Ten opposition parties have called on the international community to act as a mediator in talks with the Georgian authorities to help resolve the crisis ahead of parliamentary elections this May.

“The Georgian opposition reaffirms its disposition to enter dialogue in the interest of the country and to save the electoral process, but, unable to trust the authorities, appeals to the international community to serve as a mediator in last chance negotiations,” a joint appeal signed by the eight-party opposition coalition, as well as by the Republican and New Rights parties, reads.
 
The document says that the appeal is addressed “in the first place to its European partners whom we call upon to help Georgia go through this very crucial test and get back on the path towards democracy, which is today suspended.”

The opposition has also pointed out that ongoing hunger strike was “the last resort and the most peaceful protest” in response to the authorities “arrogance.” It said that the opposition’s decision to suspend protest rallies and resume negotiations with the authorities in February had been perceived by the ruling party as opposition “weakness,” which was then followed by the endorsement of a controversial constitutional amendment on the election of 75 majoritarian lawmakers in the new 150-seat parliament. The new system has damaged the opposition’s chances in the forthcoming election, according to the opposition.

Meanwhile, the eight-party coalition said it would hold a protest rally outside the U.S. embassy in Tbilisi on March 19 to coincide with the planned meeting of U.S. President George W. Bush with President Saakashvili in Washington.

MP Kakha Kukava of the Conservative Party – part of the eight-party opposition coalition – said on March 17 that the protest rally was not “anti-American.” He said that the United States was Georgia’s “strategic foreign partner,” but he added that the U.S. “should also understand that the Georgian people would only accept the authorities which are elected by the people themselves.”

According to the opposition Conservative Party over 70 opposition activists were on hunger strike as of March 17 in Tbilisi, Zugdidi, Kutaisi and Batumi. Twelve opposition lawmakers are among them.

March 18 marks the tenth day in a hunger strike for five politicians from the eight-party opposition coalition - three of whom are MPs. Others, including one MP, camped outside Parliament have been refusing food for the ninth day and some for eight days. Six lawmakers from the New Rights Party camped just outside Nino Burjanadze’s office inside Parliament are on their ninth day (MP Irakli Iashvili joined his colleagues on March 13).
 
The New Rights Party said its lawmakers would stop the hunger strike if Parliamentary Chairperson Nino Burjanadze resigned. The opposition coalition said they backed the New Rights Party demand, but said it was not a top priority. The Republican Party, which has refused to join the hunger strike, said Burjanadze’s resignation would not help to resolve the crisis.

Burjanadze, meanwhile, has again called on the opposition to engage in dialogue. Speaking to reporters on March 18, Burjanadze said: “I call on my opponents once again to put aside their personal ambitions and let’s talk about those issues which are really important.”