The FINANCIAL, Georgia
Jan 11 2008

`West Discrediting itself in Georgia by Endorsing Polls’ –
Gamkrelidze
11/01/2008 10:04

The FINANCIAL — According to Civil Georgia, Davit Gamkrelidze, the
opposition New Rights Party leader who run for presidency, said
describing presidential elections by international observers and the
United States as democratic was `cynical.’

`I gave very critical assessment to a statement by U.S. Department of
State and I am still criticizing it, according to which the United
States says that elections in Georgia have been held in compliance
with the democratic standards,’ Gamkrelidze said while speaking in a
political talk show, Primetime, aired by the Rustavi 2 TV. `This is
cynical when you are telling the Georgian people that the January 5
election was held in accordance to the democratic standards. By doing
so the United States has undermined its reputation and questioned
[Georgian public’s] attitude towards the United States. I really do
not want the Georgian people to change its pro-western stance and its
attitude towards the west and towards democracy in general.’

In his previous remarks on the same issue made on January 8, Davit
Gamkrelidze, who according to the preliminary official results
garnered slightly over 4% of votes, accused international observers’
mainly positive conclusions about the election as `an ostrich-like
approach.’

Speaking on January 10, Gamkrelidze also highlighted what he called
`a negative trend’ that has been demonstrated in plebiscite results
on Georgia’s NATO-membership. Although no official information is yet
available on how voters voted on NATO-membership, exit poll results
said it was about 61%.

`No one is yet analyzing what happened with a plebiscite on
NATO-membership,’ he said. `Everyone knows that several months ago,
or a year ago public opinion polls were saying that Georgia’s
NATO-membership enjoyed with 82% of public support. Today the
plebiscite showed only 62% supported – and here we should take into
account that in Marneuli and Akhalkalaki [predominately populated
with ethnic Azerbaijani and Armenian minorities, respectively]
everyone marked Yes to NATO, almost 100% and in these regions level
of awareness about NATO is almost zero – and despite of this fact we
anyway have only 62%. So in several months support to NATO-membership
has declined by 20% and do you know why? Because it is directly
linked with Saakashvili, it is directly linked with the current
regime and injustice imposed by this regime and people think: does
NATO mean having injustice here?’

He then said that the same was about the public attitude towards the
United States. `If the people see that regardless of whether
Saakashvili wins or not, he will anyway remain as a president and it
will be endorsed by the United States, of course, that would mean
discrediting American values, western values; this is alarming,’
Gamkrelidze added.

He then recalled a statement made by Mathew Bryza, the U.S. Deputy
Assistant Secretary for European and Eurasian Affairs, who told the
Georgian television stations, as it was translated, that elections
were democratic.

`It is unserious when my friend Matt Bryza tells opposition just a
day, or so, after the elections that it is not right to act this way
[apparently referring to the calls towards political parties to
respect election results] and I will definitely tell him about my
complaint when I meet him. They should not think that the Georgian
people would hear everything what the Americans tell us; they should
not play with fire. I really do not want the Georgian people to
change its attitude towards America; unfortunately such a trend
already exists,’ Gamkrelidze, himself a strong pro-western
politician, said. `It is becoming more and more difficult for me to
defend pro-U.S. position with my voters; it is becoming more and more
difficult for me to explain that the U.S. position is not supporting
Saakashvili and that its position is supporting the Georgian people;
but people do not see that this is true.’

He then pointed out that unlike some U.S. officials the U.S.
ambassador to Georgia, John Tefft, himself has not made yet any
statements about the elections and he said `for that I am grateful to
him.’