President Mikhail Saakashvili's government annulled a defiant regional leader's diplomatic passport Wednesday, the latest move in a battle to force the head of Adzharia to submit to Georgia's central authorities. Aslan Abashidze, his son Georgi Abashidze, who is mayor of the regional capital Batumi, and the region's Interior Minister Dzhemal Gogitidze were among more than 500 people who had their diplomatic passports annulled, said Malkhaz Radiani, head of the Georgian Foreign Ministry press service. Abashidze has yet honor his pledge to cede control to government representatives or lift a state of emergency. Saakashvili has threatened to reintroduce sanctions if Abashidze doesn't fall into line. Saakashvili on Wednesday also accused Abashidze of trying to recruit foreign soldiers to his Black Sea region, warning that "if even one foreign mercenary from Chechnya, from Ukraine or anywhere else, comes to Adzharia, I promise this will end tragically for Abashidze."
| "I's warning ya, ya mutt, ya better hand over da vigorish!" |
"Absurd," countered the Adzharian leader who denied the accusations, saying he was "surprised by the fantastic declarations" of Saakashvili, the Russian news agency ITAR-Tass reported.
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