Georgian protesters urge PM to step down

Source: ABC

In Georgia, thousands of demonstrators have blocked main roads in the capital Tiblisi as part of the civil disobedience campaign organised by the opposition party.

The Georgian opposition blames President Mikheil Saakashvili for the conflict with Russia last August and wants him to step down.

Mr Saakashvili says he is open to dialogue with opposition leaders, but he has refused to resign.



Read more: http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2009/04/11/2540855.htm?section=world

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Rose Revolution?

Saakashvili launched an attack on South Ossetia while peace talks were talking place. He is now getting what he richly deserves. Off with his head!

Saakashvili Denies Georgian War Crimes During South Ossetia War

By Michael Heath

Oct. 29 (Bloomberg) -- President Mikheil Saakashvili denied Georgia committed war crimes when its security forces attacked the breakaway region of South Ossetia, in response to allegations raised in a British Broadcasting Corp. report.

The BBC said witnesses described how Georgian tanks fired directly into an apartment block in South Ossetia's capital, Tskhinvali, and troops shot at civilians as they tried to flee. Human Rights Watch has said Georgia used ``indiscriminate and disproportionate force'' during the attack.

``We strongly deny any of this, any accusation of war crimes,'' Saakashvili said in a video clip on the BBC's Web site, adding Georgia is ``very open for any kind of investigation.''

Indiscriminate use of force is a violation of the Geneva Conventions and serious breaches are considered war crimes. The conflict began Aug. 7 when Georgia launched artillery attacks on targets in Tskhinvali in an effort to retake South Ossetia.

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601085&sid=aTeiSqBXgaoY&refer=europe

Russia by giving passports to south ossetians and urging them to attack georgian soldiers gave them the cover to invade by "protecting russian citizens."

Both of them could use some new faces.

Georgia's opposition has begun a campaign of daily disruption in the capital Tbilisi in a bid to oust President Mikhail Saakashvili.

Activists blocked off major roads in the city for six hours and said they would repeat the closures between the same times each day.

They accuse Mr Saakashvili of leading the country into a disastrous war with Russia and provoking a crisis.

The president insists he will serve out his full term in office, until 2013.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/7993844.stm

Saakashvili only got in through flawed elections in the first place.