TBILISI (AFP) — A top US diplomat on Monday called on Georgia to immediately lift a state of emergency imposed five days ago and described recent unrest in the ex-Soviet country as "a shock to the system."
Matthew Bryza, US Deputy Assistant Secretary for European and Eurasian Affairs, was meeting with Georgian officials Monday as three Russian diplomats left the country after being accused of backing an alleged coup attempt.
"It's essential that a couple of steps be taken right away, which is lifting the state of emergency and restoring all television broadcasts," Bryza told reporters after meeting Prime Minister Zurab Noghaideli.
"Obviously what happened in recent weeks has been a shock to the system.... So our concern is that this momentum of democratic development be restored as quickly as possible," he added.
President Mikheil Saakashvili imposed the 15-day state of emergency, which bans public demonstrations and independent newscasts, after police fought running battles with protesters in the capital on Wednesday.
Police used rubber bullets, tear gas and water cannons to disperse thousands of protesters who had gathered for a sixth day to call for Saakashvili's resignation and early parliamentary elections.
Saakashvili later announced a snap presidential election for January 5, which protestors claimed as a victory for their campaign.
The strongly pro-Western Saakashvili, who came to power following the 2003 pro-democracy uprising dubbed the Rose Revolution, has been under mounting pressure from Western governments to restore civil and press freedoms.
His reputation as one of the leading democrats in the former Soviet Union was in danger of being tarnished by the police crackdown and imposition of emergency rule.
Despite US condemnation of the government's response to the protests, Bryza said that Washington maintains "deep friendships and contacts with the government here" and that it was the country's democratic development since the Rose Revolution "that elevated Georgia's strategic importance to us."
Bryza also met Monday with opposition leaders and said he had stressed that the opposition as well was required to act more responsibly.
"There is another side of responsibility, which is that the demands that are issued not be incendiary, not incite people to violence and that they truly help plot a path forward to rejuvenate the democratic reform process," he said.
Saakashvili has said Wednesday's events were part of an attempt masterminded by Russia to overthrow his government and that police had responded to violence from the protesters.
Moscow has dismissed the accusation and said Saakashvili was looking for a scapegoat for domestic political troubles.
Three Russian diplomats accused of backing the alleged coup attempt left Georgia on Monday, Russian embassy spokesman Zarina Gabiyeva said.
One of the diplomats, Ivan Volinkin, told Russia's RIA Novosti news agency that the allegations against them were unfounded.
"Georgia's accusations of interfering in internal affairs and espionage have no foundation in reality. Georgia is doing this purely for political reasons," he said.
The Russian foreign ministry announced last week it would expel three senior Georgian diplomats "in response to unfriendly moves by the Georgian side."
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