Opposition MP Calls for Withdrawal from CIS

MP David Gamkrelidze, leader of the opposition New Rights party, called on President Saakashvili to announce Georgia’s withdrawal from the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) and also to demand the immediate pull-out of Russian peacekeeping forces from the South Ossetian and Abkhaz conflict zones.

?The President should make two important decisions for our country: first, as a leader of a sovereign state, he should unilaterally suspend the mandate of Russian peacekeepers on the entire territory of Georgia, including breakaway Abkhazia and South Ossetia; and second, he should make an official decision about Georgia?s withdrawal from the Commonwealth of Independent States,? Gamkrelidze said at a news briefing on October 3.

Parliamentarians from the ruling National Movement party downplayed the statements as political speculations.

?These are not issues for political speculation,? MP Kote Gabashvili, the Chairman of the Parliamentary Committee for Foreign Affairs, said.

?We have a plan [in respect to both issues] and we adhere to this plan,? MP Davit Bakradze said.

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