09 May 2008, 12:49
Matthew Bryza meets United Opposition leaders in Tbilisi
Today, Matthew Bryza, assistant of the US undersecretary of state, has arrived to Georgia with an official visit. At the "Tbilisi-Marriott" Hotel, he had a meeting with the leaders of the United Opposition to discuss the forthcoming parliamentary elections and the events currently underway in Abkhazia.
Levan Gachechiladze, leader of United Opposition, has stated that during the meeting with Matthew Bryza he emphasized the growth of anti-American spirits in Georgia.
"As to other issues, the meeting dealt with the recent presidential election and falsified exit poll data. I have explained to him that exactly because of the forged exit polls, use of the administrative resources and state budget with the aim to influence people during the election, as well as the "Rustavi-2" and "Mze" state-controlled TV Channels, 200,000 persons went out into the streets," Mr Gachechiladze told the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent.
As he said, in those days, after the election, the opposition managed not to admit civil confrontation. "Should they repeat on May 21 what they did on January 5, we'll not be able to stop people," the oppositionist has emphasized.
"The issue of Abkhazia was also touched on. I told Mr Bryza that the topic of war in Abkhazia is not a point for speculations. Going at war in Abkhazia is equal to defeat, since generals with spoilt reputation never win wars," Gachechiladze said.
He has also noted that he asked Bryza about his statement that the opposition had exerted pressure on the "Rustavi-2" TV Company. "Mr Bryza answered that he had never made such statements, it was a lie disseminated by the 'Rustavi-2'," said Levan Gachechiladze to journalists.
In his turn, David Gamkrelidze, leader of the "New Right-Wingers" Party told that it had been decided during the meeting that American observers will be present at those polling stations, which are hard to supervise.
Author: Edita Badasian, CK correspondent
