Georgia Country

tbilisi, georgia -- Thousands of opposition supporters rallied Friday in Georgia's capital, demanding that the president step down after the arrest of a former defense minister who accused him of involvement in a murder plot. President Mikhail Saakashvili, who has been at the United Nations in New York, has not commented on the allegations by former Defense Minister Irakli Okruashvili. This week, Okruashvili alleged that the president, a former ally, had encouraged him to kill a businessman.

Tens of thousands of protesters descended on Georgia's parliament Friday demanding new elections in the largest popular movement since the 2003 Rose Revolution swept President Mikheil Saakashvili to power with promises of democratic transformation. In a scene that in its sheer numbers bore a remarkable resemblance to the bloodless uprising that toppled the government of Eduard A.

Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili declared a 15-day state of emergency Wednesday after riot police armed with tear gas, water cannons and rubber bullets battled thousands of protesters who are demanding new elections. Raising furious protests from opposition leaders who claimed the government had abandoned the ideals of the 2003 Rose Revolution, authorities also closed down two television stations and expelled three Russian diplomats.

Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili eased the crisis that has gripped his country for a week by pledging Thursday to hold presidential elections and a referendum on voting for a new parliament on Jan. 5. A day after the pro-Western government's democratic credentials were badly bruised by a violent crackdown against thousands of opposition demonstrators, Saakashvili surprised even his opponents by agreeing to go to the polls in less than two months.

Russia said it had closed its last base in Georgia, formally ending its military presence there after more than two centuries. Gen. Andrei Popov, commander of military forces in the Caucasus, signed documents handing to Georgia the territory of its base at Batumi in the Adzharia region. Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili reached agreement with Russia in 2005 for the closure of the bases.

A state of emergency that was imposed after a police crackdown on opposition protests will end Friday, said Georgia's parliamentary speaker, a close ally of President Mikheil Saakashvili. "The state of emergency will be lifted on Nov. 16, and we will switch to a normal life," Nino Burjanadze said in a televised statement. Saakashvili imposed the state of emergency last week, after violently dispersing opposition protests in the capital, Tbilisi.

The government lifted a nine-day state of emergency and President Mikheil Saakashvili appointed a new prime minister, banker Lado Gurgenidze. Saakashvili promised not to impede opposition parties in the run-up to a Jan. 5 presidential vote. Western allies have been pressing him to lift the restrictions on media and demonstrations since a violent crackdown on protesters last week.

A court convicted a man of trying to assassinate President Bush and Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili by throwing a grenade at them during a rally May 10, and it sentenced him to life in prison. Vladimir Arutyunian also was convicted of killing a policeman before his arrest. The grenade landed about 100 feet from the leaders and did not explode.

Suffering through its worst energy crisis in years, Georgia struck a deal with Iran for emergency natural gas supplies Friday. Dawn-to-dusk lines for kerosene and firewood persisted here in the capital for a second day, as desperate Georgians lined up for fuel to heat their homes amid the former Soviet republic's heaviest snowfall in years. "It's an energy blockade.

Russia resumed sending natural gas to Georgia after finishing repairs to a major pipeline damaged by mysterious blasts Jan. 22. But the Tbilisi government accused Moscow of taking its time to fix the damage to punish Georgia for its pro-Western policies. Georgia relies on Russia for its gas needs, and the blasts left millions of people shivering in their homes.