Return to Transcripts main page
CNN Sunday Morning
Crisis in Georgia
Aired November 23, 2003 - 07:12 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
ANDREA KOPPEL, CNN ANCHOR: We want to take you back to the former Soviet Republic of Georgia, to the capital of Tbilisi, where CNN's Ryan Chilcote is joining us again by videophone. Again, to our viewers, obviously this technology kind of comes in and comes out, please bear with us.
Ryan, we know that President Shevardnadze has told the opposition that they must clear the parliament building. Do they have any intention of doing that?
RYAN CHILCOTE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Absolutely not, in fact tens of thousands of people continue to gather in front of the parliament, people still occupying the parliament building itself. The oppositions and these demonstrators saying they have absolutely no intention of paying any attention to the president's ultimatum.
In fact, one opposition leader is going on Georgian television asking even more Georgians to gather in front of the parliament building here. The opposition says it is going to wait this crisis out. It is not going to give in to any ultimatums that the Georgian president of the opposition says that might give to them.
Meanwhile, the Georgian president has declared a state of emergency. The Georgian defense minister spoke a short while ago. He says that just because we have a state of emergency in this country doesn't mean that military force will have to be brought out onto the streets necessarily. He also said that they don't have any orders from the president, at this point, to use military force against the crowds.
Now, the Russian foreign minister is in town. He met with an opposition leaders this morning. He met with the Georgian president a short while ago. He's expected to meet again with the opposition. This is an eleventh hour attempt for some diplomacy to get out of this crisis.
Now, we understand the Georgian president plans to reconvene the parliament, the very same parliament that was broken up yesterday when the demonstrators stormed into the parliament building. However, the Georgian president would like to do that in the interior ministry. That is a building in the Georgian capital that is heavily guarded by security forces. Something that he wants to do, we understand, today.
Back to you.
KOPPEL: Ryan, is there any chance that Shevardnadze could hold onto power?
CHILCOTE: Well, it is possible. The opposition has left the door open for compromise. They have said that if President Edward Shevardnadze is willing to call early elections, then they will let him remain president. Now, his presidential term expires in 2005. It's not clear if he would be able to be president until 2005 and they would just call a parliamentary election or whether the opposition would like to see an early parliamentary and presidential election.
But there is room for compromise, believe it or not, on the ground here.
KOPPEL: Ryan Chilcote, in Tbilisi, Georgia. Thank you very much.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
Aired November 23, 2003 - 07:12 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
ANDREA KOPPEL, CNN ANCHOR: We want to take you back to the former Soviet Republic of Georgia, to the capital of Tbilisi, where CNN's Ryan Chilcote is joining us again by videophone. Again, to our viewers, obviously this technology kind of comes in and comes out, please bear with us.
Ryan, we know that President Shevardnadze has told the opposition that they must clear the parliament building. Do they have any intention of doing that?
RYAN CHILCOTE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Absolutely not, in fact tens of thousands of people continue to gather in front of the parliament, people still occupying the parliament building itself. The oppositions and these demonstrators saying they have absolutely no intention of paying any attention to the president's ultimatum.
In fact, one opposition leader is going on Georgian television asking even more Georgians to gather in front of the parliament building here. The opposition says it is going to wait this crisis out. It is not going to give in to any ultimatums that the Georgian president of the opposition says that might give to them.
Meanwhile, the Georgian president has declared a state of emergency. The Georgian defense minister spoke a short while ago. He says that just because we have a state of emergency in this country doesn't mean that military force will have to be brought out onto the streets necessarily. He also said that they don't have any orders from the president, at this point, to use military force against the crowds.
Now, the Russian foreign minister is in town. He met with an opposition leaders this morning. He met with the Georgian president a short while ago. He's expected to meet again with the opposition. This is an eleventh hour attempt for some diplomacy to get out of this crisis.
Now, we understand the Georgian president plans to reconvene the parliament, the very same parliament that was broken up yesterday when the demonstrators stormed into the parliament building. However, the Georgian president would like to do that in the interior ministry. That is a building in the Georgian capital that is heavily guarded by security forces. Something that he wants to do, we understand, today.
Back to you.
KOPPEL: Ryan, is there any chance that Shevardnadze could hold onto power?
CHILCOTE: Well, it is possible. The opposition has left the door open for compromise. They have said that if President Edward Shevardnadze is willing to call early elections, then they will let him remain president. Now, his presidential term expires in 2005. It's not clear if he would be able to be president until 2005 and they would just call a parliamentary election or whether the opposition would like to see an early parliamentary and presidential election.
But there is room for compromise, believe it or not, on the ground here.
KOPPEL: Ryan Chilcote, in Tbilisi, Georgia. Thank you very much.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
