EN
20 March 2002 - 19:15 AMT

NO EXPLOSIVE SITUATION IN SAMTSKHE-JAVAKHETIA, GEORGIAN SPEAKER STATED

95% of the problems of Samtskhe-Javakhetia are of economic nature. Chairman of the Georgian Parliament Nino Burjanadze stated it speaking of the results of her trip to the region. She denied the statements of a number of politicians and mass media as if there were explosive situation in Samtskhe-Javakhetia. The meetings held in the region showed that the population of Javakhetia demanded solving elementary problems of life conditions and not giving the status of autonomy to the region, the Parliament Speaker stressed. Nino Burjanadze promised to improve the local population life conditions. In particular, she pledged to introduce amendments to the law currently in force, prohibiting those citizens, who did not speak Georgian, from taking state offices in the Republic. The Speaker also promised to improve the region transport communication with Armenia. Regarding withdrawal of the Russian military base Burjanadze emphasized that the Georgian party would secure the Armenian population in Georgia after the troops were called off.