of “treason” by his former ally Levan Gachechiladze, who until early June was co-leader of the Georgian Party.
During the street protests in late May, Okruashvili, who lives in France after being granted political asylum there three years ago, announced about the intention to arrive in Georgia “to put an end to the Saakashvili’s regime.” Few days after that announcement Okruashvili, however, said he was dropping plans to return.
“A very concrete plan of my arrival existed,” Okruashvili said in an interview with Tbilisi-based Maestro TV, recorded in Paris and aired on July 22. “There was a concrete scenario to accomplish the deed – that is hitting such a blow to the authorities that would have put an end to these authorities.”
“The reason why this scenario has failed and the reason why I was not able to return to Georgia is treason,” he said. “This scenario – when and how I was returning and we were planning – was revealed and passed to the authorities… There is one person whom you can bluntly call a traitor – that is Levan Gachechiladze.”
Okruashvili, who is wanted in Georgia as three years ago was sentenced to eleven-year prison in absentia, is now facing separate, new charges in Georgia. In June he was charged with formation of illegal armed group.
Okruashvili said that new charges against him were “ridiculous” and “fabrication.” He accused authorities of “repressions” against people affiliated with him, saying that the police arrested about 26 people for fabricated charges “just because they were my friends.”
He acknowledged that the failure of the Georgian Party to live up to its promise of “putting an end to the Saakashvili’s regime” was a blow for him and the Georgian Party. He said his party now needs to recover from this damage, which would take several months.
“By mid or late September we will know whether or not we will be able to recover by end of autumn,” Okruashvili said.
In the same interview he criticized ex-parliamentary speaker Nino Burjanadze, who led the street protests in May, which came to a violent end after riot police broke it. Okruashvili said of Burjanadze: “I’ve never held her in high regard; she has never had even 0.1 grams of brain.”
In the interview with Maestro TV, Okruashvili also slammed U.S. ambassador to Georgia, John Bass, suggesting that the latter’s remarks hours before the demonstration was broken up on May 26 amounted to giving a green light to the authorities to use force against protesters.
“The break up of the May [26 protest rally] and other misfortunes happing today in the country – I mean repressions – is first and foremost on conscience of John Bass,” Okruashvili said.
A similar allegation was voiced earlier by chairman of the Georgian Party Sozar Subari. The U.S. ambassador said in early June that such allegations were “unfounded”.
