Georgia opposition seeks meeting with president

By Matt Robinson and Margarita Antidze

TBILISI (Reuters) - Georgia's opposition, backed by some 20,000 protesters, pushed on Saturday for direct talks with President Mikheil Saakashvili in an attempt to end a month-long political crisis in the former Soviet republic.

The stand-off over Saakashvili's rule flared into violence this week, casting a shadow over the start of NATO military exercises in Georgia. These exercises, nine months after Russia's brief war with Georgia, have angered Moscow.

Under pressure from the Orthodox Church after clashes between police and protesters injured 28 people, the opposition met parliament speaker David Bakradze on Friday in the first formal contact with the government since street protests began on April 9.

On Saturday, several opposition leaders demanded talks with Saakashvili so they could tell him to quit over his record on democracy and last year's war, when Russia crushed a Georgian assault on breakaway South Ossetia. Others urged patience.

"We are giving the president 24 hours to get in touch with us by telephone or any other means, otherwise we'll let you know our plans on the continuation of our activities and their scope tomorrow evening," Salome Zurabishvili, one of the protest leaders, told around 20,000 protesters in front of parliament.

Another prominent opposition leader, Irakly Alasania, said talks with Bakradze should continue.

Turnout at the protests on Saturday was far higher than usual to mark the one-month anniversary of the protests.

Opposition leaders met the European Union's South Caucasus envoy, Peter Semneby. Asked about possible mediation, he said the EU had a "profound interest" in events in Georgia and was ready to help, but did not see itself taking an active role.