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Compiled by Messenger Staff
Friday, January 15
If Saakashvili wants to talk to Russia, why can't I meet Putin? - Noghaideli

"I regard my political steps as right. It is interesting that the Government reacted negatively to my fourth visit to Russia to meet Putin. I do not understand why the Government is offended. The goal of my activities is to regulate relations with Russia,” leader of the Movement for Fair Georgia Zurab Noghaideli states in an interview with Kvela Siakhle.

"By negotiating we can retain the opportunity for our country to restore its territorial integrity. War is not on the agenda any longer. We will not be able to conduct negotiations with Tskhinvali and Sokhumi while confrontation with Russia continues. Saakashvili's confrontational policy towards Russia is just the way to lose territory. The time of telling fairy tales has ended,” Noghaideli says.

"My plan is more concrete and less ambitious. We are trying to end the enmity with Russia. Certainly, it is up to The Kremlin as well as us to do this, but Georgia is already split for the sake of Saakashvili and he will be held liable for this. He will have to account for each centimetre of the land lost after the August War.

"2010 will be the beginning of the end of his regime. The local elections are approaching. It is obvious that he plans to falsify the elections due to the CEC Chair candidates he has nominated," Noghaideli said.

‘On the morning I planned to meet Putin Saakashvili stated that he was ready to restore dialogue with Russia. If he can say that, why can't I meet Putin? Saakashvili, Merabishvili and Adeishvili cannot tell me how to help my country. Georgia is not their possession. We will not cede our country to them. If someone falsifies the elections we will break their hands.

"We do not plan to go into alliance with anyone, but we need to achieve agreement on a common candidate. Consultations will continue on this matter,” Noghaideli stated



Nodar Natadze – Putin is planning something bad

"When you sit at the table of your enemy, who has occupied your country, this means that you have lost respect for your country as well as self-respect," - head of the People’s Front Nodar Natadze states in an interview with Akhali Taoba.

"Putin says that Russian-Georgian relations will change if public groups take part in changing them, which means that we should take all measures, with those Georgians who worship and serve the Russians, to ensure that Georgia is pro-Russian. Under the rules of democracy in Georgia someone can set up a people’s organisation without representative legitimacy, under the title of ‘Assembly of Georgian People’ or ‘National Assembly’ or even ‘Solidarity of the Nation’ and this is the current tendency,” Natadze says.

"Such public organisations will play the same role as certain ones did in 1921 - in other words, the Russians will be invited to occupy Georgia in the name of the Georgian people. A Georgian People’s Society has been established in Russia, clearly by Putin. What does 'People’s' mean? There are two peoples in Georgia, Georgians and Abkhazians. The other ethnic groups in Georgia have countries of their own outside our borders. Putin wants an organisation which will ask for the patronage of Russia in the name of the people of Georgia,” Nodar Natadze states.

"Partnership with America is a decisive factor! Georgians were not alone during the August War. If we had been, the Russian flag would be flying in Tbilisi now. Russia failed to gain its objective.

"Putin and Medvedev are not politicians who care for the future of their country. They care for their posts. This is disastrous for Russia indeed, but Russia always finds people in Georgia who lick their boots and ignore the national interest of Georgia," Natadze concludes.