"The Georgian president has repeatedly stressed that the country's leadership does not intend to abolish the autonomous status of Adzharia. After Abashidze's resignation, destructive forces remained in Adzharia, for whom it's advantageous to stir up the issue about the status," Vashalomidze told the Imedi TV company Saturday.
In his words, the Provisional Council whose coordination Vashalomidze was charged with will deal with developing a new economic strategy of Adzharia's development.
"Adzharia is one of the richest areas, and its riches belong to its population. One can't allow repetition of authoritative rule, as it was under Abashidze. Self-government does not mean one-man rule. Such mechanisms that will rule out in the future the establishment of a one-man rule in Adzharia must be laid in the strategy of the autonomy's development, which will be in harmony with Georgia's Fundamental Law," Vashalomidze said.
The presidential envoy, having received an instruction from Saakashvili Friday evening to approach personnel issues in Adzharia from the point of view of their professionalism, told the TV company that taking personnel by party criterion is ruled out.
"We need professionals and honest people. It doesn't matter whether these people worked under Abashidze's regime or not. But people who worked under Abashidze and were involved in different crimes and corruption won't enter our ranks," the envoy said.
By presidential decree of May 6, the Adzharian two-house parliament was dismissed, direct presidential rule introduced, the institution of the president's envoy established and a provisional presidential administration created.
Saakashvili signed a relevant decree in the presence of journalists in the government residence in Batumi.
By his instruction, the president appointed Levan Vashalomidze, the head of the state enterprise "Georgian Railways" his plenipotentiary.
On Friday the president also signed an instruction on the staffing of the Provisional Council which Saakashvili headed and whose coordination Vashalomidze was charged with. 19 people are members of the council.
