Press Scanner
Compiled by Liza Tonakanyan
Tuesday, June 7
Gamkrelidze talks about dispersed rally
The leader of New Rights David Gamkrelidze has criticized the Government's role in the May 26 events in an interview for newspaper Versia. “I am sure that the authority made its contribution to such developments of the scenario; it led the situation to clashes in order to create the idea of Russian rule over the process. This allowed the authorities to tell everyone that it saved Georgia and to justify its cruelty. If the danger was serious the authorities would prevent it and would have published the incriminating recordings earlier. I think there were no victims foreseen in their scenario” said Gamkrelidze.
“I would not say the authority became stronger but for sure it got more dangerous as it had not taken the population’s blood up to now. Now even this has happened. I can’t deny that the process was supported by Russia though military and armed support was out of the question. Instead both the Georgian party as well as the National Assembly were financially assisted for sure. From this point of view, Georgians living in Russia were probably more active”, Gamkrelidze suggested.
The opposition party leader outlined the limits of foreign assistance “It is a fact that only financial aid doesn’t help. And Russia is not going to support anyone with its military resources. This is why I think that Okruashvili’s statement, which he made for Russian press, is dangerous”.
He continued, suggesting that Georgia's northern neighbours were not all that helpful “If Nino Burjanadze oriented on the west, today she’d naturally be the leader of the opposition. I’ve told this to her directly. If she had contacts and international support, she could become a real alternative to Saakashvili. This is my colleagues’ and population’s mistake – they still think Russia is influential though its only instrument is military strength”.
“Against the background of the oppositional “Eight”, which managed to talk in a language of western values, for the authority it was much more important to show this “bad opposition’s part” which tries to overthrow it with help of Russia. I told Burjanadze that all of this hindered the normalization of the process”, Gamkrelidze said.
Burjanadze used respected people for her own goals
A representative of Georgia’s Labour Party Nestan Kirtadze said in an interview with the reporter of the newspaper Akhali Taoba. “Revolution does not happen only through the statements of the politicians. Revolution is a process, and this process is created by people. In case the revolution had been that of the people and different social groups had gone into the streets of Tbilisi, this process would be legalized by people. This would be the firm will of people”,
“On May, 26 it was an adventure. This was an adventure full with emotions and revenge. It was directed on cruelty. But here is a question – on whose blood and whose family’s misfortune did they count. Here another logical question about the responsibility rises. How ready was the population of the country for such a process? There was a social protest, irreconcilability to the situation but there was not a revolutionary spirit.
It is a fact that the population was not ready for organized protest. It has some reasons – despair, tiredness of walking in the same directions according to the political climate”, Nestan Kirtadze says in the interview with the newspaper.
We always hear from Burjanadze that this is the National Assembly, and I just joined it with my party. This is not true. Unfortunately, Nino Burjanadze used good and respectable names as a shield, as a background to reach her political ambitions and, let’s be honest, to take revenge. Is this acceptable in politics or not? Of course, it is. I am not very sorry for what I’m going to say now but no one – neither Nona Gaprindashvili, nor all the other respectable people all together – can write the guidelines for Georgia’s future. This was merely a technological process, which Nino Burjanadze used for her own ambitions of revenge and for returning to authority”, Nestan Kirtadze said.
The leader of New Rights David Gamkrelidze has criticized the Government's role in the May 26 events in an interview for newspaper Versia. “I am sure that the authority made its contribution to such developments of the scenario; it led the situation to clashes in order to create the idea of Russian rule over the process. This allowed the authorities to tell everyone that it saved Georgia and to justify its cruelty. If the danger was serious the authorities would prevent it and would have published the incriminating recordings earlier. I think there were no victims foreseen in their scenario” said Gamkrelidze.
“I would not say the authority became stronger but for sure it got more dangerous as it had not taken the population’s blood up to now. Now even this has happened. I can’t deny that the process was supported by Russia though military and armed support was out of the question. Instead both the Georgian party as well as the National Assembly were financially assisted for sure. From this point of view, Georgians living in Russia were probably more active”, Gamkrelidze suggested.
The opposition party leader outlined the limits of foreign assistance “It is a fact that only financial aid doesn’t help. And Russia is not going to support anyone with its military resources. This is why I think that Okruashvili’s statement, which he made for Russian press, is dangerous”.
He continued, suggesting that Georgia's northern neighbours were not all that helpful “If Nino Burjanadze oriented on the west, today she’d naturally be the leader of the opposition. I’ve told this to her directly. If she had contacts and international support, she could become a real alternative to Saakashvili. This is my colleagues’ and population’s mistake – they still think Russia is influential though its only instrument is military strength”.
“Against the background of the oppositional “Eight”, which managed to talk in a language of western values, for the authority it was much more important to show this “bad opposition’s part” which tries to overthrow it with help of Russia. I told Burjanadze that all of this hindered the normalization of the process”, Gamkrelidze said.
Burjanadze used respected people for her own goals
A representative of Georgia’s Labour Party Nestan Kirtadze said in an interview with the reporter of the newspaper Akhali Taoba. “Revolution does not happen only through the statements of the politicians. Revolution is a process, and this process is created by people. In case the revolution had been that of the people and different social groups had gone into the streets of Tbilisi, this process would be legalized by people. This would be the firm will of people”,
“On May, 26 it was an adventure. This was an adventure full with emotions and revenge. It was directed on cruelty. But here is a question – on whose blood and whose family’s misfortune did they count. Here another logical question about the responsibility rises. How ready was the population of the country for such a process? There was a social protest, irreconcilability to the situation but there was not a revolutionary spirit.
It is a fact that the population was not ready for organized protest. It has some reasons – despair, tiredness of walking in the same directions according to the political climate”, Nestan Kirtadze says in the interview with the newspaper.
We always hear from Burjanadze that this is the National Assembly, and I just joined it with my party. This is not true. Unfortunately, Nino Burjanadze used good and respectable names as a shield, as a background to reach her political ambitions and, let’s be honest, to take revenge. Is this acceptable in politics or not? Of course, it is. I am not very sorry for what I’m going to say now but no one – neither Nona Gaprindashvili, nor all the other respectable people all together – can write the guidelines for Georgia’s future. This was merely a technological process, which Nino Burjanadze used for her own ambitions of revenge and for returning to authority”, Nestan Kirtadze said.