Georgia, Tbilisi / corr Trend N.Kirtkhalia / The Georgian authorities will never allow Tbilisi to become a tent camp, said Georgiy Ugulava, the Mayor of Tbilisi, in an emergency briefing. His comments came in reference to the dispersal of a rally in front of the Georgian Parliament, where the Unified Opposition intended to establish a tent camp.
"We will prevent the changing of Tbilisi into a tent camp. Let all the organizers of the rally understand that. The capital of Georgia will never return to the situation it was in during the 1990's. We did this on the basis of our sanity. Moreover, the Constitution of Georgia ensures the right of free expression for every citizen, but not in this underground meeting area. There have been no legitimate grounds for holding a rally since 2 November," the Mayor said.
"We have restored the automobile traffic on Rustaveli Avenue and the city has returned to a normal routine. People are tired of being an experiment of the Patarkatzishvili-Okruashvili duo. Presently, the disinfection service is conducting sanitary work in the area where the rally was staged, as well as the nearby buildings, Ugulava said.
Meanwhile, the leaders of the Unified Opposition have gathered in an office of the Republican Party to discuss their next steps.