Georgia: Thousands of Georgians, in the biggest protests for a decade, surrounded the heavily-guarded offices of President Eduard Shevardnadze in a human chain yesterday and demanded he step down.
Up to 20,000 protesters, ignoring the veteran President's emotional appeal to stay at home, responded to opposition calls to take a dispute over the November 2nd election result to the streets and press Mr Shevardnadze to resign.
The protests, the largest in Georgia since the end of a bitter civil war in the early 1990s, were watched anxiously by western governments and oil firms hoping for a return to stability to allow construction of a key oil pipeline from neighbouring Azerbaijan to the Mediterranean via Turkey.
The protesters appeared determined but peaceful, hundreds dancing to an impromptu folk concert outside parliament square.
An opposition leader, Mr Mikhail Saakashvili, stepping up the pressure on the President, demanded "total civil disobedience". "This man stole everything from us and he is not going to take notice of his own people. Never in Georgia were the people so mobilised against the government," he said.
"I call on the army not to act on the unlawful commander-in-chief's illegal orders," he said, and urged state workers to strike and police not to go to work.
He also called on all Georgians to take to the streets day after day until the president stepped down.
As evening fell, thousands formed a human chain round the presidential office building.
Interior Ministry troops watched as protesters chanted "Step down" and "Traitor". Later most headed home.
Earlier, Reuters correspondents saw armoured vehicles, trucks and buses with soldiers in body armour outside the Interior Ministry. The Ministry has said it will use force only if protesters target government buildings.
The crisis was triggered by a disputed parliamentary election almost two weeks ago, in which the opposition said it was robbed of victory. Attempts at talks were launched on Sunday, but ended on Wednesday when Mr Saakashvili walked out.
The turmoil has threatened to plunge Georgia into chaos and dash western hopes of a stable partner in the region to ensure construction of the oil pipeline to cut out Gulf ports.
Mr Shevardnadze (75) has looked to his neighbours in the Caucasus and Russia for support in facing down the protests.
- (Reuters)