The story about money, that is, about the sponsorship of the Georgian opposition has turned into a series. After yesterday's "debriefing", when all the TV channels broadcasted the meeting of Levan Gachechiladze and David Gamkrelidze with the former Minister of Foreign Affairs Kakha Targamadze, a "political deal" is apparently going to take place in Georgia. On returning from Yerevan, Mikhail Saakashvili decided to meet with other delegates to offer the opposition sponsorship from the budget instead of from the enemy's pocket. Kakha Targamadze is listed among the latter. The official Tbilisi associates him either with Russia, or directly with the Kremlin.

Mikhail Saakashvili promises to announce "direct initiatives" to make the party sponsorship transparent, the VZGLYAD newspaper reports. According to the Georgian legislation, the oppositional parties should be sponsored from the budget; however, after large-scale protest actions they do not receive any budgetary means. The authorities' estimation is quite logic: no revolution or change of power is possible without money. But the restless oppositionists went to seek funding abroad, which was the reason of the scandal that eventually broke out. The Georgian TV channels broadcasted a video record posted in the Internet, showing the oppositional leaders' meeting with the former Minister of Internal Affairs Kakha Targamadze.

The parliamentarians who have been discussing the sources of the oppositional sponsorship for the whole of last week hailed accusations on the oppositionists. First, one of the leaders of the ruling majority Georgi Gabashvili accused Burjanadze: "Today, the main source of the opposition's sponsorship is Burjanadze and her political party. I believe that both the public and the opposition have the right to know how and from where the money comes from and on what it is spent. We saw the scene where the representatives of a single party bought Kalashnikovs and handed bats to the action participants".

It was yesterday that Gabashvili switched onto Levan Gachechiladze and David Gamkrelidze. "I cannot provide a legal evaluation of whether this meeting was the breach of the law and whether it is possible to initiate a criminal case on the fact. I am neither a law-enforcement officer, nor a lawyer; still, the fact is that the opposition had received a promise to be sponsored from Kakha Targamadze who is a national of Russia, and this is the breach of the law; the moral aspect of the case is more important than the legal assessment of this fact", - Georgi Gabashvili elocuted, GHN reports.

The oppositionists denied all the accusations, saying that they never asked Targamadze to give them money but, on the contrary, were trying to clear up Saakashvili's secret contacts with Russia. Gachechiladze, in his on-air interview to radio Utsnobi explained that "Kakha Targamadze possesses essential information. For instance, the 2003 Rose Revolution was sponsored by Soros Foundation, criminal authorities, as well as the former head of the Georgian special service Igor Georgadze who had fled the country in 1995", - the oppositionist declared. Levan Gachechiladze also claimed to have received "information on the aspects and ways used by Mikhail Saakashvili to satisfy the Russian authorities".

According to GHN, another participant of the scandalous meeting, David Gamkrelidze, stated that "we have got information from Targamadze that Putin's administration prohibits the Georgian businessmen working in Russia to sponsor the opposition. Besides, we have learnt many interesting facts about Khubutia and Ebralidze".

The whole story about sponsoring the Georgian opposition from the North reminds an old anecdote telling of the unpleasant epithets that are used by the stronger sex in respect of a good-looking lady that has given them the sack. The same thing is happening in Georgia: if Russia is sponsoring the opposition then it is treacherous, if it does not - it is still more treacherous...

However, there can be no two opinions as to the fact that the domestic situation in Georgia resembles theatre of the absurd.

As with any scandal, there are abundant commentaries upon the oppositionists' meeting with Kakha Targamadze, whom the Georgian authorities regard to be the Russian special services officer. The opinions are different: someone approves of this meeting, while the others are criticizing it. However, it was Mikhail Nikolaevitch who turned the events in another direction.

First, he commented upon the meeting of the oppositional leaders with Kakha Targamadze from Yerevan, where he was staying on a business visit. He called the former head of MIA a negative figure in Georgia's latest history and "the embodiment of meanness". The president pointed out that the appearance of Targamadze beside the political leaders speaks of the interference of the external factor in the Georgian political processes. He called upon political forces to treat the situation with maximum responsibility and to be most careful.

However, the parliamentarian majority still cannot remember whether a criminal case was initiated against the former head of MIA Kikha Targamadze. According to the delegates, the fact is that the case was going to be initiated but Targamadze was granted the Russian citizenship, as GHN reports.

This fact does not seem to be of any importance for the personal dislike of the ruling majority. Though, the fuss caused by the meeting was not followed by any preventive measures on the part of the authorities. The media's suppositions that The New Rights party will be endangered were not satisfied either, for the external sponsorship of the parties is prohibited by law.

Instead of biting his opponents, Saakashvili, in fact, has offered them a peaceful settlement. The president stated that he was going to make extra proposals to the opposition, including the sponsorship of the parties. Today, the parliament is going to consider this issue. What amounts of money does he mean? No one knows yet. The oppositional forces are also withholding any comments upon the presidential initiative.

However, things may take the most unexpected turn. For instance, according to Interpressnews, Levan Gachechiladze announced his desire that the authorities should become aware of his meeting with Kakha Targamadze. As to other meetings, they are not aware of any of them and will learn about them when the time comes. Gachechiladze is refusing to name the sponsors' names because they will not be left in peace and will be oppressed. Besides, the oppositionist will not have Vano Merabishvili (head of the Georgian MIA) tell him with whom he should meet.

It is not yet clear who the winner of the story is. Perhaps, it is Saakashvili who has again accused Russia of interfering into the Georgian domestic affairs and who has demonstrated the West his democratic approach to the opponents. Perhaps, it is the opposition that has spread net for Mikhail Saakashvili and is going to start another phase of fighting the president, having more power and finance now. In other words, the domestic confrontation has so far ended in a tie. Still, the whole story is enough to make a historical bestseller.

As usual, the essence of the conflict is power, money and women. However, the time and place have in a way modified the general scenario, which goes as follows: the ruling elite have to win their power and money by all possible means. Another branch of elite, which is not ruling yet, has to assert its right for money and power step by step. Women are no longer regarded to be a trophy, for in the modern world they are not trophies but equal participants of the fight. By the way, the main heroines of the modern history, Nino Burjanadze and Salome Zurabishvili followed by Levan Gachechiladze have started off for Washington, seeking either support, or money. Or, perhaps, both. This under-carpet fuss has apparently tired the crowned head and he said to the avid: no need to go afield for gold, for I will give it to you myself. The truth is that money is in many aspects equal to power, for it gives one the power to direct the actions of the others. One is just to wait for the outcome.