PanARMENIAN.Net

Plebiscite outcomes hardly to speed up Georgia’s accession to NATO
12.01.2008 15:43 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ The plebiscite outcomes will hardly
speed up the process of Georgia’s accession to NATO,
said Matthew Bryza, Deputy Assistant Secretary of
State for European and Eurasian Affairs.

`Certainly, the opinion of the population is always
taken into account but membership is first of all
granted to states meeting NATO criteria.

Fir his part, Assistant Secretary of State Daniel
Fried said that Georgia’s accession to NATO mostly
depends on Pres. Saakashvili. `If he preserves the
principles of a legal state and allows the opposition
to appeal the results of the elections, the United
States will support Georgia for NATO membership. If he
keeps up the methods he used to apply during the
recent months he will leave the Bucharest summit
empty-handed,’ Mr Fried said.

At a referendum on January 5, 72,5% of Georgian
electors voted for joining NATO.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress