Mr Netelashvili said that he viewed the ordering of the parliamentary elections as "the continuation of the coup d'etat in Georgia".
"We see these elections as half-way because this time the election of deputies on party lists has been found unlawful and deputies will now be registered in only the majority constituencies," he said.
Answering questions from journalists, Natelashvili said that the problem of the Russian troops' withdrawal from Georgia "should be resolved within the settlement of the Abkhazian issue and in the optimal timeframe" /Abkhazia is an unrecognized constituent republic of Georgia/.
As regards the United States' military presence, Natelashvili said that an American military base would very soon be opened in Georgia.
"The location of American military bases in the Transcaucasia, Central Asia and East Europe presents a certain danger for Russia, East Europe, China and India," Natelashvili emphasized. The leader of the Georgian Labourists stressed that, during his visit to the United States scheduled for February 2004, he is going to discuss the issue with U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell.
