Zhvania to Visit Batumi

State Minister Zurab Zhvania will left for Batumi on December 20 to hold talks with Adjarian leader Aslan Abashidze, who threatens with boycotting January 4 presidential elections.

Nino Burjanadze, the Interim President, failed to convince the head of the Adjara Autonomous Republic to participate in the elections, as 6-hour long talks between Abashidze and Burjanadze ended without any results.

Abashidze held talks with Secretary General of the Council of Europe (CoE) Walter Schwimmer on December 18 in Strasbourg.

The CoE Secretary General also called Abashidze not to boycott elections and let the Adjarian residents to cast ballots in nation-wide elections.

The part of Adjarian students and representatives of the Adjarian intellectual groups launched collection of the signatures of the population in Adjara demanding to participate in the January 4 presidential elections.