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TBILISI: Saakashvili Wants Business To Help In Easing Russia's Embar

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  • TBILISI: Saakashvili Wants Business To Help In Easing Russia's Embar

    SAAKASHVILI WANTS BUSINESS TO HELP IN EASING RUSSIA'S EMBARGO

    Civil Georgia, Georgia
    Aug. 31, 2006

    President Saakashvili told leading Georgian businessmen on August
    31 that he has to exert what he called it "a light racketeering"
    and to ask each of them to buy at least 10 tones of grapes from
    wine-growers in order to ease a burden of Russia's decision to ban
    import of Georgian wine.

    President Saakashvili met with businessmen in a town of Sagarego in
    eastern region of Kakheti, which is a home of over 60% of Georgia's
    vineyards. Outdoor meeting, which was televised live, took place in
    a vineyard.

    Mikheil Saakashvili told businessmen that Russia wants to replace
    the current government in Georgia through triggering social unrests
    and banning of import of the Georgian wine was a part of this policy.

    As the harvest approaches, wine-growers, mainly in the Kakheti region,
    may face serious problems selling their grapes, because Georgian
    wine-producing companies will not be able to purchase as many grapes
    as last year after the Russian market was closed down in March.

    The authorities are now trying to somehow ease potential protest
    by thousands of wine-growers, especially on the eve of the upcoming
    October 5 local self-governance elections.

    "I want to ask you [businessmen] one thing. We should all help Kakheti
    this year. We have put an end to the state racketeering in Georgia. But
    today I want to exert a light racketeering on you for the first and
    the last time. So I offer each of your company to buy this year 10
    tones of grapes; take it and you can either let you employees eat it
    or produce a wine from it," Saakashvili said.

    "You should understand that now we are in a condition of economic
    war. This is not an ordinary situation... I instruct PM Nogaideli to be
    in charge of [grape] harvest in Kakheti. In addition, I also instruct
    PM Nogaideli, Mikheil Svimonishvili [the Agriculture Minister],
    Vano Merabishvili [the Interior Minister], Irakli Okruashvili [the
    Defense Minister] and Zurab Adeishvili [the Prosecutor General] to be
    in charge of harvest in each of five districts of Kakheti - Signagi,
    Sagarego, Telavi, Kvareli and Gurgaani," he added.

    He also said that the state itself can not purchase grape, but the
    state can create conditions for wine-growers to sell grapes, despite
    Russia's "embargo."

    "We should overcome this harvest with minimal losses and we should
    not make our enemies happy... We should not let our enemies let see
    our wine-growers protesting," Saakashvili said.

    Speaking Tough on Russia

    During the meeting with businessmen he spoke tough on Russia and blamed
    "political establishment" in Moscow for deliberately creating problems
    to the Georgian state.

    President Saakashvili told businessmen that although the Georgian
    state is no longer "a terrorizer" of the business, as it was during
    ex-President Shevardnadze's administration, "now a new terrorizer"
    of the Georgian business has emerged.

    "Unfortunately it is our neighboring Russia's political establishment,"
    he said.

    "Russia has a very firmly expressed policy in respect of Georgia -
    I want to believe that this is the policy of only one part of the
    Russian authorities - and this policy is very simple: not to let
    Georgia to strengthen and not to let Georgia to restore its territorial
    integrity," Saakashvili said.

    "Russia has vividly defined policy aimed at replacing the current
    government in Georgia very promptly. They are implementing this through
    trying to stifle Georgia so that to make the Georgian people believe
    that there is no reason to fight for freedom, to fight for restoring
    rule of law in Abkhazia and in Tskhinvali [breakaway South Ossetia]
    and to make [the Georgian people] to overthrow this government and
    to kneel down in front of Russia, because success of Georgia means
    a failure of ideology of those decision-makers [in Moscow]. And do
    not think that they [Russian officials] are promising something in
    exchange, I know this because I had talks with them, they are just
    telling us: you are in a trouble now, the only thing we can do is
    not to further worsen your situation... This was [a content] of my
    recent talks with our partners in Russia," Saakashvili said.

    He said that a closure of the Zemo Larsi border checkpoint by Russia
    also aimed has also aimed at targeting Armenia.

    "Because Russia is telling Armenia: let's jointly plot [against
    Georgia]. But of course they will not be able to receive anyone's
    consent on this," the Georgian leader said.

    Saakashvili said that Russia has its allies in Georgia, which try to
    ease Moscow's plans in respect of Tbilisi.

    "Those [political] parties, which say that the Georgian government
    has closed down Russian markets for the Georgian peasants are allies
    of Russia... Also those media sources which are disseminating this
    information are [Russia's allies]. Those media sources, which will
    start propaganda of an idea that there is a problem with the [grape]
    harvest because the government made mistakes, will be [Russia's
    allies]," Saakashvili said.

    He said that the only solution in the existing situation is to find
    alternative markets for the Georgian wine.

    "When the Russian market will open for the Georgian wine? There is a
    very simple answer: as soon as they [officials in Russia] see that
    Georgia has not been devastated... This market will only be opened
    when Russia sees that Georgia already has an alternative markets for
    its wine," Saakashvili said.

    "Yes, they [Russian officials] do love Georgian wine, but willingness
    to harm us is stronger; yes they miss the Georgian wine, but they say
    let's be patient and at first throw [the current Georgian government]
    away," he said.

    The President said that Georgia should not even hold talks with Moscow
    about opening Russian market for the Georgian wine.

    "It will only make them think that they are on a right way,"
    Saakashvili said.

    "There is no reason to have talks with predator... The only thing we
    can do is to say without any rhetoric and irritation: we will do our
    job anyway," he added.

    "I want to tell Kakhetian peasants that there will problems this year
    my brothers... But the most important now is not to let them [Russian
    officials] hear our nagging; the most important is our journalists
    to cover [harvest] so that not to make them [Russian officials]
    see that they have reached their goal."

    In the end of his speech, President Saakashvili asked Mayor of
    Tbilisi Gigi Ugulava, who is currently campaigning for the upcoming
    local elections in order to retain the post, to unveil his new
    initiative. Ugulava told businessmen that the Tbilisi Municipality
    will buy twice more grape than they will do. He said the move will be
    a demonstration of a desire to help the country in a time of trouble.
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