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Compiled by Londa Mindiashvili
Monday, March 9
More popular than Burjanadze and Alasania

Rezonansi reports that the United Opposition as about to present a Presidential candidate who they say will be more popular and acceptable for society than others announced so far. Who this candidate will be has not yet been declared but it is highly likely to be Irakli Okruashvili.

Members of the United Opposition state that their main goal is to make the President resign. They do not deny that Okruashvili is their prospective candidate.

The United Opposition also says that their candidate will not be Nino Burjanadze. “Irakli Okruashvili is more popular than Irakli Alasania,” said Kakha Kukava, leader of the Conservative Party. Kukava stated that Okruashvili, still a wanted man, will return to Georgia but will not be arrested.

Eka Beselia, a member of Okruashvili’s party, says they did not join any negotiations about a Presidential candidate. They are preparing to meet Okruashvili. According to Beselia the opposition is trying to prevent another person like Mikheil Saakashvili becoming President and will therefore present a worthy candidate.



Protest over the confiscation of plots

24 saati reports that the Georgian Young Lawyers Association has protested against instances of property rights violation and is advocating for citizens of Adjara who are about to lose the plots they obtained in 2007.

Member of the Republican Party Tina Khidasheli held a press conference on this issue of Saturday. “The Georgian Parliament passed a law which would legalize people’s ownership of plots in such cases. It now appears that this law was merely designed to serve electoral purposes,” Tina Khidasheli said.



New televised speech by Okruashvili planned

“Ex-Minister of Defence and leader of the Movement for United Georgia Irakli Okruashvili will address the Georgian people from Paris through Inga Grigolia’s programme Political Week,” Alia writes, under the headline “Merabishvili nor Targamadze dare not only to visit Okruashvili but communicate with him.”

“Eka Beselia states that the management of the First Channel have already agreed to broadcast a speech by Okruashvili. According to unofficial information Vano Merabishvili, the Minister of Internal Affairs and Givi Targamadze, the head of the Parliamentary Defence Committee, have visited Paris and met with Okruashvili. They talked about neutralizing Nino Burjanadze and Irakli Alasania. It is said that in his speech Okruashvili will compromise not only Saakashvili but Burjanadze and Alasania, using information received from Merabishvili and Targamadze,” says the author of the report.

“Any reports of contact between Merabishvili, Targamadze, Saakashvili and Okruashvili are only provocations planned by Saakashvili and Merabishvili. Whoever believes them would be an imbecile,” Eka Beselia stated in Alia. “The content of Okruashvili’s speech is not agreed with anyone”, she added.

“It is not yet decided which programme Okruashvili will take part in. I consider Okruashvili’s appearance on any television programme would not be a problem, particularly on Channel One. If this decision is made, viewers will see it”, Inga Grigolia, the anchor of Political Week, stated. Asked if she had demanded that Okruashvili agree what questions he would answer, Grigolia said: “These issues have not been discussed yet. When you invite someone onto your programme, you give them general information about what they will be asked. I could give him some issues I will discuss but not specific questions. When Eka said that Okruashvili was due to come to Georgia on April, this was most interesting for me and we began negotiations,” she added.