OSCE PA President Bruce George meets acting President Burjanadze of Georgia

TBILISI, 24 November 2003 - The President of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly, Bruce George, met today in Tbilisi with the acting President of Georgia, Nino Burjanadze. Mr. George expressed his satisfaction that the constitutional and political crises had been resolved without bloodshed, and he congratulated the people of Georgia and all organizations involved for their self-restraint.

They discussed the timing of the forthcoming presidential and parliamentary elections. President George said he would be returning to head the third OSCE short term observation mission in three months.

According to Mr. George the two elections he had observed here in 1999 and 2003 had been deeply flawed, both falling well short of the standards expected and desired by the international community and the people of Georgia.

He said that in the coming days the OSCE's Office of Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) would be publishing its Post-Election Interim Report with its observations of the elections campaign since 2 November 2003 elections. He urged people to read it carefully as he was confident that it would reveal that the recent electoral process was as flawed as any in Georgia's history.

Mr. George emphasized that Georgia is standing at the cross-road of its history. He urged political parties to ensure genuine, free and fair elections that could be validated by the international community, proving that the country was moving along the path of democracy.

He later urged the international community to give its full support, not only to ensure good and honest elections, but also to assist Georgia in its time of economic need.

Mr. George finally noted that acting President Burjanadze is a longstanding and esteemed Vice-President of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly, and he expressed the hope that she will attend the forthcoming Ministerial Council Meeting of the OSCE in Maastricht, the Netherlands.

During the visit to the acting President of Georgia, Mr. George was accompanied by other members of the parliamentary delegation, as well as senior officials of the OSCE Mission in Georgia and the ODIHR.