SHEVARDNADZE SAYS NATO POSTPONED CONSIDERATION OF GEORGIA’S MEMBERSHIP
ARMENPRESS
Nov 13, 2007
TBILISI, NOVEMBER 13, ARMENPRESS: Georgia’s ex-president Eduard
Shevardnadze said NATO has in all likelihood decided to postpone
indefinitely consideration of Georgia’s accession.
In an interview with a Georgian daily ‘Akhali Taoba’ he said.’ We
are very eager to join NATO and it is indeed very important for
Georgia, but now it is meaningless to even speak about it. I think
NATO leadership has postponed consideration of this question," he said.
Meantime, Levan Gachechiladze, an opposition Georgian lawmaker with no
party affiliation, nominated by the nine opposition parties as their
candidate for the early presidential elections, expected for January
5, said today if he is elected president Georgia would continue its
policy of integration with NATO.
"Leaders of the National Council (made of nine opposition parties)
have declared many times that they support western democracy values
and Georgia’s drive to join NATO," he said..
He said also he would seek normalization of relationships with Russia,
describing them as ‘very important."
"We are for relationships with Russia based on equality and mutual
respect," he was quoted by Georgian news agencies as saying.
In a related news Matthew Bryza, the U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary of
State for European and Eurasian Affairs, said today that the Georgian
authorities will lift state of emergency in next two or three days.
"I know from my conversation just now with the Speaker of Parliament
[Nino Burjanadze], that it sounds like state of emergency will be
lifted in next two of three days; I think on 16th [of November],"
Bryza said at a news conference in Tbilisi.
He also said that as soon as that would be the case, "there is plenty
of time to organize elections that is free and fair."