SHEVARDNADZE AGAINST CIS BLOC.

SHEVARDNADZE AGAINST CIS BLOC.

Georgian head of state Eduard Shevardnadze told a Tbilisi news conference that he opposes the idea of creating a CIS military bloc as a counterbalance to NATO. "I am categorically against the creation of another military bloc. It could only lead to another cold war and the impoverishment of our countries," he said. (17) Shevardnadze must know that in rejecting Boris Yeltsin’s call he risks jeopardizing his rapprochement with Moscow, on which he has staked the hope of regaining Abkhazia. He may also be courting domestic risks: his pro-Moscow defense minister, Lt. General Vardiko Nadibaidze, has just enthusiastically endorsed Yeltsin’s call for a CIS military bloc.

Terrorist Threats Keep Shevardnadze at Home.