March, 23

The CEC is going to intercede for releasing presidential nominee Tengiz Asanidze, the former director of Batumi tobacco factory from prison. The petition will be soon sent to the Ajarian Supreme Court, Ajarian General Procurator's Office, Interior Ministry, State Security Ministry and Ministry of Justice of Ajara. Five years ago Asanidze was sentenced to five years of confinement. Last fall he was pardoned by Georgian president, but the Ajarian Supreme Court considered the president's amnesty "invalid" and Asanidze is still in prison. Asanidze must have equal rights with other presidential nominees during the presidential campaign, the CEC claims. Next week a special group of the CEC members, international and public organizations, journalists accredited to CEC are leaving for Batumi to observe the situation. The CEC has taken a decision on petition after it heard a letter of Asanidze's attorney. The letter says that for three days already nobody is admitted to Asanidze and his attorney has no possibility to take Asanidze's electoral program from the confinement cell.

"Labor Party of Georgia welcomes arrival of President of Azerbaijan Heidar Aliev, but expresses its protest, as the visit refers to support Eduard Shevardnadze at forthcoming Presidential elections", - chairman of Labor Party of Georgia Shalva Natelashvili declared at the conference on March 22. According to him, Eduard Shevardnadze failed to be supported in his country, so he was striving for external support. "Heads of European States must comprehend, that "Union of Citizens" led by Shevardnadze is compromising European values", - Shalva Natelashvili noted.

Leader of Labor Party of Georgia Shalva Natelashvili disapproved corrections made to electoral legislature. He considered that ruling Party "Union of Citizens" secured its majority in electoral commissions excluding possibility of carrying out democratic elections. Chairman of Labor Party of Georgia declared about it at a conference of the Party on March 22. He called the members of his Party to ignore presidential elections, as, according to him, "votes in support of candidates from opposition would all the same be calculated in favor of Eduard Shevardnadze". Shalva Natelashvili considers that current President will admit corrections to the Constitution, in order to prolong his Presidency for the third term.

President of Azerbaijan Haydar Aliyev spoke March 22 at the Parliament of Georgia. The meeting was attended by President Ed.Shevardnadze, Parliamentary Chairman Zurab Zhvania, State Minister Vazha Lordkipanidze, members of government, representatives of the Diplomatic Corps accredited to Georgia. Aliyev underscored that the relations between Georgia and Azerbaijan since ancient times had been unique. He noted that current talks of the presidents of Georgia and Azerbaijan were dedicated to the new aspects of relations between two countries including economic matters. A Declaration signed in Tbilisi is a result of relations between Georgia and Azerbaijan and a plans the future cooperation between two strategic neighbors, Aliyev added. He noted that the relations established between Georgia and Azerbaijan had been great services of the parliaments of the two countries. He said that his visit to Georgia coincided with a great political event - the presidential elections. He expressed confidence that the Georgian population once again would confirm their adherence to democratic processes and would support the incumbent president at the elections. All Georgia's achievements on the world arena during eight years are connected with the name of Ed.Shevardnadze, Aliyev added. Parliamentary Chairman Zurab Zhvania gave the president of Azerbaijan a present - Haydar Aliyev's portrait by Georgian artist Georgi Gegechkori.

The Kobuleti administration hampers Shevardnadze's electoral campaign. On March the Mayor of the town of Kobuleti Zurab Bezhanidze offered contumely to the members of the Kobuleti branch of the Union of Citizens of Georgia and prohibited pasting the propagandistic electoral posters portraying Ed.Shevardnadze in the central street of the town. Apart from this, about 200 pasted posters have been removed from the central streets in Kobuleti. UCG members said that the mayor of Kobuleti proposed the posters portraying the incumbent president to be exhibited in the shop-windows. But the shop owners are afraid of inadequate reaction of the administration and refuse to let their shop-windows to Shevardnadze's supporters. The members of the Kobuleti UCG organization are going to continue the Shevardnadze's electoral campaign.

The party's central board decided not to boycott the presidential elections, Giorgi Gachechiladze, the chairman of the Greens' Party f said. The greens do not agree with the decision on boycotting the elections taken by some opposition parties. So they decided to take part in the presidential elections due on April 9. Gachechiladze noted that the party also was not going to support a certain nominee at the elections.

The Chairman of the Ajarian Supreme Council Aslan Abashidze paid a one-day visit to the Russia's Orlovskaya region, Giorgi Targamadze, the chairman of the parliamentary faction "United Georgia" said. On March 22 Abashidze and the Governor of the Orlovskaya region Yegor Stroev signed a Protocol on intentions of the Orlovskaya region and the Ajarian Autonomous Republic to cooperate in economy, social affairs and tourism. Targamadze said that Yegor Stroev is going to pay return visit to Batumi.

Though the local authorities in Ajara are trying to hamper the ruling party to conduct the electoral campaign, Ajarian members of the ruling party "Union of Citizens of Georgia" are asked to refrain from conflicts during the electoral campaign. The Chairman of the parliamentary committee for taxes and incomes Zurab Nogaideli said to a BLACK SEA PRESS reporter that today he personally spoke with the members of the UCG operating in Kobuleti who had been banned to paste Shevardnadze's electoral posters in the streets and called them to preserve their calm. He noted that the presidential electoral campaign is conducted more correctly than the parliamentary elections last fall. Then Nogaideli knew by his own experience the "peculiarities" of electoral campaign in Ajara when eggs were thrown at the members of the Union of Citizens.