Law and order to be maintained in Georgia through legal means

The Georgian government is not planning on announcing a nationwide curfew, said Georgian Minister for Government Security Valery Khaburdzaniya reading a statement by Georgian President Eduard Shevardnadze.

Khaburdzaniya said that a session of the directors of law enforcement agencies has nothing in common with political repression, and the Ministry for Security is not engaged in collecting compromising information on political leaders. 'Only absolutely necessary measures' will be taken to ensure law and order in the country, he said.

In Tbilisi a large demonstration of the parliamentary opposition protested on June 3. In the course of the protest, participants called for the violent overthrow of the government.

On June 4 at a session of government leaders, Shevardnadze made arrangements for the meeting of leaders of law enforcement agencies of Georgia in order to 'ensure that law and order are maintained in the country.' Shevardnadze's statement was seen by political opponents as a prologue to conducting a curfew on the eve of parliamentary elections to be held on November 2 and the beginning of political repression.