Tbilisi, 23 October 1997 (RFE/RL) - Before leaving for the CIS summit in Chisinau, Georgia's President Eduard Shevardnadze today met in Tbilisi with representatives of the ethnic Georgians who fled Abkhazia during the 1992-93 hostilities.
Georgian reports say the displaced ethnic Georgians warned that they would demand Shevardnadze's resignation and launch a campaign of civil disobedience if the President refused to demand that the mandate of the CIS peace-keeping force not be extended.
Russian troops are currently deployed between Abkhazia and the rest of Georgia. Shevardnadze was reported to have agreed to demand the peacekeepers' withdrawal, but warned that it could not be implemented immediately.
Georgian reports say the displaced ethnic Georgians warned that they would demand Shevardnadze's resignation and launch a campaign of civil disobedience if the President refused to demand that the mandate of the CIS peace-keeping force not be extended.
Russian troops are currently deployed between Abkhazia and the rest of Georgia. Shevardnadze was reported to have agreed to demand the peacekeepers' withdrawal, but warned that it could not be implemented immediately.