NATO Criticizes Georgian President for Emergency Rule
By Helena Bedwell
Nov. 8 (Bloomberg) -- NATO chief Jaap de Hoop Scheffer criticized the pro-Western government of Georgia for restricting public gatherings and closing most television stations after opposition demonstrations turned violent.
``The imposition of emergency rule and the closure of media outlets in Georgia, a partner with which the alliance has an intensified dialogue, are of particular concern and not in line with Euro-Atlantic values,'' de Hoop Scheffer, secretary general of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, said in a statement.
President Mikheil Saakashvili declared a 15-day state of emergency late yesterday after police confronted protesters with rubber bullets, water cannons and tear gas in the first violent clashes since anti-government demonstrations began on Nov. 2. The opposition is demanding early elections, accusing Saakashvili of political persecution and blaming him for failing to raise living standards.
Saakashvili has forged closer ties with Europe and the U.S. since coming to power in the 2003 Rose Revolution. Georgia, a former Soviet republic, has made membership of NATO a goal and contributed troops to coalition forces in Iraq.
Relations with Russia have soured during his tenure, as Russia imposed travel and trade bans. Saakashvili yesterday accused Russia of supporting the opposition.
EU Appeal
Javier Solana, the European Union's top foreign policy official, urged the Georgian government and opposition to ``resume dialogue and refrain from actions that contribute to tensions,'' he said in a statement released late yesterday. Solana said he will send his South Caucasus representative, Peter Semneby, to Tbilisi for talks with both sides.
Russia called yesterday's police crackdown and the state of emergency ``a severe human rights crisis.'' In a statement posted on the Foreign Ministry's Web site, spokesman Mikhail Kamynin said the closure of independent media outlets, use of force against protesters and the arrest of opposition leaders were ``flagrant and large-scale violations of human rights and democratic freedoms.''
Kamynin announced the expulsion of three Georgian diplomats in a tit-for-tat response, in televised comments. Georgia yesterday declared three employees of the Russian embassy in Tbilisi personae non gratae.
Saakashvili yesterday accused Russia of attempting to destabilize the country. Russia had a plan ``to overthrow the government in Georgia,'' Saakashvili said in a televised address. ``We monitored every move. We saw how they were instructed and sponsored,'' he said, referring to the Georgian opposition. ``An alternative government was even created in Russia, ready for the moment when they achieved their goals.''
`Anti-Russian Hysteria'
The Kremlin called Saakashvili's charges ``anti-Russian hysteria,'' an unidentified official in the administration of President Vladimir Putin said in a statement released to the media.
As many as 600 people sought medical care as a result of yesterday's clashes, many for exposure to tear gas. Of that total, 560 were treated and released from Tbilisi hospitals, the Interior Ministry said in a statement carried by Georgian Public Broadcasting.
Thirty police officers were injured, and 32 people were arrested, most for acts of hooliganism, the ministry said.
Koba Davitashvili, leader of the opposition People's Party, told reporters today that one person was killed during yesterday's clashes in Tbilisi and another four died in the port city of Batumi.
Going Underground
Interior Ministry spokesman Shota Utiashvili said by telephone that no one had died in the demonstrations. Tbilisi's main thoroughfare, Rustaveli Avenue, and the surrounding area are sealed off today. The rest of the city is open to traffic, he said. Utiashvili declined to give details of the police presence in the capital.
Georgia's opposition went underground today, and has ``no immediate plans to renew demonstrations,'' Nino Sturua, a spokeswoman for the Democratic Front faction in parliament, said by telephone today. ``Everyone is shocked and devastated by what happened yesterday.''
Salome Zurabishvili, leader of the opposition Georgia's Way, said her party will observe the restrictions on public gatherings imposed by the government. ``I have no choice but to comply,'' she said by telephone.
Oppposition leaders jointly led six days of demonstrations that began Friday when as many as 100,000 people gathered on the anniversary of the start of the Rose Revolution.
Television station shut down mid broadcast:
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