(9 Nov 2007) SHOTLIST
1. Wide exterior of office of Ilia II, the current Catholicos-Patriarch of All Georgia
2. Close of cross on building
3. Mid shot of security at the gates
4. Cutaway of media outside gate
5. Various of Nino Burjanadze, Speaker of the Georgian Parliament, leaving the office
6. Close of sign reading: (English) "Patriarchate of Georgia"
7. SOUNDBITE (English) Nino Burjanadze, Speaker of the Georgian Parliament:
"What happened in Georgia, the most difficult situation was only one day. Nothing special is going on in the country. Everywhere is absolutely quiet situation. People understand (the) situation quite well. So dialogue is under way, so we have lots of questions and lots of possibilities to find a concrete solution and find some kind of compromise. We suggested compromise, even a few months before and we are really sorry that the situation was so escalated. But now I am sure that the final solution will be (reached) very soon."
8. Burjanadze's convoy leaving office
9. Salome Zurabishvili, Opposition Leader and Former Foreign Minister, talking to reporters
10. Close of voice recorders
11. SOUNDBITE (English) Salome Zurabishvili, Georgian Opposition Leader:
"In this we see a very constructive step. What we can say is that we deplore the fact that we had to go through this very terrible 7th of November, that the Georgian people will never forget this date in their history because it's the first time in the 26 centuries (of) history that a Georgian leader and the Georgian government did that to its own people. It has been done many times in the past by foreign invaders."
12. Cutaway of cameraman
13. Mid shot of opposition leaders greeting each other
14. Wide of gates
STORYLINE
Georgian opposition leaders said on Friday they would stop street protests against President Mikhail Saakashvili after he called an early presidential election for January.
The announcement came as opposition leaders and government officials met for informal talks on Friday morning, at the office of Georgia's current Catholicos-Patriarch (head of eastern Orthodox church in Georgia) in an effort to find a common solution for the country's political crisis.
Patriarch Ilia II is acting as a mediator between Saakashvili's government and the opposition.
Following the meeting, Nino Burjanadze, Speaker of the Georgian Parliament said there were "lots of possibilities to find a concrete solution and find some kind of compromise."
Burjanadze said she was "really sorry" that the political situation had escalated into violence on Wednesday but she insisted that a "final solution will be (reached) very soon."
Opposition Leader, Salome Zurabishvili, called the meeting with Burjanadze "a very constructive step."
However she added that the opposition is saddened by "the fact that we had to go through this very terrible 7th of November."
On Wednesday November 7, riot police advanced toward the demonstrators protesting against Saakashvili - pushing people back with shields and beating some with truncheons.
They fired tear gas and rubber bullets.
Nearly 600 people sought medical treatment after the clashes, including two dozen police officers, and 32 protesters were detained.
The crackdown on demonstrators and the state of emergency deeply shocked many Georgians. But while Saakashvili's already sliding popularity is likely to take a toll, he can still be expected to win a second term.
Saakashvili's announcement of the early presidential election appeared to be an attempt to respond to the criticism and ease tensions while retaining his political clout.
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