On March 12, Georgia's parliament adopted Constitutional amendments setting parliamentary elections for spring 2008.
"The opposition did not want parliamentary polls to be held after Independence Day and the military parade on May 26. Therefore, I think, that it will be better to hold parliamentary elections before Independence Day, around May 21," Saakashvili told Georgian journalists in New York.
On Sunday about 5,000 protestors joined 70 hunger strikers, 12 were later hospitalized, outside Georgia's parliament to protest against the January reelection of President Mikheil Saakashvili, which they claim was rigged.
Pro-Western Saakashvili was reelected on January 5 with 53% of the vote. In November 2007, he was forced to step down after opposition protests in the capital turned violent and police brutally dispersed protesters demanding his resignation as president, a post he had occupied since early 2004, following the 2003 bloodless 'Rose' revolution that saw Eduard Shevardnadze removed from power.
The Georgian leader also said Tuesday Georgia's leadership will present new initiatives on conflict settlement with the unrecognized republic of Abkhazia. He said Tbilisi will make a number of proposals to the leaders of Abkhazia. "We will voice these proposals early next week," he said.
Kosovo's declaration of independence from Serbia February 17 prompted the parliaments of Abkhazia and South Ossetia in early March to request that Russia's parliament, the UN and other organizations recognize their independence.
Both Abkhazia and South Ossetia were involved in bloody conflicts with Georgia after proclaiming independence following the split-up of the Soviet Union in 1991.
