Opposition rally underway in Adzharia

The Party of Zurab Nogaideli, former prime minister of Georgia, named as "Movement for United Georgia", is holding protest actions in Adzharia.

The "Caucasian Knot" correspondent reports that the protesters have rallied near the summer President's residence in Kobuleti. Their main demand is resignation of the President.

After the rally, they plan to march on foot to Batumi (about 30 km off), where all the oppositional forces of Adzharia will rally up in front of the Supreme Soviet's building and hold a meeting in parallel with Tbilisi. The "Caucasian Knot" correspondent was informed about it by Merab Abuladze, a resident of Kobuleti, who is in the venue of events.

Zurab Nogaideli, leader of the Party "Movement for United Georgia" assumes that some 10,000 will come to the Batumi building, as the "News-Georgia" reports.

At the rally in Tbilisi today, Zviad Dzidziguri, leader of the Conservative Party, has stated that central TV Channels, controlled by the authorities, have cut out the words of the address to the nation of Elias the Second, Patriarch of All Georgia, when he addressed to the army and said that "the soldier who will raise hand against his people will never be his homeland defender," as the "Interpressnews" Agency reports.

The "Fact" Agency reports that Robert Wood, a spokesman of the US President's administration, said to Georgian journalists that the USA would support the aspiration of the Georgian people to build democracy in their homeland.

Earlier, expert Emil Adelkhanov informed the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent that today in the afternoon the entrance to Tbilisi from the north was blocked. "For some reason, they want to repair the road today, and they blocked the entrance to the city completely. It was twice announced by TV. There's no pass there in general," Mr Adelkhanov has noted.

The Georgia's MIA is categorically refuting the information that the police hamper the traffic of public transport from the regions to Tbilisi.

News has arrived from the Kvemo Kartli District that at night the police detained up to 60 members and activists of the Party "Democratic Movement - United Georgia". According to the members of this organization, in Kvemo Kartli, mainly in Rustavi, mass detentions of youth have started; the police began investigating whether the detainees had attitude to Ms Burdzhanadze's Party. The members and activists of the Movement were detained, others - released. The Georgia's MIA refutes the information.