TBILISI: Saakashvili Comments On Meeting Of Ex-Minister And Oppositi

SAAKASHVILI COMMENTS ON MEETING OF EX-MINISTER AND OPPOSITION POLITICIANS

Civil Georgia
June 24 2009
Georgia

President Saakashvili said that a meeting of two opposition politicians
with ex-interior minister, Kakha Targamadze, was not "an ordinary
political contact."

He said that there were attempts made from abroad "to impose
destabilization" within Georgia.

"We know that those people, who live in Russia and who have and always
had direct links with special services of this country, are used for
this purpose," Saakashvili said in Yerevan on June 24, where he pays
an official visit.

Speaking about Targamadze, Saakashvili said he was "probably the
most notorious figure of Georgia’s modern history, in my opinion,
an embodiment of abomination, creator of the system of corruption in
Georgia, a person, who is in the serve of Georgia’s enemies."

"[Targamadze] is a person, who has been helping Russia to plan invasion
into Georgia [last August] – and we have very serious information
about it – and he was consulting Russian special services; when
this person appears now with the purpose of having contacts with the
political leaders of Georgia, this is a clear confirmation of what
we have been saying for months that there is our internal politics,
where we should be maximally open, democratic, flexible and where we
should talk with each other openly and calmly, but there is another
factor, which cannot be excluded even if we try to put our heads in
the sand saying that this has nothing to do here," Saakashvili said.

"We are ready to give all political forces in Georgia an opportunity
to fully materialize their potential," he said.

"We are ready to give everyone an opportunity to take active part in
implementation of reforms and I am going to present concrete proposals,
in addition to those which have already been offered."

"We are ready to give them an opportunity to participate in the process
of building new society and creating new balanced constitutional
model. We will do our best to ensure that the parties are financed,
that the parties have a possibility to work and expand their political
activities."

"We all should understand that one part of Georgia is occupied unjustly
and through violation of all international norms, as a result of
aggression. The leaders of the aggressor country have numerously said
that their direct task is to change the present government of Georgia
through early elections or other activities," Saakashvili said.