Shevardnadze Asks for Negotiations

The Resonance; The Dilis Gazeti; The Alia

“Shevardnadze finally got sure that there is destabilization in Abkhazia. He states that situation in the region is uptight and that he is ready to aid Georgian partisans fighting there. In spite of the announcement the President has not done anything like that yet”, the Resonance tells. It is clear that the paper is critical about the President.

Eduard Shevardnadze plans to meat Russian President Vladimir Putin in order to negotiate regarding problems in Abkhazia. “Recent statements made by Vladimir Putin about withdrawing CIS peacekeepers from Abkhazia without any problem was a source of hope for the Georgian side”, the paper says. Shevardnadze is also hopeful that an agreement will be prepared, which will be a new start point in Russian-Georgian relations.

Intensive local clashes continue in Abkhazia. Information of Georgian and Russian agencies still totally differ with each other. One thing is clear – “Chechen and Georgian fighters are located all over the territory of Abkhazia”, staff member of Abkhazian security office told the Akhali Taoba.

The Alia pays attention to the situation in Kodori gorge. It says the local population is getting armed. Brigade of mountain shooters called “Hunter” was formed. The brigade patrols villages in the gorge.

The UN assesses the situation in Abkhazia as catastrophic, the Resonance reports. According to the paper’s source, the UN office in Sokhumi, Abkhazia, plans to leave the region. “They did not bring any advantage to Georgia and neither their departure will be a tragedy”, head of the supreme council of Abkhazia told the paper.

Leader of “the Fighters’ Union” Ruzgen Gogokhia says nothing about latest clashes in Abkhazia. “He had no faith in the Georgian government before the meeting with President Shevardnadze. Somehow, he changed his mind afterwards”, the Resonance says.

“With the clashes going on in Abkhazia President of Georgia Eduard Shevardnadze spoke about renovating the negotiations with prime minister of breakaway Abkhazian Republic Anri Jergenia yesterday”. Jergenia said he would agree on negotiations only after “bandits and terrorists are destroyed or led out of Abkhazia”, the Dilis Gazeti reports.  

by Salome Jashi