The visit by U.S. Under Secretary of State for Europe and Eurasia Daniel Fried came after the State Department backed a decision Monday by Georgian businessman Badri Patarkatsishvili to finance the opposition, saying it would spur democracy in the country.
Georgia's president, U.S.-educated Mikheil Saakashvili, has recently faced growing opposition protests and accusations of amassing too much power. In late September, thousands of people rallied to protest the arrest of an ex-defense minister who accused the president of corruption and plotting to kill Patarkatsishvili. The billionaire left the country after the statements were made.
The opposition plans a new rally in the capital, Tbilisi, on Friday.
Speaking ahead of a meeting with OSCE Secretary General Marc Perrin de Brichambaut in the same Marriott hotel, an opposition lawmaker called on the organization to have a more proactive role in Georgian affairs.
"We should encourage the OSCE's mediation mission, as the Georgian president will not speak to us, will not listen to the nation," Giya Tsagareishvili said.
Both Freed and de Brichambaut will attend an international forum in Tbilisi later on Thursday focusing on energy, security, stronger ties between the European Union and its neighbors in the east, as well as conflict resolution.
Saakashvili's government has pushed for NATO membership for Georgia in the hope it will help resolve disputes with Russia over two breakaway regions on Georgian territory. Washington has vigorously backed the membership bid of Georgia, a tiny state at the center of the Caucasus region. Russia has strongly opposed the bloc's expansion.
