| Kutaisi governor promises state support to partisans The Commissioner of the President of Georgia in the Imereti region, Temur Shashiashvili, called on his fellow governors to create partisan detachments of 100-150 people in their fiefdoms for the war for the return of Abkhazia. This is the first time that support for the partisan movement has been discussed at such a high level. It is all the more remarkable that the governor, who, by the way, is considered a real contender for participation in the 2005 presidential campaign, voiced his position just two days after Eduard Shevardnadze visited the region.
Speaking to journalists in the capital of the region - Kutaisi, Temur Shashiashvili said that if before May 26, National Independence Day, the Abkhaz side does not agree to negotiations on status within Georgia, the creation of partisan detachments will become inevitable. According to the governor, Imereti, the main industrial region of the country, will prepare “in the most serious way” to provide maximum support to the partisan movement. This will be expressed in the creation of partisan detachments and groups, and in their financing, and in assistance in equipment and weapons.
The Imeretian leader has already discussed this idea with his colleague from Mingrelia, adjacent to Abkhazia, Bondo Dzhikia and received full support. Shashiashvili calculated that if all governors agreed, Georgia would be able to field at least a thousand volunteers. “This is a serious force for the return of Abkhazia,” said Temur Shashiashvili. At the same time, he emphasized that his initiative is unlikely to receive the support of official Tbilisi - he did not discuss it with the president. It is interesting that on Wednesday, during an official visit to Armenia, Eduard Shevardnadze said that he sees only a peaceful way to resolve the Abkhaz conflict.
The reaction from Sukhumi followed immediately. In an interview with the Vremya Novostey newspaper, Assistant to the President of Abkhazia Astamur Tania said that the statement of the Imeretian governor only strengthens the conviction of the Abkhaz side that “Georgian sabotage and terrorist groups are supported by the official authorities.” In particular, according to Tania, according to intelligence and testimony of prisoners, behind the transfer of partisans and North Caucasians to Abkhazia and the military clashes on October 3-17, not only the Georgian security forces were behind, but also another representative of Eduard Shevardnadze in the Kodori Gorge - Emzar Kvitsiani. “Until the Georgian authorities stop such patronage, there will be no resumption of the negotiation process,” he said.
Today, the UN Secretary General's special representative for the Georgian-Abkhaz settlement, Dieter Boden, is arriving in Sukhumi, who is faced with the difficult task of bringing the parties to the negotiating table. And on October 30, the UN Security Council will discuss a document on the division of powers between Tbilisi and Sukhumi, being prepared under the auspices of countries from the group of friends of the UN Secretary General for Georgia - the USA, Great Britain, France, Russia, Germany. Mikhail VIGNANSKY, Tbilisi |
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