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CNN Saturday Morning News
Demonstrators Demand Resignation of President of Georgia
Aired November 22, 2003 - 07:23 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: Throughout the morning, we've been carefully monitoring a potentially volatile situation in the former Soviet republic of Georgia. Thousands of angry demonstrators have filed into Freedom Square to demand the resignation of President Edouard Shevardnadze.
CNN's Ryan Chilcote is there and joins us with the very latest by videophone.
So Ryan, the election actually happened earlier this month, November 2. Why are the demonstrators only coming into the square now?
RYAN CHILCOTE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, the official results of that election, believe it or not, were just announced on Thursday, and the opposition demonstrators began arriving yesterday, still actually flowing into this city.
Let me tell you, things are developing in two different locations right now. I'm standing in front of the Georgian parliament, in front of a line of riot police. This is just one of many lines of defense here. Behind them, there are lots of plainclothes men carrying clubs, so a huge security presence around this parliament.
Inside the parliament, we are told, the Georgian president has -- is meeting with the state minister. Their plan is to try and convene a new session of the parliament to get this parliament working.
Now, meanwhile, in a -- just a couple of blocks from here, outside of the president's office, tens of thousands of demonstrators have gathered. They're pressed up, as you can see in that live picture, probably, right up against the fences of the president's office. They're demanding either a new parliamentary election or that President Edouard Shevardnadze resign.
He said he's not going to do either of those things.
KOPPEL: OK, Ryan Chilcote for us there in Tbilisi, Georgia. Thanks very much, Ryan.
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 22, 2003 - 07:23 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
ANDREA KOPPEL, CNN ANCHOR: Throughout the morning, we've been carefully monitoring a potentially volatile situation in the former Soviet republic of Georgia. Thousands of angry demonstrators have filed into Freedom Square to demand the resignation of President Edouard Shevardnadze.
CNN's Ryan Chilcote is there and joins us with the very latest by videophone.
So Ryan, the election actually happened earlier this month, November 2. Why are the demonstrators only coming into the square now?
RYAN CHILCOTE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, the official results of that election, believe it or not, were just announced on Thursday, and the opposition demonstrators began arriving yesterday, still actually flowing into this city.
Let me tell you, things are developing in two different locations right now. I'm standing in front of the Georgian parliament, in front of a line of riot police. This is just one of many lines of defense here. Behind them, there are lots of plainclothes men carrying clubs, so a huge security presence around this parliament.
Inside the parliament, we are told, the Georgian president has -- is meeting with the state minister. Their plan is to try and convene a new session of the parliament to get this parliament working.
Now, meanwhile, in a -- just a couple of blocks from here, outside of the president's office, tens of thousands of demonstrators have gathered. They're pressed up, as you can see in that live picture, probably, right up against the fences of the president's office. They're demanding either a new parliamentary election or that President Edouard Shevardnadze resign.
He said he's not going to do either of those things.
KOPPEL: OK, Ryan Chilcote for us there in Tbilisi, Georgia. Thanks very much, Ryan.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
