12 April 2004, 13:26
Georgia, Adjaria agree to start new round of talks
The authorities in Tbilisi and Batumi have agreed to resume talks on settling the relations between the centre and the region. Adjarian leader Aslan Abashidze said late on Sunday April 11 that Georgian Prime Minister Zurab Zhvania and Security Council Secretary Vano Merabishvili would arrive in Batumi for a new round of talks on April 13. The previous round took place in Batumi late in March. The central authorities and the region exchanged a series of strong-worded remarks and accusations last week.
The Tuesday talks will dwell on the implementation of agreements reached during Abashidze's meeting with Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili on March 18. The sides will also work out a bill on power division between Tbilisi and Batumi. The top officials from the Council of Europe have been stressing the need to draft this document.
High-ranking officials in Tbilisi have kept stating in recent days that no one is encroaching on the rights of the autonomy and that the centre doesn't intend to use force to settle relations with the region. At the same time, Georgia demands that the administration in Batumi disarm illegal armed groups operating in Adjaria.
Source: ITAR-TASS News Agency
