A U.S envoy says he expects Georgian authorities to lift their nearly weeklong state of emergency in two or three days.
U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Matthew Bryza made his comments in Tbilisi after talks with Georgian Parliamentary Speaker Nino Burjanadze.
President Mikhail Saakashvili imposed the state of emergency, banning public demonstrations and all independent newscasts, after six days of mass opposition protests in Tbilisi that culminated in clashes with police. Opposition activists accused the president of corruption and demanded he step down.
Saakashvili proposed holding early elections January 5 as a step toward resolving the crisis. Opposition parties Monday named lawmaker Levan Gachechiladze as their presidential candidate in the vote.
President Saakashvili has accused Russia of stirring the crisis, a charge that Moscow has denied.
Meanwhile, the Russian military says its forces Tuesday completed their withdrawal from a former Soviet base in Batumi. - VOA News
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