President Refrains to Reveal Details of Meeting with Putin

(Tbilisi. March 17, 2003. Civil Georgia) – President Shevardnadze criticized the those MPs today, which demanded the detail information regarding his meeting with Russian President Putin, held in Sochi on March 6-7.

?Presidents should not disclose details of the confidential talks. I have already said everything that I could,? Eduard Shevardnadze said in his Monday radiobroadcast on March 17.

He also stated that the restoration of the railway link via breakaway Abkhazia and return of the IDPs was the top issue discussed during the meeting with the Russian President.

The opposition Parliamentary factions expressed protest regarding the results of the meeting, claiming that there are no clear provisions regarding the safe return of the IDPs.

?The statement reads that the IDPs should return, but it does not point out where they should return ? to the independent Abkhazia? It also does not indicate who will guarantee security of returned IDPs ? Russian peacekeeping forces, which proved to be ineffective?? asked Zurab Zhvania, leader of the opposition United Democrats Parliamentary faction at the meeting of the Parliamentary Committee on Foreign Affairs on March 12.

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