Tbilisi Discusses Withdrawal From CIS

Kakha Imnadze, the press secretary to Georgian president Edward Shevardnadze, has admitted that Tbilisi is "discussing" the possibility of backing out of the Commonwealth of Independent States. Earlier in the day, Shevardnadze met with leaders of Georgian parliamentary factions to discuss "the expediency of having Russian peacekeepers in the zone of the Abkhazian conflict." Eventually, the discussion shifted to the expediency of being a CIS member, Imnadze told journalists on Thursday. At the same time, the press secretary denied reports saying Shevardnadze has already announced the beginning of the Georgia's withdrawal from the CIS. "There is no such item on the agenda as 'withdrawal from the CIS'," he said.