Making the referendum politically binding

I'm a few hours behind on this, but here's Solana's statement:

Javier SOLANA, EU High Representative for the Common Foreign and Security Policy

(CFSP) made the following statement following the presidential elections which took place in Georgia on 5 January 2008:

"I should like to congratulate the Georgian people on the peaceful conduct of truly

competitive presidential elections on 5 January.

As a matter of priority, the vote count should be concluded as soon as possible, and all allegations of irregularities should be properly investigated.

All political forces should maintain a dialogue in order to deal with the challenges ahead, including those identified by international observers, before the parliamentary elections in the spring.

The European Union is ready to assist Georgia in moving forward towards the next elections".