Batumi (Georgia), May 07: The new government in Georgia has said that after succeeding in bringing the breakaway region of Adjara back under Tbilisi's control, it would now seek to bring two other renegade regions back into the fold. Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili made a triumphant appearance in the Black Sea region of Adjara yesterday after the province's leader resigned and flew into exile.

Georgian officials scheduled fresh elections for next month to choose a replacement for ousted local chieftain Aslan Abashidze and appointed an interim administration to run Adjara -- the site of the region's biggest oil terminal. "We have shown the world that we are a great people," a jubilant Saakashvili, the 36-year-old who came to power in last year's "rose revolution," said as he arrived in Adjara.

In a symbolic gesture, Saakashvili later went on walkabout through Batumi, Adjara's capital, to the Black Sea shoreline where he splashed seawater on his face. He was surrounded by throngs of jubilant supporters chanting his nickname, "Misha!"

Bureau Report