MP Davit Gamkrelidze, leader of the opposition New Rights party, has sent a letter to President Saakashvili calling for Georgia’s withdrawal from the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) and for a unilateral pullout from treaties that form the legal basis for the Russian peacekeeping operations in Abkhazia and South Ossetia.

Speaking at a news conference on October 16, MP Gamkrelidze said that recent developments with Russia and Tbilisi’s plans should not become issues for public discussions. He called on the President to answer the questions that currently top the country’s political agenda in “a constructive manner.”

“Why is President Saakashvili not fulfilling the provisions set by the Georgian Parliament’s July 18 resolution [on the withdrawal of Russian peacekeepers from Abkhazia and South Ossetia]?.. Why is President Saakashvili ignoring our proposals to unilaterally cease Russian peacekeeping and to quit the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS)…? What are President Saakashvili’s plans in respect to the independence referendum planned for November 12 in breakaway South Ossetia, and what will Georgia’s response be to Russia’s potential decision to recognize Abkhazia and South Ossetia?” MP Gamkrelidze asked.