Restore Democratic Momentum – U.S. Official
Civil Georgia, Tbilisi / 12 Nov.'07 / 15:35

The momentum of democratic developments in Georgia should be restored immediately, Matthew Bryza, the U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs, said on November 12 in Tbilisi.

Earlier today he met seperately with opposition leaders and Prime Minster Zurab Nogaideli and is due to meet with President Saakashvili as well.

“Today what makes Georgia a top-tier issue for the United States government is democracy. So obviously what has happened in recent weeks has been a shock to the system,” he told reporters after meeting with the prime minister. “So our concern is that this momentum of democratic development be restored as quickly as possible and we are talking about practical steps to bring that about.”

He also said that early president elections expected for January 5 should be free and fair and “to do that it is essential that a couple of steps be taken right away, which, [include the] lifting of [the] state of emergency and restoring of all television broadcast [stations].”

Civil.Ge © 2001-2024