Membership in the Russia-led Commonwealth of Independent States, a confederation of 12 ex-Soviet republics, is highly unpopular among the Georgian leadership, which aims to strengthen its ties with the West, and join NATO.
Nino Burdzhanadze explained her decision to put off hearings, saying the draft resolution must first be considered by the house's foreign relations committee and receive its approval before being put before a plenary session. The committee was set consider the issue on Thursday, but did not have a quorum and was therefore cancelled.
As well as Georgia, which is caught up in an ongoing diplomatic row with Russia, other CIS members, notably Ukraine, have criticized the organization as being ineffectual, and a vehicle for promoting Russia's interests. Moldova's leader has questioned the organization's future, and last year Turkmenistan ceased to be a full member.
Kakha Kukava, a member of the opposition Democratic Front faction and co-sponsor of the draft resolution, said: "I believe that by putting off the issue, parliament wants to avoid debating the issue of the pullout and bury it."
The parliamentary majority coalition said earlier it would be wrong for Georgia to withdraw from the CIS at this stage.
Commenting on the draft, Deputy Parliamentary Speaker Mikheil Machavariani said the decision would "create problems for the country's citizens."
"Many people don't know that if we pull out from the CIS right now then goods we import, say, from Ukraine, will become 12% more expensive. We are responsible people, and must not get our citizens into an even more complicated situation."
The small South Caucasus country has been hard-hit by the sanctions recently imposed by its former Soviet ally Russia, on which it is heavily dependent economically. As well as banning mail and transport to the country and deporting hundreds of Georgians, Russia has hinted that it could cut off natural gas supplies to the country if Georgia does not agree to its price terms for 2007.
The deputy speaker said that a political decision on quitting the CIS had been made, but when it will be implemented depends on minimizing risks to the population's well-being.
Georgia's government has been drafting relevant bills and holding bilateral consultations with CIS members on the issue.
Before Georgia and Russia's latest feud, which erupted with the arrests of Russian officers on spying charges in September, tensions had already been strained over Russia's ban on the import of Georgian mineral water and wine, and disputes over Georgia's conflict zones.
