Speaking to reporters in the capital of Tbilisi Monday, he said that if it fails to meet this demand, the incumbent Adzahrian government will be made to resign and an election will be called to replace it with a new one.
"We are negotiating with [Adzharian leader Aslan] Abashidze', but the issue of arms surrender is not negotiable. We demand unconditional arms surrender, and this is not something to be debated," Saakashvili pointed out.
"The arms held by the autonomy are a real powder keg. How will people go to Adzharia's Black Sea resorts with this powder keg right there? Cannons and mines are placed along the beach line. How can we possibly send the Georgian population to vacation there?" Saakashvili said.
According to the Georgian President, Adzharia's law-enforcement forces and paramilitary groups have tanks, helicopters, air defense systems, and armored vehicles.
"We are not going to haggle on matters of principle. Adzharia's paramilitary groups [pose] the biggest problem. They should be disarmed and their arms should be handed in to central authorities," he said.
"I'm willing to divide powers between the center and the region by a special law. But no law will allow Adzharia to have an army of its own. Today Adzharia holds something that does not fit in with the legislation [of any country] in the world," the Georgian President indicated out.
