Azernews.Az

By Sabina Idayatova

Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili has advised the new government not to organize protests against the "real opposition".

Saakashvili was commenting on a protest scheduled for Sunday to demand his resignation, Azerbaijani news agency Trend reported.

"I have already seen the Georgian government holding [protest] actions against the opposition in the early 1990s and we have already seen what happened in the end. Therefore, I do not advise to go down this path, it does not lead anywhere," he said at a briefing in the presidential palace on Thursday.

Saakashvili expressed his surprise that the real authorities in Georgia are campaigning against the opposition, hinting that the protest demanding his resignation was provoked by the authorities.

Regular protests demanding Saakashvili`s resignation will start in front of the presidential palace on Sunday, January 20. Protesters presume that Saakashvili violates the Constitution and intends to stay in power for more than the designated five years.

Saakashvili's five-year term in office expires on January 20. However, Georgia's Constitution adopted last year defines the end of Saakashvili`s presidential term in October 2013.

Saakashvili said he is not contemplating any steps aimed at causing a political crisis in the country.

"The parliamentary majority at the instigation of the government has started work over introduction of some constitutional changes for limiting the rights of the President, referring to the fact that I supposedly intend to provoke dissolution of the government and parliament. This is not true," Saakashvili said.

He said that if desired he could oppose inclusion of security officials in the new government, but instead gave a carte blanche to the government, which won elections.

"They got a mandate from the people and I don't intend to cause difficulties for them," Saakashvili said.

Saakashvili further noted that he intends to constantly remind the government of the promises made and will not turn a blind eye to the problems.

The Oct.1, 2012 parliamentary election in Georgia, won by billionaire Bidzina Ivanishvili's opposition coalition, was followed by the formation of a new cabinet led by Ivanishvili.

Three new bills

President Saakashvili voiced a number of legislative initiatives at the briefing.

The first initiative proposes decriminalization of economic offenses in the country.

"This is predetermined by the deteriorating economic situation in the country and the fact that this year began with sluggish business activity, and we currently need to activate the investment flow," Saakashvili said.

In view of economic woes he proposed complete economic amnesty and full decriminalization of economic activity.

The second draft law was on privacy. Saakashvili said prosecution will be introduced for distribution of information on citizens' private life.

The third initiative concerned lifelong support of the dead soldiers' families by pensions. In addition, the president called for doubling pensions for military men.

Saakashvili stressed that all these initiatives have already been presented to the Georgian parliament for discussion.

Abkhazian railway section

Reopening of a railway via breakaway Abkhazia is in Russia's interest and addressing this issue outside the context of de-occupation will be a "criminal, anti-state and anti-Georgian" act, Saakashvili said.

Saakashvili said that by reopening the railway via Abkhazia Russia wants to actually legitimize Abkhazia's occupation, "because in the condition when the Russian Railway seized Abkhaz [section] of the railway and in the condition when the Russian Railway also owns the Armenian railway based on an agreement with Armenia, the status of reopening this railway [via Abkhazia] will be completely unacceptable, because Russia considers Abkhazia... an independent state."

"Georgia should take not a single step that will contribute to it, unless de-occupation of Abkhazia is fully resolved; or this issue can be resolved in parallel with de-occupation of Abkhazia and can be discussed as part of the de-occupation," he added.