Georgia: US Diplomat Tries to Clear the Air in Tbilisi

US Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Matthew Bryza has met with Georgian government officials and opposition leaders in an apparent attempt to reduce tensions amid growing antagonism between supporters and opponents of Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili.

Opposition leaders, including Nino Burjanadze, leader of the Democratic Movement - United Georgia (DMUG) movement, which has seen seven of its members arrested on weapons charges, discussed with Bryza their grievances toward the government in a late night meeting on March 25, Georgian television reported. [For background see the Eurasia Insight archive]. The opposition has been angered by Interior Ministry video recordings of DMUG activists and other opposition members that cast doubt on their plans for a peaceful protest against Saakashvili on April 9.

Burjanadze told reporters after the meeting that she had provided Bryza with details about what she calls the "smear campaign" against her. "I am positive that not only US representatives, but also the rest of the diplomatic corps will draw the [proper] conclusions," she said.

Another opposition leader, Irakli Alasania, a former United Nations ambassador who heads the Alliance for Georgia coalition, emerged from the meeting to call for "dialogue between authorities and the opposition." Bryza also met Deputy Foreign Minister Giga Bokeria, an influential member of the ruling United National Movement for a Victorious Georgia. In his comments to journalists, Bryza described Alasania and Burjanadze as his personal "friends" and expressed hope that the planned April 9 protest would be held in a peaceful and democratic atmosphere.