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Übersicht >>Archiv - frühere Nachrichten >>Archiv - spätere Nachrichten| 30 Jun. '11 | UN-Generalversammlung verabschiedet Resolution zu den intern Vertriebenen in Georgien: jetzt 57 Ja-Stimmen (2010: 50-Ja-Stimmen)
The
UN General Assembly passed on June 29 Georgia-sponsored resolution
reiterating the right of return of all displaced persons and refugees to
breakaway Abkhazia and South Ossetia by a vote of 57 in favor to 13
against, with 74 abstentions.
Three similar non-binding resolutions
were passed by the UN General Assembly in last three years – one in 2008
(in respect of Abkhazia) and two others in 2009 and 2010.
Georgia
says that pushing the resolution annually on the Assembly aims at
keeping the issue high on the international agenda and on the other hand
at widening support towards such resolution.
In 2008 the resolution
was passed with small margin of 14 votes in favor to 11 against and 105
abstentions. The following year 48 countries voted in favor; 19 –
against, with 78 abstained. In 2010 margin widened slightly with 50
countries voting in favor and 17 – against, with 86 abstentions.
Armenia;
Cuba; Democratic People's Republic of Korea; Laos; Myanmar; Nicaragua;
Russia; Serbia; Sri Lanka; Sudan; Syria; Venezuela and Vietnam voted
against of the resolution on June 29, 2011.
Delegation from the
smallest island nation of Nauru, which like Russia, Venezuela and
Nicaragua recognized Abkhazia and South Ossetia, was absent and did not
take part in voting.
On top of those 50 countries (including Georgia
itself), which voted in favor of the last year’s resolution, seven
additional countries joined their support to this year’s resolution,
including Antigua and Barbuda; Congo; Costa Rica; Guinea-Bissau;
Maldives; Saint Vincent and the Grenadines; Vanuatu.
Vanuatu’s
support comes after it recognized Abkhazia in May, but retracted its
recognition shortly after change of government in this small island
state in the middle of the South Pacific Ocean in June.
Other
countries, which supported this year’s resolution were EU-member states
and other Western European nations (Switzerland, which acts as a
mediator between Georgia and Russia has abstained), as well as
Australia; Azerbaijan; Bosnia and Herzegovina; Croatia; Japan; Malawi;
Marshall Islands, Micronesia; Moldova; Montenegro; New Zealand; Tuvalu
and the United States.
Turkey has abstained; Ukraine, which was
among the supporters of similar resolutions in 2008 and 2009, and Iran,
which voted against the resolutions in 2008 and 2009, did not vote this
time.
Belarus, whose delegation was present at the session, said
adoption of such a resolution in “condition of confrontation” would not
help improving situation on the ground; its delegation said that it
would not take part in the voting.
Georgia’s UN ambassador, Alexander Lomaia, welcomed the vote result saying that “with every year circle of support is widening.”
Like
in previous years, the Russian delegation again slammed the resolution
saying that it was politically motivated having nothing to do with
humanitarian purposes. The Russian delegation said that the Geneva talks
was a proper venue for discussion issue of displaced persons and
refugees and if Georgia wanted to raise this issue at the UN General
Assembly, representatives of Abkhazia and South Ossetia should also be
given a chance to participate in such a decision at the UN.
Like the
previous resolutions, the new one again calls for development of a
timetable to ensure the return of all internally displaced persons and
refugees and requests the UN Secretary General to submit a report on
implementation of this resolution at the next, sixty-sixth General
Assembly session.
In a recent report submitted last month, the UN
Secretary General says that no timetable for the return of refugees and
internally displaced persons has been developed “given the prevailing
environment and continued discussions among the parties.”
“As long as
conditions for organized returns in safety and dignity are not
fulfilled and mechanisms for property restitution are not established,
the design of a comprehensive timetable or road map for returns must
remain an open matter,” the Secretary General said in the report.
|
| 28 Jun. '11 | Georgien
verurteilt 15 Personen, darunter auch der russ. Offizier Yevgeny
Borisov, wegen einer Serie von Terroranschlägen in Georgien
Es
wurden langjährige Gefängnisstrafen verhängt, gegen Yevgeny Borisov 30
Jahre als Organisator der Anschläge; viele Angeklagte waren nicht
anwesend.
The Tbilisi City Court found fifteen people guilty of
terrorism and sentenced most of them, some in absentia, to lengthy
prison terms in connection to series of explosions including in the
capital city Tbilisi, which Georgia said was ordered by a Russian
military officer.
The court said in a statement on June 28, that
Russian military officer, Yevgeny Borisov, at the time serving in
Abkhazia, and a Gali-based Mukhran Tskhadaia, “who was cooperating with
the Russian special services, formed a terrorist group with a purpose to
terrorize population in various parts of Georgia, to trigger unrests
and to target Georgian state’s strategic, political and economic
interests.”
The court said that the group “carried out number of
terrorist acts in Samegrelo region and Tbilisi in 2009-2010, which
resulted into death of a person, as well as caused other grave
consequences.”
A woman died in an explosion outside the opposition Labor Party’s office in Tbilisi on November 28, 2010.
Yevgeny Borisov was sentenced to 30 years in prison in absentia.
In
March, 2011 the Russian Foreign Ministry said that allegations against
its citizen, Yevgeny Borisov, were fabricated. It said that Maj. Borisov
had not been in Abkhazia since August 2010 and could not have been
involved in organizing series of explosions in Georgia in autumn, 2010.
Upon
Georgia’s request Interpol issued “red notice” to assist in the arrest
of Maj. Borisov. “Red notice” allows arrest warrants issued by national
police authorities to be circulated to other countries to facilitate
arrests and help possible extradition.
Mukhran Tskhadaia, who is also
wanted by the Georgian police, was sentenced to life imprisonment in
absentia; a third person also sentenced in absentia to 30 years is Melor
Tskhadaia. Four others, who were arrested in late 2010 and earlier this
year were sentenced to 30 years in prison.
|
| 28 Jun. '11 | Neue Anklage gegen Okruashvili wegen "Formierung einer bewaffneten Gruppe" erhoben
Er lebt seit 2008 im Exil in Frankreich, da er in Georgien in Abwesenheit zu 11 Jahren Gefängnis verurteilt wurde.
The
Georgian prosecutor’s office said on June 28, that it had brought
charges against exiled ex-defense minister Irakli Okruashvili related to
“formation of illegal armed group.”
In unrelated case, Okruashvili,
who was granted political asylum by France in April 2008, was found
guilty of “large-scale extortion” by the Tbilisi City Court in March,
2008 and sentenced to 11 years in prison in absentia.
On June 23,
2011 the Georgian Interior Ministry said, that its counter-intelligence
service arrested a group of men affiliated with Okruashvili, who is a
co-founder of opposition Georgian Party, and charged them with formation
of illegal armed group, allegedly intending to provide military back-up
to the return of Okruashvili back to Georgia during the street protest
rallies in late May.
The Georgian Party said that the allegation "is
fiction" and "fabrication"; it also said that the police “planted” arms
in houses of its activists arrested in connection to the case.
|
| 28 Jun. '11 | Tbilisi
lädt Moskau zu Gesprächen bezüglich des Verfahrens vor dem Int.
Gerichtshof, das Georgien wegen der Verletzung etlicher europäischer
Menschenrechte während des Krieges im August 2008 initiert hatte
In
an attempt to pave way for its case against Russia in the Hague-based
International Court of Justice (ICJ), Tbilisi invited Moscow in formal
negotiations over its allegations that Moscow committed "ethnic
cleansing" in South Ossetia and "ethnically motivated violence" in
Abkhazia.
In its case filed before the ICJ shortly after the August,
2008 war, Georgia claimed that Russia violated its obligations under the
1965 International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial
Discrimination (CERD-Committee on the Elimination of Racial
Discrimination) during three distinct phases of its interventions in
South Ossetia and Abkhazia in the period from 1990 to August 2008.
On
April 1 ICJ upheld Russia's one of the arguments and ruled that it had
no jurisdiction to consider Georgia's case on its merit on the grounds
that Tbilisi neither attempted to negotiate specifically CERD-related
matters with the Russian Federation nor used other mode of dispute
resolution before referring the case directly to ICJ.
Georgia said
shortly after that ruling that it would try to resolve, what it called,
“technical” problems - which was absence of formal talks with Moscow
specifically on CERD-related matter - in order to pave the way for
consideration of the case on its merit by the ICJ.
Three months later
Georgia made a formal request to Russia via a mediator to launch these
talks. A relevant note was handed over by Georgian Deputy Foreign
Minister, Nino Kalandadze, to Swiss ambassador in Tbilisi. Switzerland
acts as a mediator between Russia and Georgia after the two countries
cut diplomatic relations following the August war.
"Georgia took
into consideration the Judgment of the International Court of Justice of
April 1, 2011, in which the ICJ has established the fact of the
existence of dispute between Georgia and the Russian Federation, however
has indicated the necessity of holding direct negotiations between the
two States in the framework of the above-mentioned Convention," the
Georgian Foreign Ministry said in a statement on June 27.
"It is
noteworthy that Georgia has repeatedly attempted to resolve the disputes
under Convention with Russian Federation through negotiations,
including both prior to and since the commencement of major hostilities
in August 2008, however no adequate reaction followed from Russian
side," it said.
|
| 27 Jun. '11 | Regierende
Partei "National Movement" unterzeichnete ein Abkommen mit sechs
anderen Parteien zur geplanten Reform des Wahlsystems, basierend auf den
Vorschlägen vom 24.6.
- Number of parliamentary seats will go up to 190;
- 83 – majoritarian seats; 107 – proportional seats;
- GEL 1 mln for all the parties clearing 5% threshold;
- GEL 300,000 out of GEL 1m to be spent on TV ads;
- Liakhvi, Akhalgori constituencies to be scrapped;
- Tbilisi to have 15 single-mandate constituencies
- Voters list to be checked by opposition-chaired group;
- New Rights, CDM join the deal;
Proposal was rejected by six opposition parties
The
ruling National Movement party signed a deal with several other
parties, including with Christian-Democratic Movement (CDM) and New
Rights Party, setting up electoral system for the next parliamentary
elections in 2012.
The deal, rejected by six opposition parties, is
based on proposals tabled by the ruling party on June 24; the final text
of agreement, however, contains some amendments, including in regard to
campaign funding scheme, and specifies some other provisions.
According to the deal, relevant amendments to the election code should be made before October, 2011.
Electoral System
According
to the agreement number of lawmakers in the new Parliament will be
increased from the current 150 to 190, wherein 107 will be elected
through party-list, proportional system and 83 seats will be allocated
to majoritarian MPs elected in single-mandate constituencies.
Increase
of number of parliamentary seats will require passing of constitutional
amendments by the Parliament, but the move in itself is likely to
become a highly controversial. Number of seats in the Parliament was
reduced from 235 to 150 in a referendum held in 2003. Georgia’s law on
referendum, however, says that a decision, taken as a result of
referendum, can only be revised or canceled through new referendum.
Under
the existing system 150 seats in the Parliament are split equally
(75/75) between MPs elected through party-list and majoritarian systems.
According
to the proposal number of majoritarian MPs will be increased to 83 at
the expanse of creating ten new single-mandate constituencies, by
dividing those constituencies into two where number of registered voters
exceeds 100,000; such constituencies are: five large towns, including
Kutaisi, Zugdidi, Gori, Rustavi and Batumi, as well as five election
districts in the capital city, Tbilisi, involving Gldani, Samgori,
Nadzaladevi, Saburtalo and Isani.
Among those 75 majoritarian MPs
currently holding seats in the Parliament there are two who were elected
in May, 2008 elections in Liakhvi and Akhalgori – constituencies which
before the August, 2008 war were under the Tbilisi’s control in
breakaway South Ossetia.
Although not directly mentioned the fate of
these two mandates in the text of the agreement on new system, but the
fact that number of majoritarian MPs will be 83 and not 85 (the proposal
envisages creating ten new single-mandate constituencies) indicates
that these two constituencies will be scrapped under the new system.
The
next Parliament, elected in 2012, will have to elect PM with increased
powers when the new constitution goes into force in late 2013. A prime
ministerial candidate will require support of more than half of
lawmakers, which is at least 96 votes under the proposed system of
having 190 lawmakers.
Under the new constitution two-third of votes
will be needed to override presidential veto on constitutional
amendments, which in case of 190-member Parliament will be 127 votes; to
override presidential veto on prime ministerial candidate during
constructive non-confidence vote Parliament will need three-fifth of
votes, which in case of 190 seats will be 114 votes.
Under the
existing system, wherein a majoritarian MP is elected through
winner-takes-all rule (this rule will remain in the new system too), the
ruling party endorsed its candidates in 71 out of 75 single-mandate
constituencies in 2008 parliamentary elections. In addition the ruling
party endorsed 48 lawmakers through proportional, party-list system
after receiving 59.18% of votes. As a result, although the National
Movement in party-list contest received 59.18% support, it managed to
take total of 119 seats, which makes 79.3% of seats in the 150-member
legislative body.
If the scenario of 2008 elections repeats itself in
2012 parliamentary polls (ruling party garnering 59.18% of votes in
party-list system and winning 71 out of proposed 83 majoritarian seats),
the ruling party will control up to 70% of seats in the 190-member
Parliament – less in percentage points than now (79.3%), but still
larger majority than its overall share of the vote.
Voters List
In
order to verify accuracy of voter lists, the ruling party is offering
to establish a special commission composed of representatives from the
authorities, opposition and civil society organizations "on parity
basis." Chairman of the commission will be a representative of an
opposition party.
Only those parties will be eligible to take seat in
the commission, which have decided to join this deal on proposed
electoral system reform.
The commission's work will be funded from the state budget.
The commission should secure verification of voter list in a period between October 1, 2011 and July 1, 2012.
In
its previous proposal tabled on March 9, the ruling party, was offering
to draw up voter list based on biometric identification system only in
Tbilisi; the opposition was pushing for applying such system throughout
the country. The current deal does not at all envisages this provision.
Party, Campaign Funding
The
ruling party’s proposal initially envisaged allocating GEL 1 million
from the state budget to those parties, which clear 5% electoral
threshold in the next parliamentary elections on the condition that that
party was part of this deal.
This provision triggered speculation
and accusations that the authorities were trying to buy opposition
parties participation into the deal and as a result the final text no
longer includes this clause.
According to the final text, all the
parties, without exception, will receive GEL 1 million in case of
clearing 5% threshold in order to cover election campaign costs.
GEL
300,000 out of this sum will specifically be used for covering TV
advertisement cost. Prices on political TV ads ahead of elections
usually are increasing ten-fold on the most-watched national
broadcasters.
The proposal also envisages doubling of limits set for donations to a party's electoral campaign fund.
The
proposal offers to allow a party to receive GEL 60,000 as a donation
from a single individual and GEL 200,000 from a single company.
According
to the existing electoral code, a party can raise no more than GEL
30,000 from a single individual and no more than GEL 100,000 from a
single company.
In the May, 2010 local elections campaign of those
five parties, which have cleared 5% electoral threshold was worth of up
to GEL 16 million and almost 90% of this sum was the ruling National
Movement's share. Much of the ruling party’s funding came from companies
with most of them operating in road construction business.
Other Proposals
In
other proposals the deal includes a provision to increase deadline for
consideration of electoral complaints from current two to four days.
A
governmental inter-agency task force will be created from July 1, 2012
in order to address possible violations in respect of use of
administrative resources. Similar group was working in previous
elections as well, but as some local election watchdog groups say the
inter-agency task force didn’t “always manage to conduct a timely
investigation of electoral violations.”
The deal also involves media
monitoring of campaign coverage and for this purpose a foreign firm will
be hired by the Central Election Commission (CEC). The latter was doing
the same in previous elections, but after reflecting provision of the
deal into election code, the commission will be obliged to hire a
foreign firm for this purpose not the local one.
Reactions to the Deal
As
of Monday evening the deal was signed by the five parties – ruling
National Movement; Christian-Democratic Movement (CDM); New Rights;
National-Democratic Party and On Our Own.
Before announcing about
their decision to accept the ruling party’s proposals on June 27, New
Rights and CDM were part of the group of eight – a coalition which had
an agreement since October, 2010 to speak with one voice with the
authorities on electoral-related issues.
The New Rights Party said
its decision was motivated by pragmatism, arguing that despite
shortcomings, in overall, the deal was already “some result”, which was
better than being left empty-handed.
Similar position was voiced by
the CDM, saying that the deal was not the best option, but it was better
than the existing system. The CDM also said it was not in favor of “all
or nothing” approach, because such a tactic had failed to bring any
result at all in the past.
Other six opposition parties from the
grouping, formerly known as group of eight, slammed the deal saying that
it was offering only superficial, “façade changes” failing to secure
fundamental improvement of the electoral system.
“We continue
struggle for fair elections and change of the government through
[elections]. Together we will turn this struggle into a large-scale
civic movement for “Free Elections” and achieve victory together with
the people,” the six opposition parties said in a joint statement on
June 27.
|
| 27 Jun. '11 | Tbilisi arbeitet weiter daran, offiziell als 'Georgia' und nicht 'Gruzya' bei einem dutzend Länder geführt zu werden
Die russische Version “Gruzya” benutznen noch: Bulgaria; Belarus; China; Croatia; Latvia; Lithuania; Estonia; Poland;
the Czech Republic; Slovakia, Slovenia; Serbia; Hungary; Macedonia;
Ukraine. Zuletzt hat Südkorea der Umstellung des offiziellen Nennung auf “Georgia” anstatt “Gruzya” zugestimmt.
The
Georgian Foreign Ministry said on June 27, that South Korea had agreed
to refer to the country as “Georgia” instead of its Russian
pronunciation “Gruzya.”
“This is of special importance for us taking
into consideration the fact that number of countries, including those
which are our friends, have failed so far to do so,” Nino Kalandadze,
the Georgian deputy foreign minister, said on June 27, adding that
Tbilisi acknowledges that switching to “Georgia” from “Gruzya” was
related with technical difficulties in those countries.
She said that
Tbilisi requested “many countries” to switch on using “Georgia” long
time ago and Tbilisi would continue talks on the issue with those
countries.
Georgia will have to negotiate the issue with over a dozen
of countries, who use the Russian version of its name, among them:
Bulgaria; Belarus; China; Croatia; Latvia; Lithuania; Estonia; Poland;
the Czech Republic; Slovakia, Slovenia; Serbia; Hungary; Macedonia;
Ukraine.
|
| 27 Jun. '11 | Sechs der acht Oppositionsparteien aus dem Wahlreformkreis weisen die Vorschläge der Regierungspartei zurück
Six
opposition parties said in a joint statement on June 27, that they
reject a proposal put forth by the ruling party on electoral system
reform last week.
Politicians from those parties say that the
proposal offers only superficial “façade changes” failing to secure
fundamental improvement of the electoral system.
These six parties –
Republican Party; Our Georgia-Free Democrats; Conservative Party;
People’s Party; Georgia’s Way and National Forum – were part of the
group of eight, which had an agreement to speak with one voice with the
authorities on electoral-related issues.
Two parties from the group –
New Rights and Christian-Democratic Movement – announced on June 27,
that they accept the ruling party’s proposal, hence quitting the group
of eight.
After laying out its proposals on June 24, the ruling party
said that the offer was final and no major amendments would be made in
them.
Pavle Kublashvili, a senior lawmaker and ruling party’s chief
negotiator on electoral issues, said on June 27 that those willing to
join the agreement should sign it at a ceremony at 6pm local time on
Monday.
“By doing so the authorities again chose language of
ultimatums, political horse-trading; blackmailing and has actually said
no to political dialogue,” the six opposition parties said in a joint
statement on Monday.
“A principle ‘agree or we will do it in our way
anyway’ is unacceptable for us,” the statement says. “Change of
electoral environment should be based on improvement of unbalanced
electoral system and not on offering money to those parties, which will
agree on incomplete proposals. Taking part in such a deal can not be
regarded as an agreement between the authorities and political
opposition.”
The six opposition parties were referring to one of the
clauses in the ruling party’s proposal, according to which a party
becoming part of the agreement and clearing 5% threshold in the
parliamentary elections, planned in 2012, will receive GEL 1 million to
cover its campaign costs. A party, which refuses to join the agreement
but manages to clear 5% threshold, will not become eligible for GEL 1
million, according to the ruling party’s proposal.
“We continue
struggle for fair elections and change of the government through
[elections]. Together we will turn this struggle into a large-scale
civic movement for “Free Elections” and achieve victory together with
the people,” the six opposition parties said in the statement.
Davit Usupashvili, the leader of Republican Party said, this struggle “will be hard.”
“Together
with the people we will manage to achieve an environment wherein the
authorities will have to return back to the negotiating table. The
struggle will be hard; it would have been better if all of us continued
this struggle, but two of our colleagues [referring to New Rights and
Christian-Democratic Movement parties] have made their choice,”
Usupashvili said.
Irakli Alasania, leader of the Our Georgia-Free
Democratic Party, said the ruling party’s proposals were superficial
failing to fundamentally change electoral system.
“Unfortunately some
of our partners have agreed on these proposals,” Alasania said.
“Political struggle, which we will continue, does not exclude any
method.”
Leader of People’s Party, Koba Davitashvili, said that
offering GEL 1 million to those who would agree on the ruling party’s
proposal “is insulting.” “We will not do that,” he said.
“Unfortunately
the New Rights and Christian-Democrats failed to resist temptation… It
would have been possible to achieve much more in case of maintaining
unity,” Zviad Dzidziguri, leader of the Conservative Party, said.
The
six opposition parties say that their electoral system proposals mainly
center around the offer put forth on April 5. Key point of those
proposals were drawing voter registry based on biometric identification
system and introducing such electoral system, which will prevent a
situation wherein party’s majority in the Parliament is larger
proportionally than its overall share of the vote.
|
| 26 Jun. '11 | Präsident Saakashvili: 'Entscheidung zur Verlegung des Parlaments ist eine historische Reform ...'
Moving
various branches of government from the capital city, Tbilisi, to other
parts of the country shows that "decentralization process" in on the
right track. President Saakashvili said.
He made the remarks while
speaking at a ceremony in Batumi on June 25 marking 15th anniversary of
the Georgian Constitutional Court, which was moved from Tbilisi to the
Black Sea resort town in 2006.
Saakashvili said that a decision to
relocate next Parliament from Tbilisi to Georgia's second largest city
of Kutaisi in the western part of the country, was "a historic reform,
whose importance cannot be overestimated."
He also said that the Parliament will be moved to Kutaisi no matter what the opponents might say.
The
constitutional amendment on Parliament's relocation was passed with its
first and second reading on June 21 and June 24, respectively. The
opposition is against saying that it is causing unjustified expenses;
the opponents also say that by moving the legislative body from
proximity to the executive it would affect negatively on its oversight
functions over the Tbilisi-based executive government.
Saakashvili
suggested that the opposition politicians were against of such move,
because they, if elected in the next Parliament, did not want to leave
the capital and work in Kutaisi.
"Those who do not want Kutaisi, they
will fail to get there," Saakashvili said, suggesting that opponents of
the decision will not be elected in the legislative body in 2012
parliamentary elections.
"The Georgian people will not let them into
Kutaisi [referring to Parliament]. Those for whom Kutaisi, Batumi,
Chkhorotsku, Kharagauli, Sokhumi and other [towns] are equally precious,
will be allowed into [Parliament]," Saakashvili said.
"That's new
Georgia," he continued. "Everything will be decided not by those same
100 people gathering at the same street [apparently alluding on protest
rallies on Rustaveli Avenue], but by 4.7 million people, who are the
main decision-makers about the future of thier country."
|
| 20 Jun. '11 | Gerichtshof verhängt Untersuchungshaft gegen Nino Burjanadze's Ehemann
Er ist angeklagt, am 30.Mai Angriffe durch eine organisierte Gruppe gegen Polizisten angeführt zu haben.
About
two weeks after expiration of deadline for Badri Bitsadze, husband of
leader of the May street protest rallies Nino Burjanadze, to post GEL
100,000 bail, the prosecutor’s office requested the court on June 20 to
apply pre-trial dentition for him.
The Tbilisi City Court said late on June 20 that it had ruled in favor of the prosecutor’s request.
Bitsadze,
who has not been arrested, was charged by the prosecutor’s office on
May 30 with spearheading attacks on policemen by an organized group. On
June 1 prosecutor’s office requested court GEL 100,000 bail for
Bitsadze to be paid within seven days; no bail has been paid.
The Georgian law enforcement agencies say that Bitsadze has apparently already left the country.
According
to one account provided by an opposition politician from the National
Forum party, Gubaz Sanikidze, Bitsadze was briefly in the police hands
after the riot police dispersed protest rally on the Rustaveli Avenue on
May 26. According to Sanikidze he met with Bitsadze in Shida Kartli
region, where as Bitsadze told him, was left by the police in the forest
while several of his companions taken by the police..
Burjanadze,
who says she is not aware of her husband’s whereabouts, made it clear
from the very beginning that was not intending to pay any bail and
denied charges brought against her husband as fabricated.
|
| 15 Jun. '11 | Georgischer Kaukasus-Experte Mamuka Areshidze spricht von der Notwendigkeit, die Unabhängigkeit Abchasiens anzuerkennen
A
Georgian pundit and a frequent commentator on Caucasian affairs and
conflict issues, Mamuka Areshidze, put an exceptionally rare twist to a
discourse within Georgian society on future Tbilisi-Sokhumi relations by
saying that Georgia should consider recognizing Abkhazia’s
independence.
Areshidze acknowledged, that the idea, which seems to
be hugely unpopular within Georgia and which actually has never been a
major part of public discussion on Abkhaz-related matters mainly focused
on territorial integrity concept, is expected to draw lots of
criticism.
“Not only the present government, in the condition of
present society in overall there will be lots of obstacles; many people
will set against me,” Mamuka Areshidze, the head of Caucasus Center for
Strategic Research, said in an interview with the Georgian daily,
Rezonansi, published on June 15.
He said that Tbilisi should start considering this approach for very pragmatic reasons.
“We
have to take extraordinary measures in order to return not Abkhazia,
but to return Abkhazians… If we want to return Abkhazians, we should
save them,” Areshidze said.
“Return of Abkhazians will be impossible
if we leave them in the situation in which they currently are. Russia is
vigorously changing demographic landscape of Abkhazia."
He said that
Russia’s policy of encouraging its military personnel serving in
Abkhazia and their families to stay in the region after end of service
would further change the demographic situation by decreasing already
diminished share of ethnic Abkhazians.
He said that independence for
Abkhazia should not in any way be unconditional and it should be linked
to set of preconditions, including return of refugees and internally
displaced persons.
“I am not saying that we should directly give
Abkhazia independence and put an end on that. We should put forth
preconditions in the context of giving independence, for example return
of refugees,” Areshidze said and added that by recognizing Abkhaz
independence Tbilisi will distance Sokhumi from Moscow.
“That would
be the only way for us to speak with the Abkhazians in presence of the
international community without Russia,” Areshidze said.
“I want to
say one thing: the time of traditional approaches is over. Our
adversary, which has very strong political, diplomatic, as well as
military resources, outdistances us in every way. So we have to make
such a surprise move which will disarm our adversary – that means the
move which will distance our adversary from the Abkhazians,” he said.
The case of South Ossetia is different, Areshidze said.
“Ossetians
are not concerned with the problems, which Abkhazians are facing.
Russian occupied South Ossetia is purely military territory. Expelling
Ossetians from that territory is not on [Russia’s] agenda, while that is
on the agenda in case of Abkhazia,” he said.
“The current situation
in Abkhazia gives no reason for optimism. The Georgian society got
accustomed to the idea that Abkhazia will return back to Georgia’s fold,
but it can be dragged out for many years. But situation in this regard
is much more difficult with Abkhazia than in respect of South Ossetia,
because return of this latter back to Georgia’s fold is more realistic
than of Abkhazia,” Areshidze said.
|
| 14 Jun. '11 | Saakashvili Speaks of 'Rival Traitor Groups'
Divisions
within the Georgian society, a holdover from the country’s past when
feuding fiefdoms were in bitter power struggle, are so deeply rooted
that even “traitors” have formed separate rival groups in Georgia
recently, failing to even “jointly betray” the country, President
Saakashvili said on June 13.
“They all have the same agenda - 'let's
make a deal with Russia, with our invaders, let's collapse our country
and let’s put an end to its independence'. But these five or six groups
of traitors are eating each other and they have even failed to agree to
jointly betray [the country] and they are betraying separately - let's
call everything with its own name without any European diplomatic
language,” Saakashvili said.
Speaking to a group of young people,
those who have highest scores in school leaving exams, Saakashvili said
that Georgia’s history was full of examples when certain forces were
betraying the own country in order to gain power, “so there is nothing
new” when some forces take money in exchange of attempting to overthrow
the government.
He said that with the new generation emerging since
gaining independence after the collapse of the Soviet Union, the old way
of making politics was gradually changing.
“We are responsible for
our own fate. Rules are changing. New generation has emerged, which
believes, that everything is being decided not in Moscow, not in
Washington or in Australia, but here on the Georgian soil by multiethnic
Georgian nation,” Saakashvili said, adding that “quite a large number
of political groups” were following the new rules of making politics.
He
also said that recent street protest rallies, which came to a violent
end on May 26 with break up of the anti-government demonstration by the
riot police, was financed from Russia. “No one already doubts about it,”
Saakashvili said.
|
| 14 Jun. '11 | Außenministerium: Georgien 'wird einige Forderungen nicht korrigieren', welche Russlands WTO-Beitritt betreffen
Georgia
will not revise its demands over Russia's WTO entry terms, Nino
Kalandadze, the Georgian deputy foreign minister, said on June 13.
"There
are some demands, which will not be revised by the Georgian side," she
said at a news conference. "Our partners, including the United States,
acknowledge that it is Georgia's sovereign right to raise these demands,
which concern transparency of border between Georgia and Russia - the
issue, which has to be resolved between these two countries."
Last
week an opposition politician Kakha Kukava of Free Georgia party
alleged, that Georgia was dropping its objection to Russia's WTO entry
following a meeting between U.S. Vice President Joe Biden and President
Saakashvili in Rome on June 1. Kukava's remarks were extensively carried
by the Russian news wires.
The Georgian Deputy Foreign Minister denied the allegation as groundless and said that Georgia's demands "remain in force."
The
third round of the Swiss-mediated Russia-Georgia talks over Moscow's
WTO entry terms was scheduled for June 2, but it was postponed because
of, as officials put it, "technical reasons" after the request of the
Swiss side, which acts as the mediator.
|
| 13 Jun. '11 | Eduard Kokoity sagt, er wolle nicht ein drittes Mal kandidieren
South
Ossetian leader, Eduard Kokoity, said he would not run for the third
term later this year even if the breakaway region’s supreme court rules
in favor of holding a referendum allowing third presidential term.
The court in breakaway region will decide whether to give a go-ahead to a referendum on June 14.
An
initiative group, led by deputy defense minister of the breakaway
region, Ibragim Gaseev, has launched a campaign to hold a referendum to
ask voters whether to allow or not a person to be the president for
three consecutive terms.
Another referendum question, if held, will
be whether or not to make Ossetian and Russian both the official
language in the region.
|
| 13 Jun. '11 | Soviet-Era Symbols
Parliament
passed on May 31 package of legislative proposals known as ‘Liberty
Charter’, which among other things, also envisages restricting public
display of Soviet and Nazi symbols. While latter are actually
non-existent in Georgia for public display, there is abundance of the
Soviet symbols in the streets and on buildings of Tbilisi and other
towns of Georgia – leftovers from the Soviet times. The newly adopted
law says that its goal, among other things, is to eradicate “Soviet and
Nazi symbols, monuments, statues, [Soviet] names of streets, villages
and settlements, as well as other means bearing Soviet and Nazi
propaganda and ideology.” According to the law a state commission should
be established at the Interior Ministry in charge of collecting
information about Soviet symbols available for public display and then
will take decision on each such symbol or street and village name
associated with the Soviet past. Critics say that the full enforcement
of the law through destroying all the material leftovers from the Soviet
times would lead to destruction or defacement of many buildings, which
already represent part of Georgia’s history. The Soviet-era symbols were partly erased on the
top of the Parliament building long before the new law was passed by the
Parliament on May 31; but many other Communism symbols still remain on
the building. |
| 13 Jun. '11 | Ankvab: Wahlen werden nicht zu Turbulenzen in Abchasien führen
The
Abkhaz society and political landscape is "mature" enough to avoid
turbulence in upcoming early presidential elections, the breakaway
region's acting president, Alexander Ankvab, said in an interview with
Russian news magazine the New Times.
"Elections will be held as
scheduled [on August 26] and there will be no turbulence despite of some
dark predictions. We have quite mature society, quite mature political
forces and quite democratic electoral law," he said.
Ankvab, 58, who
has been the breakaway region's PM since 2005 and the vice president
after re-election of late Abkhaz leader Sergey Bagapsh in December 2009,
is one of the potential presidential candidates.
But asked whether
he would run for presidency or not in the August 26 election, Ankvab
declined to answer saying it would "not be nice" to speak about it now
as "we have just buried" Bagapsh.
Deadline for nominating candidates expires on July 17.
"There are many problems [in Gali], but they are not as dramatic as Georgia and some other countries want to portray it."
Asked
how the upcoming election would influence on relations with Tbilisi,
Ankvab said that "no matter who comes into power in Abkhazia, the peace
treaty [with Georgia] will be the major issue."
"Peace treaty -
that's our future," he said. "We want to live in good-neighborliness. We
do not want war... Such a document can be signed, If there is a
political will on the part of the Georgian leadership too."
Speaking
on Georgia, Ankvab recalled May 26 break up of street protest in Tbilisi
by the riot police and said it was "a humiliation of dignity" of the
Georgian society.
"Such thing has never happened here [in Abkhazia].
And what for this 'drastic measures' were needed? For a military parade -
that is for propaganda purposes. That's the style of [the Georgian]
leadership. I do not refer to the Georgian citizens."
On
predominately Georgian-populated Gali district of the breakaway region,
Ankvab said that "situation is getting better there" and that the
district would be integrated into the Abkhaz economy in five years.
"There
are many problems [in Gali], but they are not as dramatic as Georgia
and some other countries want to portray it,"he said.
There have been
at least four, or possibly five, attempts on Ankvab's life since 2005
with the most recent attack carried out in September, 2010.
No one has ever been arrested for these attacks.
Ankvab
said in the interview with the New Times, that investigation was still
ongoing and that "internal" Abkhaz forces were behind these attacks; he,
however, declined to elaborate on the issue.
In February 2005 a
group of unknown gunmen opened fire on a convoy carrying Ankvab, then
PM, outside Sokhumi. His car was hit by 17 bullets, local television
reported at the time. Ankvab, however, was riding in his deputy’s car
and survived unharmed.
In April 2005, Ankvab again survived unharmed
when unknown gunmen opened fire on his convoy near Sokhumi in which
Ankvab’s driver was wounded.
A roadside land mine, found in June 2007
on a road between Sokhumi and Gudauta, a regular route of Ankvab’s
convoy, was also believed to have been aimed at him.
In July, 2007
Ankvab was slightly injured with shrapnel after his car came under
grenade attack on a road between Gudauta and Sokhumi.
In September, 2010 Ankvab, was wounded in leg and hand after a grenade hit his house in Gudauta.
|
| 10 Jun. '11 | Außenministerium empfiehlt seinen Bürgern, von Reisen nach Russland abzusehen
The
Georgian Foreign Ministry recommended its citizens on June 10 “to
refrain from traveling to the Russian Federation” because of safety
concerns.
Travel of Georgian citizens in Russia “is not safe,” the Georgian Foreign Ministry said.
The
statement was made in connection to death of a 48-year old Georgian
citizen, Gela Bliadze, who, the ministry said, “was beaten to death
because of his ethnicity” in Moscow on June 5.
“This crime has been
committed on the territory of the country, which carries out policy of
state terrorism – plots, finances and implements terrorist acts on the
territory of the sovereign country [Georgia],” the Georgian Foreign
Ministry said, adding that it was demanding from Russia to investigate
and punish perpetrators into the death of the Georgian citizen.
|
| 10 Jun. '11 | EU bekräftigt die Unterstützung für Georgien bei einem Gipfel mit Russland
President
of European Council, Herman Van Rompuy, reiterated EU’s support to
Georgia’s territorial integrity while speaking at the end of EU-Russia
Summit in Nizhny Novgorod on June 10.
“Let me also recall the EU’s
position of continued support for the security, stability, sovereignty
and territorial integrity of Georgia and of full implementation of the
Six-point agreement of 12 August 2008, as well as its implementing
measures,” Herman Van Rompuy said in his opening remarks at a joint news
conference with Russian President Dmitri Medvedev and European
Commission President José Manuel Barroso.
He also said that the EU-Russia relations were “enjoying its best dynamics for years.”
“We can build on a track record of strengthened trust and constructive dialogue,” he said.
The
European Parliament passed a resolution on June 9 on EU-Russia summit
calling on Russia, among other things, “to respect the agreements it has
signed, to fulfil all of the conditions under the Six-point Ceasefire
Agreement and to immediately withdraw its troops from the occupied
Georgian territories of South Ossetia and Abkhazia to the pre-conflict
positions as well as to guarantee the European Union Monitoring Mission
(EUMM) access to those territories.”
The resolution also calls on the
European Commission “to persuade Russia to cease issuing passports to
residents of the occupied provinces of South Ossetia and Abkhazia.”
At
the joint news conference in Nizhny Novgorod, the Russian President
said that, among other issues, “major regional conflicts” were also
discussed and he listed situation in the Middle East, North Africa,
Iranian nuclear program and conflict in Transdnistria.
“In overall
conflict situations in Europe [were discussed],” Medvedev added. “It is
important to note that in majority of the issues our positions are very
close or coincide with each other.”
|
| 10 Jun. '11 | Armenischer Patriarch Catholicos Karekin II besucht Georgien
The leader of Armenia's Apostolic Church, Catholicos Karekin II, arrived in Georgia on June 10.
Patriarch
of the Georgian Orthodox Church, Ilia II, told the Armenian Church
leader in the Holy Trinity Cathedral in Tbilisi that the visit “is very
important for us, as well as for Armenia.”
“I am sure your visit will
further strengthen our friendly relations and I think that we will
spare no efforts to strengthen our ties,” Ilia II said.
Schedule of
Karekin II’s visit includes meeting with President Saakashvili and trip
to Samtskhe-Javakheti, region predominantly populated by ethnic Armenian
population; he will also visit Tsalka in Kvemo Kartli region.
Trip to Akhaltsikhe, Akhalkalaki, Aspindza, Ninotsminda and Tsalka is scheduled from June 13 to June 15.
A long-standing property dispute is likely to top the agenda of talks with Georgian church and government officials.
The
Armenian Apostolic Church’s main concern remains the return of five
churches in Tbilisi and one in Akhaltsikhe. According to the U.S. State
Department’s annual report on international religious freedom, the
status of at least 30 other churches claimed by the Armenian Apostolic
Church remain disputed.
According to the same report officials from
the Armenian Church claim, that the Georgian government was unwilling to
resolve the issue of ownership of disputed church properties for fear
of offending the Georgian Orthodox Church.
The Armenian Church Leader
expressed hope while visiting the Holy Trinity Cathedral on June 10,
that his visit to Georgia would help to resolve persisting disputes; he,
however, did not give any specifics.
|
| 10 Jun. '11 | Russisches Außenministerium äußert sich zur 16.Runde der Genfer Gespräche
The
most recent, sixteenth round of Geneva talks on June 7 has clearly
demonstrated “increasing aggressiveness of the Georgian delegation,”
Russian Foreign Ministry’s spokesman Alexander Lukashevich said on June
9.
“They tried to write off all the failures of Tbilisi’s leadership
in domestic and international affairs to Russia’s intrigues. The
Georgian side has arbitrarily accused Russian special services of
organizing some kind of ‘terrorist acts’ on the territory of Georgia,”
he said and added it was noteworthy that one of such allegation was
voiced just on the eve of the sixteenth round of Geneva talks.
The
Georgian Interior Ministry said that it had foiled two terrorism
attempts in June with one of them allegedly plotted by a Russian
security officer based in Abkhazia and another one by Russian officer
stationed in South Ossetia. The Georgian Foreign Ministry said that
there was incontrovertible evidence proving these allegations.
Georgia
said after the sixteenth round of Geneva talks that they would consider
walking out of talks if “Russia continues state-sponsored terror
campaign against Georgia.”
Lukashevich said that facts on the ground
indicated that Georgia itself was contributing to tensions in the region
and accused the Georgian Interior Ministry’s special task forces of
carrying out twelve “raids” in Gali district of breakaway Abkhazia this
year.
“These actions are organically connected with an anti-Russian
campaign of spy mania in Georgia, attempts to find some kind of ‘Russian
trace’ in the action of Georgia’s internal opposition,” Lukashevich
said.
Apart of what Georgia says were "terrorist attempts" a period
between fifteenth and sixteenth rounds of Geneva talks saw two major
incidents on the ground - one in early April, when a Russian FSB's
border guard serviceman and two Georgians were killed in a shootout in
Gali and another one in May when two Georgian civilians were wounded in a
shooting at the South Ossetian administrative border.
Lukashevich
said that during the sixteenth round of Geneva talks the Russian
negotiators stressed the need of EU Monitoring Mission (EUMM) “to
control more thoroughly” the Georgian forces in areas adjacent to the
breakaway regions.
Tbilisi is insisting on Russia to reciprocate
Georgia's non-use of force pledge with a similar commitment, but Russia,
arguing that it is not a party into the conflict, refuses and instead
calls on Tbilisi to sign, what it calls, "legally binding non-use of
force treaties" with Tskhinvali and Sokhumi.
In other developments
during the sixteenth round of Geneva talks, Lukashevich said that Russia
had again called for a legally binding non-use of force agreement
between Tbilisi and Sokhumi and Tbilisi and Tskhinvali.
Last year
Russia proposed unilateral non-use of force declarations to be made
separately by Tbilisi, Sokhumi and Tskhinvali. But after President
Saakashvili made such unilateral non-use of force pledge at the European
Parliament on November 23, Moscow again started to insist on a written
agreement between the sides, but at the same time refusing to make
itself part of such agreement, claiming that is a mediator not a party
into the conflict.
“Obstinate refusal of the official Tbilisi to see
representatives from Abkhazia and South Ossetia as equal partners in
negotiations leads to impeding to resolving whole set of problems
related to return of refugees and internally displaced persons,”
Lukashevich said.
|
| 9 Jun. '11 | Noch keine weiteren gerichtlichen Schritte gegen den Ehemann von Nino Burjanadze
Despite
expiration of a deadline to post a bail, no new legal actions have yet
been undertaken by the authorities against Badri Bitsadze, husband of
ex-parliamentary speaker Nino Burjanadze; the latter led street protest
rallies, which came to a violent end on May 26 with dispersal by riot
police.
Bitsadze, ex-chief of border police, who has not been
arrested, was charged by the prosecutor’s office on May 30 with
spearheading attacks on policemen by an organized group. Two days later
prosecutor’s office requested court GEL 100,000 bail for Bitsadze. The
latter had seven days to post the bail.
Burjanadze, who said she was
not aware of her husband’s whereabouts, made it clear from the very
beginning that was not intending to pay any bail and denied charges
brought against her husband as fabricated, which “will fail before a
fair trial.”
According to the law, in case of refusal to pay bail a
pre-trial detention measure can be applied against an accused. But no
further actions have been undertaken against Bitsadze by the
prosecutor’s office yet and he has not been even formally announced as
wanted by the police. According to the Interior Ministry’s senior
official Bitsadze “has apparently left the country.”
|
| 9 Jun. '11 | Georgien zu Russland: 'Stoppt die staatlich gesponserte Terrorkampagne'
Georgia
will have to “reconsider” its stance towards Geneva talks, if Russia
continues “state-sponsored terrorism campaign”, the Georgian Foreign
Ministry said in a written statement after the sixteenth round of Geneva
talks.
“Terrorism can not be negotiated with, or appeased,” it said
on June 8. “The Georgian side does not intend to discuss the security,
or humanitarian issues related topics with Russia in Geneva, or
elsewhere, while Moscow continues to mastermind terrorist attacks on the
territory of Georgia.”
“If this organized terror campaign continues
Georgian side will have no other choice but to reconsider its attitude
towards the Geneva Discussions. By the same token, we would like to urge
the international community to take up the issue of terrorist acts with
the Russian Government at all levels.”
The Georgian Interior
Ministry said that it had foiled two terrorism attempts in June with one
of them allegedly plotted by a Russian security officer based in
Abkhazia and another one by Russian officer stationed in South Ossetia.
The Georgian Foreign Ministry said that there was incontrovertible
evidence proving these allegations.
Russian Deputy Foreign Minister,
Grigory Karasin, said after the sixteenth round of Geneva talks that
Georgia's allegations were part of Tbilisi's "exercises in
information-propaganda work." Karasin also said he was sure, that
"domestic political difficulties, which the present regime in Tbilisi is
experiencing" was the reason of Georgia's allegations against Russia.
He said it was "an attempt to consolidate society on a quite provocative
basis - anti-Russian sentiments."
"[Tbilisi] tries to portray
situation as if Russia is to blame for all the misfortunes both external
and internal ones," Karasin said.
|
| 8 Jun. '11 | 16.Runde der Genfer Gespräche
Georgien
hat gewarnt, dass man nicht an den nächsten Gesprächen im Oktober
teilnehmen werde, wenn Russland die Terroranschläge fortsetzt. ...
|
| 3 Jun. '11 | Georgien erwägt, mehr Truppen nach Afghanistan zu schicken
Bald
sollen genauere Angaben folgen, wenn die entgültigen Entscheidungen
getroffen sind. Georgien soll zum größten nicht-NATO-Teilnehmer an der
ISAF werden, d.h. dass Gerogien sein Kontingent von 900 auf mindestens
1550 erhöhen wird, das ist den Beitrag Australiens.
|
| 2 Jun. '11 | Polizei erklärt, dass 'ein Terroranschlag vereitelt wurde'
Das
Innenministerium gab in einer kurzen Erklärung bekannt, dass die
Polizei in der Samegrelo-Region bei der Grenze zum abtrünnigen Abchasien
eine Frau und einen Mann aus dem Gali-Distrikt verhaftet habe, welche
Sprengkörper bei sich getragen hätten. Die beiden Personen hätten auf
Anweisungen von russ. Offizieren gehandelt, welche in Abchasien
stationiert sind, namentlich Igor Vlasov und Sergey Kuzma.
|
| 31 May. '11 | UN ruft zur Untersuchung der Polizeiaktionen am 26.5. auf
Das
Menschenrechtsbüro sagte, dass es eine unverhältnismäßige Anwendung von
Gewalt gegeben habe, um die Kundegebung aufzulösen und dass den
Verhafteten ihre Rechte gestattet werden sollten nach den int.
Menschenrechtsstandards. Ferner: “Wir rufen alle Seiten auf, in Zukunft
Gewalt zu unterlassen und nach den nationalen Gesetzen und den int.
Standards der Versammlungsfreiheit zu handeln. |
| 30 May. '11 | Nino Burjanadze erklärt, dass 'sie ihren Kampf nicht stoppen wird'
Sie
sagte, was immer gegen ihre Familienmitglieder, insbesondere ihren
Mann, getan werde, sie werde ihren Kampf nicht beenden. Sie vermutet,
dass die Behörden ihre Familienmitglieder in Mißkredit zu bringen und zu
terrorisieren versuchen, um sie zu neutralisieren. ...
|
| 28 May. '11 | Polizei: Zwei tote Männer nahe Kundgebungsplatz gefunden
Nach
ersten Informationen sollen sie elektrische Kabel berührt haben und auf
einem Dach von Geschäften an der Rustaveli-Straße gefunden worden sein.
Die Ermittlungen untersuchen, ob sie mit den Protestkundgebungen in
Beziehung standen. ...
|
| 27 May. '11 | Polizei: 105 Protestierende verhaftet
Das Innenministerium hat auf seiner Webseite
am Freitag eine Liste der Personen veröffentlicht, die bei der
Auflösung der Demonstration kurz nach Mitternacht am 26.5. verhaftet
wurden.
|
| 27 May. '11 | Georgischer Soldat in Afghanistan getötet
Junior
Sergeant Lavrosi Ivaniadze vom 33. Battalion wurde in der Provinz
Helmand durch “eine Minenexplosion während einer Patrouille” getötet.
Damit stieg die Zahl der getöteten georgischen Soldaten in Afghanistan
seit 2009 auf acht an.
|
| 26 May. '11 | US-Botschafter John Bass äußert sich zur Auflösung der Proteste
"Es
gab offensichtlich etliche Personen unter den Protestierenden, die
nicht an friedlichem Protest interessiert waren, aber danach trachteten,
eine gewaltsame konfrontaion zu entfachen" ... Er sagte, er sei besorgt
über die Berichte, dass es “möglicherweise eine exzessive
Gewaltanwendung” durch einzelne Beamte gab, als die Spezialkräfte die
Protestkundgebung vor dem Parlament kurz nach Mitternacht auflösten. |
| 21 May. '11 | "People’s
Assembly" startet Protestkundgebung mit Versammlungen an drei Plätzen
in Tbilissi mit einem anschließenden Marsch zum Freiheitsplatz
Activists
of opposition People’s Assembly started gathering under the rainy skies
in three separate locations in Tbilisi on Friday before marching
towards the Freedom Square in downtown of the capital city.
The
People’s Assembly, backed by ex-parliamentary speaker Nino Burjanadze,
said it would launch street protest rallies from May 21 to force
President Saakashvili to resign.
Nino Burjanadze said at a news
conference on May 21, called on the police not to follow “illegal
orders” and not to confront the people. She also said that activists
from the People’s Assembly face “enormous pressure” from the authorities
and police in the regions to prevent them from arrival in Tbilisi.
|
| 20 May. '11 | Abgeordnete verschieben Verabschiedung der 'Liberty Charter'
Die
Charta, von Gia Tortladze initiiert, enthält Maßnahmen gegen die
verwendung von Sowjet- und Nazi-Symbole sowie Möglichkeiten des
Auschluss von ehemaligen kommunistischen Funktionären und Offizieren
sowie KGB-Agenten aus Staatsdiensten.
The Parliament discussed on May
20 with its third and final reading package of proposals known as
Liberty Charter, but decided to postpone voting for final endorsement of
the bill.
The draft law, sponsored by MP Gia Tortladze from the
parliamentary minority, includes measures to restrict public display of
Soviet and Nazi symbols and restrictions on former Soviet functionaries
to hold public office.
The draft also envisages, what the author
calls, boosting “security and anti-terrorism measures”, including
through video surveillance systems, which should cover all “the
strategic facilities” – the measure, which the Interior Ministry has
already started to use.
The draft also envisages limited lustration
aimed at excluding former Communist Party functionaries and officers of
and collaborators with the ex-Soviet secret service KGB from serving in
the state structures.
|
| 20 May. '11 | Irakli Okruashvili deutet Rückkehr nach Georgien an
In
einer schriftlichen Erklärung sagt der Ex-Verteidigungdminister und
Mitbegründer der oppositionellen "Georgian Party", dass er bald neben
seinen Leuten Stehen werde. Irakli Okruashvili lebt seit 2007 in
Frankreich in politischem Asyl, da er 2008 in Abwesenheit zu einer
11-jährigen Gefängnisstrafe verurteilt wurde.
A written statement by
ex-defense minister and co-founder of the opposition Georgian Party,
Irakli Okruashvili, saying that he would soon “stand beside my people”,
further fueled speculation that he intends to return to Georgia as some
opposition movements plan to launch street protest rallies.
Since
2007, when he went into opposition, Okruashvili lives in France, where
he has received political asylum; in Georgia he was sentenced to 11-year
prison term in absentia in March, 2008.
On May 19 Rustavi 2 TV
reported that Okruashvili arrived in Moscow. The report was denied by
the Georgian Party, which said Okruashvili was in Switzerland. In a
separate report, Tbilisi-based Real TV, regarded to be affiliated with
the authorities, in particular with the Interior Ministry, showed couple
of poor quality photos purportedly shot in one of the Moscow’s airports
on May 19 and reportedly showing, among crowd of passengers, Irakli
Okruashvili standing next to Kote Gogelia, wealthy Georgian businessman,
affiliated with the Georgian Party. The Russian newspaper, Obshchaya
Gazeta, also reported, without providing source of information, on May
20, that Okruashvili was in Moscow.
Erosi Kitsmarishvili, political
secretary of the Georgian Party, said on May 20, that these reports were
part of media campaign against his party orchestrated by the Georgian
authorities. “There is no need to comment on absurd [reports],” he said.
Meanwhile,
on May 20 Irakli Okruashvili released a written statement, which is an
appeal to the Georgian army praising the Georgian soldiers for their
courage, blaming personally President Saakashvili for losing August,
2008 war and telling Georgian soldiers that Saakashvili “hates you so
much that he uses you for only holding military parades.”
“In few
days Georgian people will face Saakashvili and his government from the
other side of a barricade. At that moment I will be standing beside my
people,” Okruashvili said, adding that he would do it even through it
might pose a risk to his life.
The Georgian Party has announced about
the plans to force President Saakashvili to resign through a peaceful
revolution before the end of this year. Meanwhile, a separate opposition
movement, People’s Assembly, backed by ex-parliamentary speaker Nino
Burjanadze, plans to start street rallies with the same goal from May
21. Although having same goals and tactic these two opposition groups
are not cooperating because of personal confrontation between Burjanadze
and some of the leaders of the Georgian Party.
|
| 20 May. '11 | Nino Burjanadze: 'Unser entscheidender Kampf wird erfolgreich sein'
Die
Kampagne gegen Präsident Saakashvili findet am 21.Mai statt,
organisiert durch die oppositionelle Bewegung "People’s Assembly".
A
written statement by ex-defense minister and co-founder of the
opposition Georgian Party, Irakli Okruashvili, saying that he would soon
“stand beside my people”, further fueled speculation that he intends to
return to Georgia as some opposition movements plan to launch street
protest rallies.
Since 2007, when he went into opposition,
Okruashvili lives in France, where he has received political asylum; in
Georgia he was sentenced to 11-year prison term in absentia in March,
2008.
On May 19 Rustavi 2 TV reported that Okruashvili arrived in
Moscow. The report was denied by the Georgian Party, which said
Okruashvili was in Switzerland. In a separate report, Tbilisi-based Real
TV, regarded to be affiliated with the authorities, in particular with
the Interior Ministry, showed couple of poor quality photos purportedly
shot in one of the Moscow’s airports on May 19 and reportedly showing,
among crowd of passengers, Irakli Okruashvili standing next to Kote
Gogelia, wealthy Georgian businessman, affiliated with the Georgian
Party. The Russian newspaper, Obshchaya Gazeta, also reported, without
providing source of information, on May 20, that Okruashvili was in
Moscow.
Erosi Kitsmarishvili, political secretary of the Georgian
Party, said on May 20, that these reports were part of media campaign
against his party orchestrated by the Georgian authorities. “There is no
need to comment on absurd [reports],” he said.
Meanwhile, on May 20
Irakli Okruashvili released a written statement, which is an appeal to
the Georgian army praising the Georgian soldiers for their courage,
blaming personally President Saakashvili for losing August, 2008 war and
telling Georgian soldiers that Saakashvili “hates you so much that he
uses you for only holding military parades.”
“In few days Georgian
people will face Saakashvili and his government from the other side of a
barricade. At that moment I will be standing beside my people,”
Okruashvili said, adding that he would do it even through it might pose a
risk to his life.
The Georgian Party has announced about the plans
to force President Saakashvili to resign through a peaceful revolution
before the end of this year. Meanwhile, a separate opposition movement,
People’s Assembly, backed by ex-parliamentary speaker Nino Burjanadze,
plans to start street rallies with the same goal from May 21. Although
having same goals and tactic these two opposition groups are not
cooperating because of personal confrontation between Burjanadze and
some of the leaders of the Georgian Party.
|
| 20 May. '11 | Präsident Saakashvili über 'die Kräfte, auf die Russland baut, um Einfluss über Georgien wiederzuerlangen'
Er
zählt auf: "degenerierte ehemalige Separatisten", Terrorverdächtige und
"ehemalige Politiker, die auf der Straße herumrennen".
"Degenerated
former separatists", terrorism suspects and "former politicians running
around the streets", are the forces on which Russia relies on to regain
influence over Georgia, President Saakashvili said on May 19.
Speaking
at a joint news conference with European Parliament President, Jerzy
Buzek, in Tbilisi, Saakashvili commented on Russian President Dmitri
Medvedev's recent remarks on the August, 2008 war in which he said that
events of 2008 made Russia feel strong.
"The statement that it
demonstrated the Russian strength is, to say the least, not true. A
period since August, 2008 has demonstrated Russian policies weaknesses,"
Saakashvili said. "You remember the Russian President's statement that I
am a 'political corpse', I am a 'corpse' for last three years,
although, I think, I look much better than [a corpse]."
He said
instead of collapse, which Russia aimed at with the military
intervention, Georgia "has turned into the major reformer in the
region."
"Was not it important for the Russian authorities to have as
an ally such an important country [like Georgia]? Was not it important
for Russia to have as a partner and a friend democratically elected
Georgian government?"
"Who are Russia's allies in Georgia today?
Degenerated former separatists, who are now in service of occupiers;
thier [Russia's] key ally whom they rely on in rest of Georgia it is
Kochoia [a nickname of a man who was arrested in connection to series of
blasts in Tbilisi last year, which Georgia says was masterminded by a
Russian intelligence officer] from Gali and those former politicians who
are now running around the streets here [apparently referring to the
part of opposition planning street protests] and who set world records
by polling as the most unpopular [figures], which has already, almost
grown into people's hatred towards them - quite fairly I want to note.
Are they [Russia] going to strengthen thier political influence in this
region with such allies?" Saakashvili said.
"We are of course open
for serious negotiations with Russia; of course we want to openly share
to Russia with our reform experience and to have normal state-to-state
relations on the condition that they will recognize us as a state and
start talks with Georgia's democratically elected present authorities,"
he said.
|
| 19 May. '11 | Parlament erkennt 'Genozid an den Tscherkessen' an
Damit
ist Georgien das erste Land, das das Massaker und die Deportation der
Tscherkessen durch das zaristische Russland im Norwestkaukasus im 19.Jh.
als Genozid anerkennt. Die damals Deportierten sollten als Flüchtlinge
anerkannt werden.
Georgia became the first country to recognize 19th
century massacre and deportations of Circassians by the Tsarist Russia
in the northwest Caucasus as “genocide”.
The Georgian Parliament
passed on May 20 with 90 votes to 0 a resolution saying that
"pre-planned" mass killings of the Circassians by the Tsarist Russia in
second half of 19th century, accompanied by "deliberate famine and
epidemics", should be recognized as "genocide" and those deported during
those events from their homeland, should be recognized as "refugees."
“This
[decision] is not directed against the Russian people,” Giorgi
Gabashvili, a senior ruling party lawmaker, said during the discussion
of the draft at the parliamentary session on May 20.
“The Russian
people should not be permanently living under the burden imposed on them
by their leaders in the 19th century, 20th century and 21st century,”
he added.
Another senior ruling party lawmaker Givi Targamadze said
that the Parliament should also consider “situation surrounding other
peoples” of the North Caucasus.
“This process will lead us to a
powerful and a significant Caucasian unity,” MP Givi Targamadze, who
chairs parliamentary committee for defense and security, said.
The
only lawmaker who spoke against of the resolution during the
parliamentary debates on May 20 was MP Jondi Bagaturia, who said that
although “it is impossible not to show solidarity towards the Circassian
people,” emotions should be put aside.
“Will not it look unfair in
respect of Armenians?” MP Bagaturia said, referring to multiple requests
from Georgia’s Armenian community to recognize the massacre of
Armenians in Ottoman Empire as genocide. Such appeals, made by the
Armenian community almost every year in April, remain unheeded by the
Georgian lawmakers.
A lawmaker from the ruling party, Nugzar
Tsiklauri, who chairs parliamentary committee for diaspora and Caucasian
issues, responded that linking these two issues was inappropriate. He
said that Armenia and Turkey, “Georgia’s two friendly nations”, would
address differences in the process of “a positive dialogue”. He said
that Georgia’s meddling in this process would mean “playing unclear and
unjustified role.”
Christian-Democratic Movement (CDM), which is a
leading party in the parliamentary minority group, did not voice its
position during the debates. MP Giorgi Akhvlediani of CDM told Civil.ge
after the vote that his party abstained from voting because the decision
was taken too hastily and the decision might be inappropriate from the
political point of view.
The ruling party lawmakers first announced
about the intention to consider possibly of recognizing mass killings of
Circassians as genocide in April, 2010. The announcement was made a
month after Tbilisi hosted a conference, Hidden Nations, Enduring
Crimes: The Circassians & the Peoples of the North Caucasus Between
Past and Future. The conference was organized by Washington-based
Jamestown Foundation and Tbilisi-based Ilia State University’s
International School for Caucasus Studies with the participants
including, among others, representatives of Circassian diaspora.
At
the end of the conference, on March 21, 2010 participants made an appeal
to the Georgian Parliament requesting to recognize deportations and
massacre of Circassians more than a century ago as genocide.
|
| 16 May. '11 | Parlament wird komplett nach Kutaisi verlegt
According
to the draft of constitutional amendment presented to the Parliament
for consideration the Georgian legislative body will be fully relocated
from the capital Tbilisi to the country’s second largest city of Kutaisi
in western region of Imereti.
In September 2009 the Parliament
passed constitutional amendment envisaging splitting of working venue of
next Parliament to be elected in 2012 between Tbilisi and Kutaisi,
located over 200 kilometers away from the capital. According to those
amendments, the parliamentary sittings should be held in Kutaisi, while
other activities, including parliamentary committee hearings should be
held in the current parliamentary chamber in Tbilisi.
But according
to the newly proposed constitutional amendment Kutaisi, where
construction of the new Parliament building is underway, will become the
only place where new the legislative body, elected in 2012, will be
located.
Few months before the 2009 constitutional amendments,
President Saakashvili said that he was not in favor to fully relocate
Parliament to Kutaisi, but said he supported partial relocation.
Last
week Saakashvili, however, said, while speaking at a business award
ceremony, that Georgia would have three major centers – Tbilisi, which
he described as “the capital of Caucasus”; Batumi – “economic-financial
center of Georgia” and Kutaisi – “the parliamentary capital” of Georgia.
Recently
some Georgian media sources speculated about the government’s
intentions to put the Parliament’s current building in Tbilisi on sale,
although no official announcement about the planned privatization has
yet been made.
|
| 16 May. '11 | Präsident Saakashvili: 'Vielen Dank an Mutter Russland für das Embargo'
Dadurch hätten die Weinproduzenten die Qualität steigern müssen und den Weg zu den internationalen Märkten geebnet.
President
Saakashvili thanked again Russia for banning import of the Georgian
wine, saying that the embargo promoted Georgian wine-maker to improve
the quality, thus paving the way to international markets.
"The
quality of Georgian wine has significantly improved in recent years,"
Saakashvili said while visiting a local family in Batumi, Adjara
Autonomous Republic, for tasting of homemade wine.
"Thanks a lot to
Mother Russia for this embargo. This embargo helped us a lot in terms of
[increasing] wine quality and now we are in a situation, wherein if
[Russia] allows [Georgian wine] back [to its market] - that would be
good, but if it won't - that won't [change] anything either. The quality
[of the Georgian wine] has increased and now it has a market all over
the world," Saakashvili said.
He said that Georgia might not even
have enough wine to export if Georgia meets its target of having five
million tourists annually.
Georgian Agriculture Minister, Bakur
Kvezereli, told Civil.ge at the New Wine Festival in Tbilisi on May 14:
"I do not see any special importance in the Russian market."
|
| 13 May. '11 | Georgien im Amnesty International Bericht 2011 erwähnt
Rechte
der intern vertriebenen, Versagen bei Untersuchungen zu angrifffen auf
Protestierende, die Situation in und um die Konfliktregionen waren unter
den hervorgehobenen Punkten des Berichts über Georgien.
|
| 8 May. '11 | Polizei verhaftet in Rustavi oppositionelle Aktivisten von Gruppen, die People's Assembly von Nino Burjanadze angeschlossen sind
Police
arrested on May 7 in the town of Rustavi about dozen of activists from
the opposition groups affiliated with People's Assembly, backed by
ex-parliamentary speaker Nino Burjanadze's party.
A small group of
protesters from the People's Assembly rallied nearby a house of a local
police official in Rustavi, less than 30 km south of Tbilisi, as part of
series of protests in lead up to the planned anti-government
demonstrations on May 21 in Tbilisi and Batumi.
The group of
protesters was marching peacefully on a small street when dozens of
policemen, who were present at the scene, started rounding up
participants of the gathering, reportedly after an unknown man hit a
police officer. Organizers of the rally said the perpetrator was "a
provocateur", not their activist.
Democratic Movement-United Georgia
(DMUG), an opposition party led by Nino Burjanadze, said in a statement
that "the Saakashvili's regime staged a provocation" against the
People's Assembly activists.
"We call on the Interior Ministry to
immediately reveal an identity of a man, who physically insulted a
policewoman. The authorities, which are in agony, should know that we
will not yield to their provocations and we will not change our plan" to
start protest rallies from May 21, DMUG said in the statement.
Late
on May 7 court in Rustavi found twelve detainees guilty of petty
hooliganism and disobedience to police orders and jailed eight of them;
others were fined with GEL 400 each and released, according to the
People’s Assembly. Three activists were jailed for 30 days; two – for 15
days and three – for seven days.
|
| 6 May. '11 | Präsident
Saakashvili lobt anläßlich des Tages der Polizei und des Jahrestages
der friedlichen Revolution in Adscharien die Polizei: Die Polizeireform
sei die Hauptreform seiner Regierung und Vorbedingung für andere
Reformen
First and foremost it is thanks to the Georgian police
that it was possible to create “a solid foundation for the Georgian
statehood,” President Saakashvili said on May 6.
He was addressing a
parade of police forces in Batumi, Adjara Autonomous Republic, marking
the Day of Police, which coincides with the St. George’s day and
anniversary of peaceful revolution in Adjara, which led to ousting of
the region’s leader Aslan Abashidze in 2004.
“With your work and your
existence you light up and expose warmth for Georgia and bring shining
light for Georgia and for many countries in the region and, without
exaggeration, for the entire world,” Saakashvili told the policemen at
the parade in presence of Interior Minister Vano Merabishvili.
He
said that the police reform was the first major reform carried out by
his government and a prerequisite for other reforms. Saakashvili said
that the police reform was “the major symbol of our transformation and
of our new statehood.”
Saakashvili said that the police was the major
target of “attacks” by those who wanted to return Georgia back to those
days when the corruption thrived in the country.
“Because it [the
police] embodies new Georgia and attacks are carried out against the
Georgian statehood,” he said, adding that the Georgian enemy “could not
imagine, even in its worst nightmare” that Georgia would have withstood
everything starting from economic embargo to military intervention “by
the world’s largest country.”
Saakashvili said that function of the Georgian police “is much more then only protection of the public order.”
|
| 4 May. '11 | Georgische Partei zielt ab auf eine Revolution in diesem Jahr
It
is “an illusion” to think that President Saakashvili will foster
creation of genuinely free and fair electoral environment and the only
way left for change of the government is a peaceful revolution, Erosi
Kitsmarishvili, one of the leaders of the opposition Georgian Party,
said on May 3.
“The situation has reached the point when it requires
to be discharged and this discharge should happen this year,”
Kitsmarishvili, co-founder and political secretary of the Georgian
Party, said.
Speaking in Tbilisi-based Kavkasia TV’s talk show,
Barrier, Kitsmarishvili said that there “are fewer and fewer people in
the society who have an illusion that Saakashvili may give up something
through elections.”
“The Georgian Party, which has completed building
of its party infrastructure in April, will demonstrate in the nearest
future such scales of activities, which will be enough to return hope
back to the society that the change is possible,” he said.
“We’ve got
everything ready for putting an end to the Saakashvili’s regime this
year… I will quit the politics if we fail to achieve a result this year;
I will have no right to ever speak as a politician; I am putting my
political career [at stake].”
We are a Molotov cocktail, consisting
of exactly those components, which trigger a charge capable to change
this regime,” said Kitsmarishvili, who is President Saakashvili’s former
ally and Georgia’s ex-ambassador to Russia.
He said that those
opposition parties, which were involved in the electoral reform talks
with the ruling party hoping that the authorities would agree on
creation of genuinely free and fair electoral environment, “are wasting
time.” He also said that Saakashvili was benefiting from this process by
creating an illusion of a democratic process.
He said, that holding
of parliamentary election in autumn, 2012 as envisaged currently by the
law, was “unconstitutional”, because that would mean extending term in
office of the sitting Parliament, which was elected for a four-year term
in May, 2008. He, however, said holding of free and fair elections was
not realistic under the current authorities and “only radicalization is a
guarantee for achieving Saakashvili’s resignation.”
“Unfortunately
there is only one option left - we should at first get rid of this
regime and then hold elections,” Kitsmarishvili said.
The Georgian
Party’s position is very much similar to the one of Nino Burjanadze, the
leader of Democratic Movement-United Georgia, and Burjanadze-backed
movement People’s Assembly. The latter has announced about the plan to
launch protest rallies from May 21. However, personal rivalry and
confrontation between Burjanadze and some of the leaders of the Georgian
Party made it so far impossible for them to cooperate.
|
| 4 May. '11 | Russische
Presse zu WTO-Gesprächen: Optionen zur Transparenz des Warenverkehrs an
den Grenzen Russland-Abchasien, Russland-Südossetien im Gespräch
In
talks over Russia’s WTO entry terms, Georgian and Russian negotiators
are “seriously discussing” a mechanism that would provide transparency
of movement of goods via border-crossing points in Abkhazia and South
Ossetia without presence there of Georgia customs officials, Russian
daily, Kommersant, reported on May 4.
Citing unnamed Russian
diplomatic source, the Kommersant reported that one of the options could
be providing the Georgian side with information on movement of goods
across the Russian border with Abkhazia and South Ossetia, the two
breakaway regions which Moscow recognized as independent states
following the August, 2008 war with Georgia.
The Russian daily,
Izvestia, reported also on May 4, that the sides might agree on
satellite surveillance of the border-crossing points to give Tbilisi
access to the information on movement of goods across the border. “It’s
no longer important whose idea it was; important is that Tbilisi is not
against,” Izvestia wrote.
Georgian negotiator Sergi Kapanadze, who is
deputy foreign minister, told Civil.ge on May 3, that there was one
topic discussed in talks and that’s the issue of border crossing points
in Abkhazia and South Ossetia and how to make those points operate in
line with WTO rules.
He said, that there were several possible
options put forth on the negotiating table to secure that objective, but
declined to discuss them citing an agreement with the Russian side not
to speak about the details to the press amid ongoing negotiations.
Michael
McFaul, the U.S. President’s special assistant and National Security
Council’s senior director for Russian and Eurasian Affairs, said on
April 15, that “a creative solution” should be found to the dispute by
providing transparency of border crossing points in the breakaway
regions without putting there Georgian customs officials.
There have
been suggestions in Tbilisi to offer Moscow “a compromise solution”
involving deployment of EU monitors on the border with Russia in
Abkhazia and South Ossetia – the solution modeled under the EU Border
Assistance Mission to Moldova and Ukraine (EUBAM). The Russian daily,
Kommersant, however, reported in March, citing an unnamed high ranking
official from the Russian Foreign Ministry, that this option was not
realistic.
|
| 4 May. '11 | Litauischer
Präsident Dalia Grybauskaitė: wie schnell demokratische Reformen
umgesetzt werden, wird Georgien's Fortschritt bestimmen
How fast
Georgia would do its homework in democratic reforms would determine
Georgia’s further progress, Lithuanian President Dalia Grybauskaitė
said.
She is paying a two-day working visit to Georgia on May 3-4 as part of her trip to South Caucasus countries.
President Grybauskaitė met with his Georgian counterpart, Mikheil Saakashvili, in Tbilisi on May 3. It was their fifth meeting.
"Lithuania
supports Georgia's territorial integrity within the framework of
international agreements, and also its Euro-Atlantic integration
process. Talking with the Georgian President I underlined that Lithuania
was and would be supporting the Georgian nation and was willing to
share its experience,” Grybauskaitė said in remarks released by her
press office.
“I also noted that how fast Georgia would manage to do
its homework in the area of freedom of press, human rights, rule of law,
institutional reforms, and fight against corruption, depended on
Georgia itself and this would determine Georgia's further progress,”
President Grybauskaitė said.
The Lithuanian President, whose country
now holds OSCE’s rotating chairmanship, welcomed Georgia’s unilateral
non-use of force pledge.
The Georgian President’s administration said
that “deepening strategic partnership and economic relations” between
two countries, as well as Georgia's integration in Euro-Atlantic
structures and cooperation within OSCE were discussed during the meeting
between the two Presidents.
“The necessity of return of OSCE Mission
[to Georgia] was underlined during the meeting,” the Georgian
President’s administration said in a statement.
|
| 3 May. '11 | Georg. Verhandler Sergi Kapanadze bei
den WTO-Gesprächen mit Russland äußert sich: der zentrale Punkt waren
die Kontrollposten zu Abchasien und Südossetien und wie sich deren
Arbeit in Einklang mit den WTO-Regeln bringen läßt
There is one
topic discussed in talks with Russia over its WTO entry terms and that’s
the issue of border crossing points in Abkhazia and South Ossetia and
how to make those points operate in line with WTO rules, the Georgian
negotiator said on May 3.
Georgian Deputy Foreign Minister, Sergi
Kapanadze, said that there were several possible options put forth on
the negotiating table to secure that objective, but declined to discuss
them citing an agreement with the Russian side not to speak about the
details to the press amid ongoing negotiations.
Unlike the first
round of the Swiss-mediated talks in March, the negotiators started
discussing “concrete issues” during the second round of talks in late
April, which is a positive development, Kapanadze told Civil.ge.
He
reiterated that Georgia would like to see Russia joining WTO, but on the
condition that it follows the rules and principles of that
organization.
The third round of the Swiss-mediated talks is expected to take place later this month.
|
| 3 May. '11 | Chef des Ministeriums für innere Angelegenheiten Vasil Sanodze mit einer Schußverletzung ins Krankenhaus eingeliefert; nach Angabe de Innenministeriums ein Unfall
Vasil
Sanodze, head of the Ministry of Internal Affairs’ (MIA) internal
investigations unit, was hospitalized with a gunshot wound overnight on
May 3.
Shota Khizanishvili, head of the Interior Ministry’s administration, said Sanodze accidentally shot himself in his house.
Reports
say that Sanodze has suffered a gunshot wound to the head, triggering
speculation in the media sources that it could have been a failed
suicide attempt.
Khizanishvili, however, strongly rejected those speculations as “utter nonsense.” “It was an accident,” he told Civil.ge.
Sanodze
first came into public attention in early 2004 when President
Saakashvili tasked him to monitor flaw of goods and taxes in port of
Batumi in Adjara Autonomous Republic, which at the time was ruled by
Aslan Abashidze.
In 2006, when he already served as head of MIA’s
internal investigations unit, Sanodze, along with some other senior MIA
officials, became embroiled in a murder scandal of Sandro Girgvliani. He
was suspended from office pending the investigation into the Girgvliani
case, but Sanodze later resumed performing his duties in MIA.
|
| 28 Apr. '11 | EU
äußert "Bedenken" bezüglich des Besuches des russ. Außenministers
Lavrov in Sokhumi und Tskhinvali, ohne vorherige Einwilligung der gerog.
Behörden
EU noted “with concern” that Russia’s Foreign Minister,
Sergey Lavrov, visited Sokhumi and Tskhinvali earlier this week
“without prior consent of the Georgian authorities.”
“The EU does not
consider these visits compatible with the principle of territorial
integrity,” EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton’s spokesperson said
in a statement on April 28.
“The EU reiterates its support for
Georgia's sovereignty and territorial integrity and underlines the
importance of a peaceful conflict resolution in full respect of the
territorial integrity of Georgia within its internationally recognized
borders.”
|
| 28 Apr. '11 | vor den WTO-Gesprächen: Tbilisi klagt Moskau der 'Erpressung' an
Georgian
Foreign Minister, Grigol Vashadze, said that his Russian counterpart
Sergey Lavrov’s remarks that Russia may join WTO without Georgia’s
consent were “blackmail and bluff.”
Lavrov first spoke about the
possibility of joining WTO bypassing Georgia in March, shortly after
Georgia-Russia WTO talks and reiterated the same remarks this week,
ahead of the next round of talks.
“Russia’s threats, that it will
achieve a result through bypassing Georgia and as if it will join WTO
without Georgia’s consent, is a pure blackmail and bluff,” Grigol
Vashadze, the Georgian foreign minister, told journalists on April 28.
He
said that the next round of the Swiss-mediated Georgia-Russia talks on
Moscow's WTO entry terms will be held in Zurich on April 28-29. The
previous round of talks was held in Bern in March.
Vashadze said that
Tbilisi’s intention was not to block Russia’s WTO entry. He said, that
although it was “painful” for the Georgian side to sit down at the table
of negotiations with Russia, Tbilisi was willing to negotiate to find a
way out from “the legal absurd, which Russia created with its stupid
decision” in August, 2008, when Moscow recognized independence of
Abkhazia and South Ossetia.
|
| 26 Apr. '11 | Russ. Außenminister Lavrov erklärt, Russland könne sich der WTO anschließen, indem es Georgiens Zustimmung umgehe
Russian
Foreign Minister, Sergey Lavrov, did not rule out a scenario under
which Russia could join the World Trade Organization (WTO) without
Georgia’s consent.
“I do not want to go into details about what kind
of specific ways do exist for Russia to join WTO without Georgia’s
consent. I can say one thing: these possibilities are based on those
principles under which the World Trade Organization is functioning,” RIA
Novosti news agency quoted Lavrov as saying on April 26.
He made the remarks in Sokhumi after meeting with breakaway Abkhazia’s leader, Sergey Bagapsh.
Next round of Georgia-Russia talks on Moscow's WTO entry terms will be held in the Swiss capital, Bern, on April 28-29.
The
Georgian officials have recently reiterated that Tbilisi’s position on
Russia’s WTO entry terms remains unchanged and it insists that Russia
provide “transparency” of border crossing points in breakaway Abkhazia
and South Ossetia.
Georgian Foreign Minister Grigol Vashadze said in
an interview with the Russian weekly magazine, Ogoniok, that Tbilisi had
no intention to block Russia's WTO accession. He also said that Tbilisi
was pushing for trade-related demands regulated by the WTO rules, which
had nothing to do with politics or military issues.
Georgian Deputy
Foreign Minister, Nino Kalandadze, said on April 26, that Georgia’s
position on Russia’s WTO entry terms remained “unchanged.” Tbilisi has
been insisting on “transparency” of trade through border crossing points
in breakaway Abkhazia and South Ossetia, including through deployment
there Georgian customs officers. Moscow says by pushing this demand
Georgia is politicizing WTO-related talks.
Russian Foreign Minister,
Sergey Lavrov, first spoke about the possibility of joining WTO without
Georgia’s go-ahead in March, shortly after the WTO talks between
Georgian and Russian negotiators in Bern.
Decisions on accession to
the organization are taken by the WTO’s Ministerial Conference, which
meets at least once every two years, or by the General Council, which
meets usually once every six to eight weeks.
According to article 12
of the WTO Agreement decisions on the term of individual accession are
to be approved by a two-thirds majority of WTO’s 153 members.
But the
article 9 says, that the organization’s practice is to arrive at
decisions by consensus and that a vote is only taken when it’s
impossible to reach a consensus.
In 1995 WTO’s General Council
decided that the consensus-based decision-making should take precedence,
instead of a vote. But voting still remains an option if a consensus
can not be reached.
The voting, however, remains technically
complicated because of absence of smaller delegations from the General
Council meetings making it difficult to secure a two-thirds majority
necessary for approval of decision on accession.
Commenting on
Russian officials’ remarks about the possibility to join WTO bypassing
Georgia’s consent, Michael McFaul, the U.S. President’s special
assistant and National Security Council’s senior director for Russian
and Eurasian Affairs, said on April 15, that Washington would not be in
favor of that scenario as it would not be a solution of the dispute.
He
said “a creative solution” should be found to the dispute by providing
transparency of border crossing points in the breakaway regions without
putting there Georgian customs officials.
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| 26 Apr. '11 | Georgischer Außenminister Grigol Vashadze zu anstehenden Gesprächen über Russlands WTO-Beitritt
There
is absolutely no pressure on Georgia from the western partners to
soften position in talks over Russia's WTO accession, Grigol Vashadze,
the Georgian foreign minister said in an interview with the Russian
magazine published on April 25.
"Our partners told us only once, that
while negotiating with the Russian delegation, please, remember, that
the entire world's economy will benefit from Russia's WTO accession,"
Vashadze told Russian weekly magazine, Ogoniok, which is part of the
Kommersant Publishing Group.
Next round of Georgia-Russia talks on Moscow's WTO entry terms will be held in the Swiss capital, Bern, on April 28-29.
"We
go to Bern for negotiations not with a purpose to block Russia's WTO
accession; we go there in order to find together with the Russian
delegation mutually acceptable way out of the legal nightmare, which
Moscow has created with its unthoughtful, hasty, emotional and stupid
decision to recognize so called independence of Abkhazia and Tskhinvali
region," he said.
Vashadze said, that Tbilisi was pushing for trade-related demands regulated by the WTO rules.
"We
won't be putting on the table of negotiations any political, military
or other issues not related to the matter," Vashadze said.
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| 25 Apr. '11 | Russ. Außenminister Lavrov und Kokoity treffen sich in Tskhinvali
Russia’s
Foreign Minister, Sergey Lavrov, who arrived in Tskhinvali on April 25,
met with the breakaway South Ossetia’s leader Eduard Kokoity.
“We
expect, that the Georgian leadership will implicitly confirm its
commitment not to use force against South Ossetia and Abkhazia,” Lavrov
said in his opening remarks at the meeting with Kokoity, RIA Novosti and
Interfax news agencies reported.
“We will provide any assistance to
South Ossetia in this regard and we will strongly insist that
international discussions consider this task as a priority,” Lavrov
said.
“We don't rule out military provocations from Georgia, because
anything can be expected from the current regime in Tbilisi; so we will
spare no efforts to reliably protect the South Ossetian border and to be
ready if someone will again wish to commit the crime of August, 2008,"
he said.
Russia had been insisting on, what it called, legally
binding non-use of force agreement between Tbilisi and Sokhumi and
Tbilisi and Tskhinvali, which Georgia was against of. Last year Russia
proposed unilateral non-use of force declarations to be made separately
by Tbilisi, Sokhumi and Tskhinvali. But after President Saakashvili made
such unilateral non-use of force pledge at the European Parliament on
November 23, Moscow again started to insist on a written agreement
between the sides, but at the same time refusing to make itself part of
such agreement, claiming that is a mediator not a party into the
conflict.
In Tskhinvali Lavrov reiterated Russia’s commitment to
assist in “restoring what has been destructed as a result of Georgian
aggression.”
According to the South Ossetian officials, in Tskhinvali
the Russian Foreign Minister is accompanied by his deputy Grigory
Karasin, who is Russian chief negotiator in Geneva talks, as well as by
head of the Russia’s North Ossetian Republic Teimuraz Mamsurov.
Lavrov and Kokoity exchanged notes marking entry into force a non-visa travel agreement between Moscow and Tskhinvali.
After visiting Tskhinvali Lavrov will travel to Sokhumi to meet with the breakaway Abkhazia’s leadership on April 26.
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| 22 Apr. '11 | Präsident Saakashvili begrüßt Kooperation mit Frankreich bei Rede in Poti
Er
dankte für die Unterstützung zur Modernisierung der Infrastruktur
Georgiens. In Poti hatte die franz. Thales Gruppe ein
Flugverkehrkontrollsystem installiert.
President Saakashvili hailed
“very good relations” with France and thanked that country for providing
assistance to Georgia’s “infrastructure modernization”.
Saakashvili
was speaking on April 22 after visiting an air traffic control system,
installed in Black Sea port town of Poti by the Thales Group, defence
and civil aviation electronics company, part-owned by the French state.
“I
want to emphasize on those very good relations, which we have with
France,” Saakashvili said at a ceremony in Poti in presence of French
Secretary of State for Transport Thierry Mariani.
He said that France “in the shortest period of time” replaced radar systems in Tbilisi, damaged in the August war.
“We
have huge plans of cooperation for Georgia’s infrastructure
modernization. France has one of the best infrastructures in the world
and one of the best engineering experiences and France is probably the
largest supporter to Georgia’s modernization in this regard,”
Saakashvili said.
Thales has become a major provider of air traffic
control systems to Georgia. In December, 2008 Georgian state-owned air
navigation service provider, Sakaeronavigatsia Ltd., and Thales signed a
contract for the replacement of both primary and secondary radars at
Tbilisi international airport. Thales installed new radars in Tbilisi in
summer, 2009 and provided RSM 970 radar in Poti.
Saakashvili said
that the air traffic control system in Poti would serve the new airport
in the port town, which, he said, would go into operation from 2012.
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| 21 Apr. '11 | Regierung wird den Bau für ein Wasserkraftwerk in Khudoni in Svaneti unterzeichnen
Pre-construction
activities for the major, 650 megawatt hydropower plant, Khudoni, in
mountainous region of Svaneti, will start this year with actual
construction of the plant scheduled to start from 2012, Nika Gilauri,
the Georgian PM, said on April 21.
Speaking at a government session
PM Gilauri said that a contract will be signed with, as he put it, “an
Indian company” in next few days on construction of the Khudoni hydro
power plant.
PM Gilauri gave name of the company as “Continental
Energy”; although according to a written agenda of the April 21
government session, the cabinet members discussed the governmental
decree on signing a contract with Trans Electrica Ltd.
Trans
Electrica Ltd., according to its website, is a “company promoted by
prominent NRIs [non-resident Indians] and local Georgian partners,”
which has been formed for “harnessing the hydro power resources
available in Georgia” with focus on Khudoni Hydropower Project.
Construction
of the Khudoni dam on the Enguri river in western Georgia started back
in 1986, but it was halted in late 80s after the protests over
environmental concern.
Construction of about 200-meter dam and a
reservoir for the Khudoni HPP will cause flooding of Khaishi village,
which will require resettlement of local residents.
PM Nika Gilauri
hailed the project, saying that it would lead to investment of about USD
1 billion, “making it one of the largest investment projects in
Georgia”.
Energy Minister, Alexandre Khetaguri, said that the company
would undertake committeemen to complete the construction within six
years.
The Georgian authorities say the country’s hydro power
generation has a potential to attract USD 5 billion in next 7-8 years.
President Saakashvili said in his annual state of the nation address in
the Parliament on February 11 that Georgia would have 17 new hydro power
plants by 2015.
According to the Georgian government-commissioned
and the World Bank-supported study, looking into the country’s power
sector development, construction of Namakhvani HPP, Paravani HPP and
Khudoni HPP are the most attractive scenarios.
Environmentalists,
however, are skeptical about the Khudoni HPP project. Manana Kochladze
of the environmental group, Green Alternative, says emergence of new
water surfaces as a result of construction of dam may endanger climate
in Svaneti, the region which the government tries to turn into one of
the major tourist destinations in Georgia.
According to the World Bank impacts of a dam construction on microclimate will be of “very localized nature.”
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| 21 Apr. '11 | EU-Erweiterungskommissar Stefan Füle äußert sich zu den Gesprächen über die Reform des Wahlsystems
Stefan
Füle, European Commissioner for Enlargement, said talks on electoral
system reform in Georgia were important to build trust between the
various stakeholders.
In a statement released after meeting with
Georgian State Minister for Euro-Atlantic Integration, Giorgi Baramidze,
in Brussels on April 18, the European Commissioner said, that events in
North Africa “have demonstrated an increased importance to ensure that
voices of the peoples are heard and that political pluralism and free
and fair elections are in place.”
“Therefore I welcome the dialogue
between the government and the opposition on the reform of the electoral
code. I also welcome the engagement of the civil society in this
process. These talks are important to build trust and confidence among
all stakeholders,” Commissioner Füle said, adding that he also welcomed
Georgia’s intention to consult closely with the Council of Europe’s
advisory body on legal affairs, Venice Commission.
Talks between the
opposition and the ruling party on electoral system reform are currently
halted and while the both sides claim that they desire to resume
negotiations, the prospects of talks remain unclear. The most recent
major development came on April 5, when the group of eight opposition
parties presented their new proposals on the electoral system on which
the ruling party has yet to give its response.
During the meeting
with Baramidze, who is also Georgia’s Deputy PM, Füle said, he welcomed
progress in the Association Agreement negotiations and called on Georgia
to “keep a pragmatic approach” during these talks.
He said that the
European Commission remained committed to recommending EU member states
to start talks with Georgia on deep and comprehensive free trade area
(DCFTA) “as soon as sufficient progress in the implementation of the
‘key recommendations’ has been made.”
EU is expected to release a
review of European Neighborhood Policy (ENP) next month, which will
include progress reports about fulfillment of commitments under ENP by
the participant countries also including Georgia.
Georgia will host
in its Black Sea resort of Batumi an international conference on
cooperation in frames of EU’s Eastern Partnership on July 21-23.
|
| 20 Apr. '11 | Kommissar für Menschenrechte vom Europarat Thomas Hammarberg informiert über seinen Georgien-Besuch
Moscow’s
“irritation” over Georgia’s close ties with NATO is not a surprise,
because “unfortunately” it is in line with Russia’s general policy
towards its neighbors, Giga Bokeria, secretary of Georgian National
Security Council, said on April 20.
“As long as Moscow’s [current
policy] remains, any step made by Georgia in direction of Euro-Atlantic
space will cause [Moscow’s] irritation,” Bokeria said, adding that he
hopes Russia’s such approach will change.
He said that there also was
no sign of change in Russia’s current “illegitimate position” over its
internationally undertaken commitments, including towards
“de-occupation” of parts of Georgia, which he said, was demonstrated in
the recent statement by the Russian Foreign Ministry.
The Russian
Foreign Ministry said on April 19, that a joint statement of
NATO-Georgia Commission includes “usual set of biased wordings”, which
were far from realities on the ground in respect of Abkhazia and South
Ossetia. In particular it criticized the part of the statement, in which
NATO foreign ministers called on Russia to follow its commitments under
the August 12 and September 8, 2008 ceasefire accords. The Russian
Foreign Ministry said that “the only remaining disputed issue” in
respect of those ceasefire accords was resolved after Russia withdrew
its troops from the village of Perevi last October.
|
| 20 Apr. '11 | US-Botschafter John Bass zur Reform des Wahlsystems
Diskussionen müssen deutlich vor den Parlamentswahlen im nächsten Jahr zu einem Ergebnis führen.
Discussions
over electoral system reform have to produce an outcome far ahead of
the next year’s parliamentary elections so that stakeholders have enough
time to understand what the rules are, John Bass, the U.S. ambassador
to Georgia, said on April 20.
Talks between the opposition and the
ruling party on electoral system reform are currently halted and while
the both sides claim that they desire to resume negotiations, the
prospects of talks remain unclear. The most recent major development
came on April 5, when the group of eight opposition parties presented
their new proposals on the electoral system on which the ruling party
has yet to give its response.
Ambassador, John Bass, told journalists
on April 20, that U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s remarks
made at the NATO-Georgia Commission on April 15 in Berlin about the
importance of democratic transition of power in Georgia through the
parliamentary elections in 2012 and presidential elections in 2013
“reflect our view that the deeper development of Georgia’s democracy
requires increased confidence by the people” in the electoral system.
“Important
right now is that there are number of people in government and outside
government, number of actors – the government, set of parties – that are
committed to working through a new set of rules for next year’s
election. I think that it’s important that those discussions produce an
outcome far enough in advance of an actual election [so] that everybody
understands the rules, everybody understands what the competition is for
in terms of composition of Parliament and is able to compete
effectively and fairly,” Bass said.
Ambassador Bass was speaking
after a presentation during which he outlined over USD 90 million of
U.S.-funded programs for next four years, designed to support democracy
and good governance in Georgia.
“Fundamentally democratic transformation in Georgia is essential to Georgia’s long-term security,” he said.
Secretary
of Georgia’s National Security Council, Giga Bokeria, who was present
at the presentation, said that despite many differences within the
diverse Georgian society, there was a broad consensus on “unwavering,
fundamental choice in favor of independent, free, democratic state in
the Euro-Atlantic space.”
“On this road we encountered many obstacles
and we still face some. Part of those obstacles was due to our mistakes
and part of them was inherited and some of those obstacles are those
which some people try to impose on us… Assistance provided by our
friends is invaluable in the view of those obstacles, mistakes or lack
of experience we have,” Bokeria said.
The presentation of U.S.-funded
democracy and governance programs was held in lead up to a meeting of a
bilateral U.S.-Georgian working group on democracy, which will be held
in Tbilisi on April 27. The meeting is part of a regular dialogue in
frames of U.S.-Georgia Strategic Partnership Charter.
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| 15 Apr. '11 | Auf dem NATO-Gipfel in Berlin trafen sich am Rande auch die NATO- und Georgiens Außenminister
NATO-Georgia
relations have "deepened significantly in recent years," NATO Secretary
General, Anders Fogh Rasmussen, said in his opening remarks of the
NATO-Georgia Commission (NGC) at the level of foreign ministers on April
15.
Rasmussen said at the meeting, which was held on the sideline of
NATO foreign ministers' summit in Berlin, that deepening these
relations "helped Georgia to play an increasingly important role as
security contributor.”
“NATO Ministers welcomed the overall positive
dynamic in Georgia’s democratic development,” a joint statement released
after NGC meeting.
“At the same time, they noted that work remains
to be done for the Georgian Government to adopt and implement necessary
reforms, and to cooperate with the opposition on implementing democratic
reforms. NATO Ministers stressed the importance of electoral reform in
view of the upcoming parliamentary elections in 2012. They also
encouraged Georgia to continue to strengthen the rule of law and the
role of civil society, as well as continue to deepen reforms regarding
the judiciary and the media.”
NATO foreign ministers also “encouraged further reforms in the defence and security sphere.”
NATO
ministers reaffirmed their support for Georgia’s territorial integrity
and sovereignty and also reiterated their “continued policy” of
non-recognition of breakaway South Ossetia and Abkhazia.
The next meeting of NATO-Georgia Commission at the ambassadors’ level will be held in Georgia in autumn 2011.
|
| 13 Apr. '11 | Georgien debattiert im Europaparlament
In
einer Resolution werden die signifikante Fortschritte Georgiens seit
dem letzten beobachterrbericht 2008 begrüßt und das Engagement in den
letzten zwölf jahren seit Beitritt anerkannt.
Parliamentary Assembly
of Council of Europe (PACE) adopted on April 13 resolution on honoring
commitments by Georgia, undertaken when the country jointed Council of
Europe twelve years ago.
While welcoming “significant efforts” by the
Georgian government in honouring its commitment and “considerable
progress” achieved since the last monitoring report in 2008 despite the
consequences of the August war, the resolution also outlines
shortcomings in various areas.
The adoption of the resolution was
preceded by debates on a report prepared by two co-rapporteurs on
Georgia – Michael Jensen, a lawmaker from Denmark and Kastriot Islami, a
lawmaker from Albania.
During the debates most of the speakers said
that the report was “balanced” and, as one speaker said, the
co-rapporteurs “managed to strike a middle ground” without
underestimating progress or shortcomings.
The most of the criticism
came from the Russian delegation, who said that the report was not fully
reflecting the problems in Georgia, including one of “political
prisoners”.
Sergei Markov, lawmaker from Russia’s ruling party,
United Russia, said that the report “leaves mixed impression”; he said
the report was not about “real Georgia, where the opposition is
suffering and is afraid, where the TV channels are under the
government’s control.”
MP Konstantin Kosachev, who leads the Russian
delegation at PACE, said that Russia would be sincerely pleased with the
Georgian people’s successes, because Russia considers Georgian people
“as friends.” Kosachev said that while now everyone were expressing
concern about developments in Libya, “we have to bear in mind that
President Saakashvili tried to act very much the same against his own
people” in August, 2008.
“While comparing to Gaddafi maybe you can
recall Chechnya,” Akaki Minashvili, a senior Georgian lawmaker responded
during the debates. “While [speaking about] political prisoners maybe
you can recall Khadarkovsky; while speaking about friendship – we know
what your friendship is; your friendship is expulsion of hundreds of
thousands of Georgians from Abkhazia and South Ossetia.”
The
resolution, which in overall was welcomed by the Georgian delegation,
praises the Georgian authorities for taking initiatives “to overcome the
polarisation and confrontational atmosphere that has regrettably
dominated the political landscape”, as well as efforts “to strengthen
the position and role of the opposition.”
The resolution says that
the 2012 parliamentary and 2013 presidential elections “will be the
litmus test” and calls on the political parties to agree on “election
system that can muster the full trust of all electoral stakeholders.”
While
welcoming the major constitutional changes, which will go into force in
late 2013, the resolution also calls on the Georgian authorities to
take into consideration recommendations by Council of Europe’s advisory
body, Venice Commission. In particular the resolution calls for revising
procedures for non-confidence vote to the government so that to
strengthen the powers of the Parliament in this process; it also calls
for increasing the Parliament’s role in budgetary matters.
The
resolution expresses concern over “the problems of the administration of
justice that could endanger the principles of equal application of the
law.”
“The Assembly calls upon the Georgian authorities to address
these problems which, if left unaddressed, could undermine the
considerable progress made by the authorities in the field of judicial
reform and the strengthening of the independence of the judiciary,” the
resolution reads.
The resolution also notes “the persistent
allegations that high-level corruption has not been fully eradicated”.
It says that complaints over excessive use of force by the police during
the protests “do not seem to be effectively and systematically
investigated.”
The resolution welcomes “political will” of the
Georgian government to address the problem of overcrowding and
inadequate living conditions in prisons. It says that growth of the
prison population “is largely the result of the very strict, even
sometimes disproportionate, mandatory sentencing guidelines, even for
minor crimes” and because of consecutive sentencing rules.
While
welcoming entry into force of the law on the prosecution service, the
resolution also says that considerable powers given to the Minister of
Justice to conduct personally the prosecution of high ranking officials,
such as president and members of the government, should be abolished.
The
resolution expresses “regret” that Georgia has not yet honored its
commitment to sign the European Charter for Regional and Minority
Languages and calls on Georgia to sign and ratify this Charter “without
further delay.”
The resolution also expresses concern about “the
manner in which IDPs were recently evicted from their residences in
Tbilisi.” When during the debates this issue was raised by one of the
speakers, a senior Georgian lawmaker Petre Tsiskarishvili responded: “I
do not want you my dear colleagues to misinterpret the facts and call
the resettlement process [of IDPs] ‘eviction’ or ‘throwing people out in
the streets’.”
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| 10 Apr. '11 | Präsident Saakashvili spricht von drei Typen der Opposition
Die
einen hoffen auf die Invasion der russ. Armee, andere geben hysterische
Erklärungen ab, dass es keine Demokratie gebe, und die dritte Gruppe
engagiert sich in konstruktiven Debatten mit der Regierung.
President Saakashvili said on April
9, that there were three types of opposition forces in Georgia – one
“hoping” for the Russian army to invade Georgia, another one making
“hysterical” statements on not having a democracy and the third one,
which engages in constructive debate with the government.
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