TBILISI, Nov 12: 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 on 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 Jan 5, which protesters 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 emergency rule.—AFP