Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili declared on Saturday that emergency rule would end on Tbilisi's schedule, not Washington's or Brussels'. "Not by somebody's recommendation, but when we find it necessary," he told a gathering of Georgian businessmen.
Saakashvili imposed the 15-day order on 7 November after riot police dispersed thousands of protesters in the capital with rubber bullets, tear gas, and water cannons. The crowd had gathered to demand his resignation. Georgia's parliament later endorsed the measure, though senior officials said they expected it lifted well before the 22 November deadline.
The emergency bans public demonstrations and independent news broadcasts. Saakashvili also called a snap presidential election for 5 January, a step his opponents claimed as a victory.
Western pressure intensified over the weekend. The United States announced it was sending an envoy to Tbilisi and called for the ban to be dropped immediately. The European Union's South Caucasus representative, Peter Semneby, made a similar appeal.
Saakashvili attributed the unrest to a Russian-backed attempt to topple his government. Moscow denied the accusation, saying the Georgian leader was deflecting attention from domestic political troubles.
Historical summary. TurkishPress restated this wire report, first published in November 2007, in its own words.