Saakashvili Speaks of U.S. Visit, Conflicts, Hints Cabinet Reshuffle

President Mikheil Saakashvili convened a news conference on July 11 upon his arrival from the United States and Croatia. Saakashvili reported on his recent talks with President George W. Bush describing them as “historic” and announced the planned visit of the U.S. Vice President to Georgia.

He also hinted that he may reshuffle the cabinet, but added that “no dramatic changes” will take place.

During his 40-minute press conference Saakashvili also spoke about his opponents and slammed the current political environment where personal humiliation prevails over issue-based debate. He called for civilized political debates “on any kind of topic.” President said nothing about the Sandro Girgvliani high-profile murder trial, which has recently topped the country’s political agenda. 
 
‘Historic’ U.S. Visit

Saakashvili said that his recent visit was “historic” in its importance as it came ahead of a summit of the G8 leaders scheduled for July 15-17 in St. Petersburg.

“[Timing of the U.S. visit] is an indicator of role of our small country in the world’s big politics,” Saakashvili said.

“It was historic because the U.S. President for the first time has stated about the U.S. firm support to Georgia’s NATO membership,” Saakashvili said.

“The second important thing: [the U.S. President] has openly supported Georgia’s territorial integrity,” he added.

Saakashvili also said that after the Bush’s statements Russian President Putin again spoke about “Kosovo precedent” and principle of universality while dealing with conflicts.

“But the statements by the U.S. President are more valued,” Saakashvili said.
 
He said that there is an unanimous position about Georgia among the political circles of the United States.

“We should use this significant support,” he added.

He said that Georgia has “very intensive relations” with the United States. “In a period of two and a half years we [Saakashvili and Bush] had three officials meetings,” the Georgian leader said.

Saakashvili said that an agreement was reached during the visit that the U.S. Vice President Dick Cheney will visit Georgia “in coming few months.”
 
After visiting the United States, President Saakashvili participated in the Croatia Summit 2006 on July 9-10 in Dubrovnik, which gathered senior officials from the South East Europe to discuss the region’s Euro-Atlantic aspirations.

Secessionist Conflicts/Russia
 
At the news conference Saakashvili reiterated that Georgia is committed to peacefully solve secessionist conflicts.

Recently the South Ossetian side has been intensively warning about possible incursion of Georgian troops. About 8 000 Georgian troops are currently participating in the large-scale military exercises at the Orpolo firing range.

“Troops are not going from Orpolo to Tskhinvali,” Saakashvili said at a news conference.

He also denied allegations of the secessionist authorities that in the United States Saakashvili received an approval to use force to solve the conflicts.

“I am not a kind of a leader who travels abroad for taking permissions,” Saakashvili said.

He also said that Georgia will solve conflicts “peacefully together with Russia, or without Russia.”

“No one else has a key to a solution to these conflicts except Russia, but of course we should understand that we will anyway solve these conflicts… We are not going to drag out resolution of these issues,” Saakashvili said.

He criticized Russian President Putin’s statements made on July 6 in which he recalled referendum in Chechnya and hinted about this option as one of the ways to solve conflicts.

“I really do not want a kind of referendum which was held in Chechnya, because referendum in Chechnya was held at the expense of slaughter of hundred of thousand of people, at the expense of a huge human tragedy… Are they offering us to hold a referendum of this kind? Absolutely unacceptable statements are made,” Saakashvili said.

He described recent statements by the Russian officials as “a hysterical reaction” to the Georgia’s policy.

He also criticized Russian peacekeeping forces stationed in the Abkhaz conflict zone and said that “Georgian territory’s intensive annexation is taking place behind these peacekeeping troops.”

“Time for making decision on peacekeepers is approaching… We are waiting for the Parliament’s decision about this issue,” Saakashvili said.

The Georgian Parliament is expected to consider the Russian peacekeeping troops’ performance in the Abkhaz conflict zone at a special session on July 13-15 as it is envisaged by the Parliament’s resolution passed in October, 2005.

Saakashvili noted that he wants to meet his Russian counterpart after the G8 summit. Apparently the meeting will take place on the sidelines of the CIS summit in Moscow in July.

He said that it is not difficult for him to talk with Putin, who he described as “very intelligent person.”

Saakashvili also noted that Georgia has to taken a decision about the CIS membership as well.

“We are counting everything. We are not going to deceive ourselves about this issue. We are not going to take a decision which might create even a slight problem to our entrepreneurs,” Saakashvili said.
 
‘Huge Challenges’ Ahead

Saakashvili said that Georgia is facing “huge challenges” ahead and added that Georgia has “very strong friends, but we also have very strong enemies.”

“Georgia is under the huge attack. Georgia is the country which faces the greatest ever economic embargo… Georgia is in the situation, when several days ago we became deprived of free movement with Russia [after Moscow closed down Zemo Larsi border crossing point],” Saakashvili said.

“We will not suffer much from the economic point of view with this decision, as no Georgian exports are carried out anyway to Russia. But it is very negative for people and it is especially negative for Armenia,” Saakashvili said.

He also warned that “a scenario of energy blockade, which will be of larger scale than it was this January, is planned for this winter.”

Cabinet Reshuffle

President Saakashvili said at the news conference that no major changes are expected in the cabinet, which he hailed as stable.

“There always have been certain corrections in the cabinet, but it has become very stable as well recently… The team will remain unchanged. Of course persons might change but it will not mean change of a course,” he said.

Saakashvili noted that he will discuss the possibility of appointing Giorgi Papuashvili, the Environment Minister, to the position of the Chairman of the Constitutional Court with the Parliamentary Chairperson Nino Burjanadze.

“But no final decision is taken about this issue… Let us see,” the President said.

“But I can say directly that I do not expect any dramatic changes,” Saakashvili said.

Dismissal or resignation of at least one Minister will automatically lead to a resignation of the entire cabinet, as it will be sixth replacement among the government members since the current cabinet was approved in February, 2005. According to the law the entire cabinet should resign if one-third of its members change.

The opposition parties are slamming Saakashvili for his refusal to sack Interior Minister Vano Merabishvili who is accused by the opposition leaders of covering up some top-level police officials who have allegedly been behind the Sandro Girgvliani high-profile murder case.

“I am really surprised with the hysteric tone of some politicians. There is a huge concentration of stupid [persons] in the politics,” Saakashvili said.

He said that personal humiliation of opponents prevails in the Georgian politics, which is unacceptable.
 
“As a President, it is important for me to create a political environment free of this kind of debates and these dirty things,” Saakashvili said.