Press Digest 30.10.2014

“Difference in the world views is gradually emerging within the Coalition”

The process of extradition which is regulated by the international conventions is extremely complex and can easily be stretched in time – Lali Aptsiauri

The Nationals are ready to pay 50 GEL to each activist... I don’t hope that the Government will manage to repel the threats from the Nationals – Giorgi Akhvlediani

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“Difference in the world views is gradually emerging within the Coalition”

“The recently unfolded events in Georgia’s Defence Ministry are really worth voicing concerns over. However, I still hope that the allegation saying that corruption is rampant in the body will not be corroborated. It is true that the statement from the Public Relations Department of the Ministry said that all processes here are transparent and no crime has been perpetrated in the body but it does not matter how firmly one believes that he/she is innocent, in the course of an investigation such statements are not generally made. Thus, in my mind, the Defence Ministry must first learn of the outcome of the investigation and only after this issue similar statements,” states expert Gia Khukhashvili in his interview with the Rezonansi gazette.

“As for Alasania, two weeks ago, he was said to be planning to retake the post of the Chairman of the party. As soon as this statement was released, I proclaimed my opinion as per which this would have resulted in the conflict of interests. As it appears, the difference in their world views and ideology is being gradually brought to the surface. A statement from the representatives of the Republican Party can also serve as a clear testimony to this. I presume that the more clear-cut pro-western powers of the Coalition endeavor to change the decision-making mechanism within the body, seize power and get involved in the decision-making process,” maintains Mr. Khukhashvili.

“As for their intention to leave the coalition, I don’t really think that they will take this step before 2016. Now they are not really prepared to abandon the party as the key tool that unites the members of the coalition today is an overarching feeling of their haplessness. That is why, at this point in time, they strain to set up within the body, leaving it does not really fall in their plans today. However, the recently occurred developments within the Defence Ministry can lead them in a standstill, and in the wake of this, they might not be left with any other option but to withdraw themselves from the Coalition. Although, the outcome of the investigation will really be of decisive importance, and this outcome may also easily be reflected on the political configuration,” alleges the expert.

To the question is the PM’s allegation as per which the Nationals intend to stage a rally of 17 October to manipulate the situation and provoke the people, Gia Khukhashvili answers:

“The National Movement is manned with really sophisticated members and great organizers and they can easily serve to organizing several thousand people to hold a protest event. They may virtually inflate the number of these people. The ex-President longs to retain an image of a political refugee and for this purpose, he really needs conflicts and tumult in the country. It may seem paradoxical but the Nationals’ key allies will prove to be those powers that are now aggressively grappling with them. And if the Government fails to hamper the Nationals in realizing their plans, it will make a really unwarrantable political mistake,” concludes the expert.

The process of extradition which is regulated by the international conventions is extremely complex and can easily be stretched in time – Lali Aptsiauri

“They have kicked up a fuss by bellowing across the country that the acting authorities have failed to extradite the Nationals back to Georgia. What do you think, is it easy to extradite an ordinary criminal who is not even a former President or high official and who has found shelter abroad, back to his\her country? I am talking regarding concrete cases. I looked into several cases alone for three years under the Nationals and even they did not manage to extradite some officials back to Georgia,” declares Lawyer Lali Aptsiauri in her interview with the Akhali Taoba gazette.

“They knew perfectly well what happened in the Georgian prisons under the former Government. That is why the aforementioned officials who the Nationals wanted to extradite to Georgia did everything in their powers to stay in foreign countries and hence their extradition proved to be impossible in those days. However, the Nationals must not be relaxed and must not think that they have claimed a victory over the Government as its first attempt to get hold of Saakashvili, Kezerashvili, Akhalaia and other former criminal high officials has proven unsuccessful, especially when these officials have paid astronomical sums to remain where they are now. In a nutshell, extraditing someone to his/her country is not as easy job as it seems at first glance,” maintains Lali Aptsiauri.

“If they bring lawsuits in different bodies, the extradition of this or that official can easily be stretched in time. Even gangsters cannot be extradited to their countries so easily. And the Nationals cannot really hold their heads up high due to the fact that the authorities have not managed to give them their dues so far. Simply the process of extradition which is regulated by the international conventions is extremely complex and needs time,” contends the respondent.

“As for the protest event which the Nationals plan to hold on 15 November, the only possible threat that may impede to us today is an overwhelming surge of outrage from our people that are not expected to calmly meet the Nationals flagrant act to protest against something so openly; these furious people are strongly expected to pour onto the streets and, to say rudely, split the Nationals’ heads open. I too will not be able to keep a calm head if they really dear to stage a rally and will try my best to remove them from a political arena once and for all,” states the respondent.

The Nationals are ready to pay 50 GEL to each activist... I don’t hope that the Government will manage to repel the threats from the Nationals – Giorgi Akhvlediani

“I am fully liable for my words as per which the protest rally which the Nationals plan to hold has nothing to do with the problematic issue of Abkhazia. Saakashvili is as interested in Abkhazia at this point in time as a resident of New Zealand. By holding this rally, the Nationals are simply trying to save their own skins,” maintains one of the members of the United Democratic Movement, Giorgi Akhvlediani, in his interview with the Rezonansi gazette.

“In his TV interview, Saakashvili made it clear that waiting for the elections does not really fall in his plans. Thus, now he is simply attempting to escalate the situation and throw the country into disarray. They are now expected to make all-out efforts to heighten tension in the public, provoke the people and pit them against the authorities. And frankly speaking, while looking at the present top officials, I am really unable to hope that they will manage to not make some big mistakes. They plan to hold a really large-scale action which will not be ended in a day. They are gathering the people in different regions and they intend to pay 50 GEL to each of them as well as provide them with transport and nutrition in order to involve them in the rally,” alleges Mr. Akhvlediani.

“Threats can also be posed for us by the representatives of different NGOs who intend to hold a counteraction. This is a natural reaction from them as the Government has failed to take really effective measures to remove the Nationals from Georgia’s political scene. As you know, these counteractions do not always end peacefully in Georgia. And precisely this is the Nationals’ key goal today. They want to create the tensed atmosphere in Georgia, the atmosphere in which the Government will prove unable to get a grip and will easily make mistakes,” claims the respondent.

To the question how he managed to obtain this information, the respondent answers:

“Such information is constantly passed onto me from the heads of different organizations and I can say for certain that the residents of different regions have actually been offered 50 GEL to participate in the rally by the Nationals. And you know, for these people 50 GEL is not a small amount of money…”