Press Scanner
Compiled by Etuna Tsotniashvili
Friday, October 2
Davit Bakradze visits Samtskhe-Javakheti
Parliament Speaker David Bakradze visited the Samtskhe-Javakheti region on Wednesday to meet the population of Ninotsminda and Akhalkalaki and listen to their problems, Akhali Taoba reports. Local citizens of Armenian ethnicity greeted David Bakradze with Georgian national flags.
Bakradze stated that this region had been left without central authority attention for years but many important projects had been implemented there recently. “Despite many good projects however the problems that need to resolved still remain. Today, I heard from many people that Georgia began from Ninotsminda. Many of them had Georgian national flags in their hands. This demonstrates the power of our State,” Bakradze said.
The Parliament Speaker promised the Ninotsminda population that he would resolve their gas and water supply problems by next year. Gasification of the region has already begun and is practically complete in Akhalkalaki.
After the meeting with the local population the Parliament Speaker was introduced to the construction works on an 8 kilometre section of the Ninotsminda-Tsalka road. This road will be 221 kilometres long and will be completed by the end of 2010.
Manana Nachkebia: New Rights will not take part in the sort of protest rallies we saw in spring
Sakartvelos Respublika writes that the New Rights will no longer take part in protest rallies similar to the spring ones.
“I cannot say categorically that New Rights will not participate in rallies, because meetings are one of the means of expressing protest. However we do not plan to participate in the sort of rallies there were in spring. Such rallies have already played their role, and if the authorities now address society in a ‘polite’ form it is because of the spring rallies. We have forced the authorities to make compromises.
“New Rights was already in opposition to the current Government before it took power. So now we will make a slight strategic alteration but our aim is still the changing of authorities,” member of New Rights Manana Nachkebia said.
Nachkebia said that the Alliance for Georgia, of which New Rights is a part, has started actively preparing for the local elections at which its leader Irakli Alasania will stand for Tbilisi Mayor and Sozar Subari will try to gain a seat on Tbilisi City Council.
Radicals see further radicalism as their best hope
In his interview with Versia, opera singer and member of opposition party Movement for United Georgia Leliko Japaridze talks street rallies and possible bloodshed.
“A new radical wing led by Okruashvili will take dozens of people into the streets and blood might be shed.” Japaridze said. “Okruashvili was ready for self-sacrifice… He intended to come here [in spite of being liable to summary arrest] but five leaders, I am not naming names, said that they did not need him. They did not need Okruashvili because even the appearance of his shadow would change many things in Georgia.
“He is heartbroken, for he can see the current disastrous situation clearly. The radical wing of the opposition is in a difficult situation because it does not have the right people, but the same individuals still support it and expect someone to lead them. People want to fight, as they know nothing will come out of meetings with the authorities and early elections. If these people band together to preserve radicalism, people will follow them, although I am sure that blood will be shed,” Japaridze states
Asked whether Georgia needed blood, Japaridze answered, “I do not want blood to be shed but nothing can be changed without it. We will not be able to talk to the authorities otherwise. They are ready to shed blood, and we have seen many examples of this. If Okruashvili urges the people, even from his base in France, to take to the streets they will, and if they are ready to stand beside him Okruashvili will come here.”
Parliament Speaker David Bakradze visited the Samtskhe-Javakheti region on Wednesday to meet the population of Ninotsminda and Akhalkalaki and listen to their problems, Akhali Taoba reports. Local citizens of Armenian ethnicity greeted David Bakradze with Georgian national flags.
Bakradze stated that this region had been left without central authority attention for years but many important projects had been implemented there recently. “Despite many good projects however the problems that need to resolved still remain. Today, I heard from many people that Georgia began from Ninotsminda. Many of them had Georgian national flags in their hands. This demonstrates the power of our State,” Bakradze said.
The Parliament Speaker promised the Ninotsminda population that he would resolve their gas and water supply problems by next year. Gasification of the region has already begun and is practically complete in Akhalkalaki.
After the meeting with the local population the Parliament Speaker was introduced to the construction works on an 8 kilometre section of the Ninotsminda-Tsalka road. This road will be 221 kilometres long and will be completed by the end of 2010.
Manana Nachkebia: New Rights will not take part in the sort of protest rallies we saw in spring
Sakartvelos Respublika writes that the New Rights will no longer take part in protest rallies similar to the spring ones.
“I cannot say categorically that New Rights will not participate in rallies, because meetings are one of the means of expressing protest. However we do not plan to participate in the sort of rallies there were in spring. Such rallies have already played their role, and if the authorities now address society in a ‘polite’ form it is because of the spring rallies. We have forced the authorities to make compromises.
“New Rights was already in opposition to the current Government before it took power. So now we will make a slight strategic alteration but our aim is still the changing of authorities,” member of New Rights Manana Nachkebia said.
Nachkebia said that the Alliance for Georgia, of which New Rights is a part, has started actively preparing for the local elections at which its leader Irakli Alasania will stand for Tbilisi Mayor and Sozar Subari will try to gain a seat on Tbilisi City Council.
Radicals see further radicalism as their best hope
In his interview with Versia, opera singer and member of opposition party Movement for United Georgia Leliko Japaridze talks street rallies and possible bloodshed.
“A new radical wing led by Okruashvili will take dozens of people into the streets and blood might be shed.” Japaridze said. “Okruashvili was ready for self-sacrifice… He intended to come here [in spite of being liable to summary arrest] but five leaders, I am not naming names, said that they did not need him. They did not need Okruashvili because even the appearance of his shadow would change many things in Georgia.
“He is heartbroken, for he can see the current disastrous situation clearly. The radical wing of the opposition is in a difficult situation because it does not have the right people, but the same individuals still support it and expect someone to lead them. People want to fight, as they know nothing will come out of meetings with the authorities and early elections. If these people band together to preserve radicalism, people will follow them, although I am sure that blood will be shed,” Japaridze states
Asked whether Georgia needed blood, Japaridze answered, “I do not want blood to be shed but nothing can be changed without it. We will not be able to talk to the authorities otherwise. They are ready to shed blood, and we have seen many examples of this. If Okruashvili urges the people, even from his base in France, to take to the streets they will, and if they are ready to stand beside him Okruashvili will come here.”