Shevardnadze Urges Citizens not to Rally, Calls for Dialogue

Shevardnadze: “I will never share the fate of Milosevic.”

In the wake of televised address by Mikheil Saakashvili, the opposition leader, on November 13, who called the people for a larger-scale protest to demand the President’s resignation, Eduard Shevardnadze appealed the nation on November 14 and warned over possible “civil confrontation” and “civil war.”

Georgian President Eduard Shevardnadze reiterated today his readiness for holding a dialogue with the opposition and urged the Georgian citizens not to participate in the protest rally. 

“I am ready for a dialogue and normal relations with the opposition. I am not afraid of meeting with anyone. It is quite possible to find a common language with opposition leaders. It is possible to talk with Zurab [Zhvania] and Nino [Burjanadze, the leaders of the opposition]. I am even ready to meet with their commander [referring to Mikheil Saakashvili, key opposition leader], although he insulted me last week. I am ready to meet anyone in order to avoid civil confrontation in the country,” Shevardnadze said at a specially convened news briefing on November 14.