TBILISI, Georgia (AP) - A national state of emergency that was imposed after a police crackdown on opposition protests will come to an end on Friday, said Georgia's parliamentary speaker, a close ally of the president. "The state of emergency will be lifted on Nov. 16, and we will switch to a normal life," Parliament Speaker Nino Burdzhanadze said in a televised statement. The United States and other Western nations had pressured Georgia to resume normality.
President Mikhail Saakashvili introduced the 15-day nationwide state of emergency last week, after police violently dispersed opposition protests in the capital, Tbilisi. Independent newscasts and demonstrations were banned as a result.
U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Matthew Bryza said Tuesday, after meeting the Georgian leadership and opposition in Tbilisi, that he was assured the state of emergency would be lifted Friday. |