Zhvania Met Shevardnadze on CUG Issues

(Tbilisi, March 30, Civil Georgia) – Former Parliamentary Chairman Zurab Zhvania met President Shevardnadze to discuss situation in the Citizens’ Union of Georgia [CUG] party on March 29.

After the meeting Zhvania, leader of the reformers’ faction of the CUG stated that government should not interfere in the party’s affairs.

Zhvania said that President, who is the party member, opposes CUG’s transformation into opposition party.

Reformers’ faction of the CUG tries to take over the party. Pro-Presidential members of the party, led by the influential governor of Kvemo Kartli region Levan Mamaladze, are against reformers’ intention.

Zhvania states that he can not be together with Mamaladze in the same party.

It is anticipated that the CUG assembly will decide which faction will take over the party. Assembly is to be hold late in sprig, 2002.