Eurovision organizers reject Georgia's 'Put In' lyrics

MOSCOW, March 10 (RIA Novosti) - The European Broadcasting Union (EBU) has officially informed Georgia that its entry for the Eurovision 2009 song contest does not comply with the rules of the competition, the EBU said on its website on Tuesday.

The Georgian group Stephane & 3G has been chosen to represent Georgia in Moscow with a song entitled We Don't Wanna Put In, a clear reference to Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin.

The Reference Group of the Eurovision Song Contest announced on Tuesday that the title and lyrics of the song "do not comply with Section 4 Rule 9 of the Rules of the 54th Eurovision Song Contest, and cannot take part in the competition as such."

"No lyrics, speeches, gestures of a political or similar nature shall be permitted during the Eurovision Song Contest," the EBU said on its website.

Georgia will now have either to rewrite lyrics of the song or to choose another entry. The deadline is March 16, when all participating countries officially hand in information on the selected entries.

Georgia said it would announce its decision on Wednesday.

Jarmo Siim, an EBU communications and public relations officer, earlier said that the EBU would not allow any songs with political subtext to take part in the competition.

The Russian broadcaster of the contest, Channel One, has declined to comment on the decision.

Moscow is hosting the event for the first following Russian contestant Dima Bilan's victory last year in Belgrade, with his song Believe.

The Georgian entry will not be the first time a former Soviet republic has attempted to mock Russia on the Eurovision stage. Last year, Ukraine's Andrei Danilko, who cross-dresses as an overly busty woman with the stage name Verka Serduchka, sang Lasha Mumbai, but intentionally slurred the words so that viewers heard "Russia Good-bye!"