November 18, 2003	Tuesday	Ramazan 22, 1424

TBILISI, Nov 17: Georgia’s embattled President Eduard Shevardnadze said on Monday a commission would investigate a disputed election that has sparked protests and calls for his resignation, but opposition remained unmoved and promised more mass action.

After a week of protests, which included the nation’s largest political demonstration in a decade, the 75-year-old Georgian leader said a commission of inquiry would investigate the November 2 election and punish any officials found guilty of rigging the vote.

“We set up a special group, we’ve ordered the prosecutors and the interior ministry to open criminal cases into violations in the lists and to carry out investigations,” Shevardnadze said.

“The police will answer, our apparatus will answer for what happened.”—AFP