TBILISI. Dec 4 (Interfax-AVN) - Georgia's fall conscription plans are likely to fail, Mamuka Chelidze, deputy chief of the conscription coordination department in the Regional Policy and Control Service under the Georgian president, said on Thursday.
"The fall conscription to the Armed Forces declared on November 10 meets great difficulties in Georgia," Chelidze told Interfax-Military News Agency.
"The latest developments in the country influenced implementation of the conscription plan," he said.
According to him, the decision has been made to extend the conscription until February 26, 2004.
"Nearly 7,300 people are to be recruited in fall and winter, but only a bit over 600 people have been recruited to the Armed Forces so far," Chelidze said.
He added that 350 potential conscripts paid the legal fee of GEL200 (USD90) for an annual draft deferment.
A spokesman for the State Chancellery admitted that many people evade the draft.
"Potential conscripts are hiding, they refuse to react to summons of military commissioner's offices, and this acquires a nation-wide scale," he said.
According to the State Chancellery, the conscription is progressing normally only in the Adzharian autonomous republic.
The fall conscription plan assigns about 3,800 people to the Defense Ministry, 2,000 people to the Interior Ministry Force, 100 people to the State Security Ministry, 30 people to the Intelligence Department, and 370 people to the State Bodyguard Service.