Opposition attempts to disrupt first session of Georgia's new Parliament

Georgia's President Eduard Shevardnadze opened on Saturday the first session of the country's new parliament.

"Let me congratulate you on the credence our people have given you. I announce this session open," said Shevardnadze speaking to the new MPs.

The national anthem was played after that, and the Georgian leader asked the oldest MP, 72-year-old Boris Salaridze, to take the seat of the parliament's speaker.

Shortly after that, the course of the session was disrupted when about 20 deputies of the opposition bloc "Saakashvili - National Movement" broke in and demanded Shevardnadze's resignation.

Currently, the guards and the MPs of the pro-President "Revival" bloc are trying to remove representatives of the opposition from the hall.