President Saakashvili invited parliamentary and non-parliamentary opposition leaders at a meeting of National Security Council (NSC) on October 12 to discuss Tbilisi’s strategy towards occupied territories, Eka Tkeshelashvili, the secretary of NSC said.

“These are the issues, which are beyond of political confrontation and issues to which political parties can contribute. So we hope that a very business-like dialogue will be held like it was during the previous meeting,” she told Imedi TV on Monday.

The first similar meeting of extended NSC session involving some opposition leaders was held on August 6.

Tkeshelashvili said that no strategy is yet elaborated and the authorities wanted the opposition to engaged in the process of developing of the paper.

“We will present our views on the strategy [towards the occupied territories] and brief them about ongoing works in this regard as well as we will inform them how our strategic partners [reference to Georgia’s western allies] are engaged in this process. We want to take final decision through participation of the opposition,” she said.
 
Apart of the parliamentary opposition leaders, Irakli Alasania, leader of Alliance for Georgia; Konstantine Gamsakhurdia, leader of Party of Freedom; Zurab Tkemaladze, leader of Industrialists Party and Akaki Asatiani, leader of Traditionalists party participated in the first meeting with the President in frames of NSC session in August.

MP Petre Mamradze of the ex-PM Zurab Nogaideli’s party Movement for Fair Georgia, who took part in the first meeting, criticized the proposed agenda of the meeting and said he would not participate. He also said that extended session of NSC was yet another “PR move and an imitation of democracy.”

The Conservative Party called on other opposition parties not to take part in “shows like this.” Nino Burjanadze, ex-parliamentary speaker and leader of Democratic Movement-United Georgia, reiterated her position that saw no reason in cooperation with Saakashvili, “who made not a single step towards democracy despite pledges.”

MP Giorgi Targamadze, leader of Christian-Democratic Movement (CDM) and of parliamentary minority group, who plans to attend the meeting, said that his party would put forth a proposal on the need of reforming the NSC.
 
“NSC has not enough resources and structural capacity to tackle situations in the emergency circumstances and we plan to initiate a bill in the Parliament on national security, which will also include structural reorganization of the National Security Council," MP Giorgi Targamadze said.

Davit Bakradze, the parliamentary chairman, said on Monday that the meeting of this type was important for two reasons.

“Through these meetings the opposition is given an opportunity to take part in decision-making process,” he said. “And these [meetings] are also a signal both within and outside the country that despite differences, the government and opposition can jointly discuss these issues related to the country’s security.”

“I hope those who have participated in the first meeting will show consistency and again participate in this second meeting,” Bakradze added.