NEWS: Georgia News Digest 03-31-08

A service of the Georgian Foundation for Strategic and International Studies

Attached PDF file easily navigable with Bookmarks pane
Archives and associated files at groups.google.com/group/genewsfiles (from February 2008) and groups.google.com/group/genews (before February 2008)

1. Patriarch calls on opposition, authorities for dialogue
2. Assessing opposition
3. NDP proposes opposition to make a coalition
4. Opposition ends hunger strike, vows to keep fighting
5. Opposition hunger strike called off
By Robyn Angley; ISCIP Analyst, March 2008: The eight-party opposition bloc, whose tents have been a constant presence on the steps of parliament for the last 17 days, has called off its hunger strike following a request from Georgia's patriarch, Ilia II. Opposition leaders have cited the patriarch's intervention as the primary reason for ending the strike. (1) The decision followed an initially unsuccessful attempt by the patriarch to end the hunger strike on 21 March.
The decision to call off the hunger strike comes just days after parliament passed a contentious new amendment to the election code. Passed by a vote of 134 to 2, the amendment changes the election process for members of parliament. Under the new legislation, 75 of the 150 parliamentarians will be elected in first-past-the-post elections in single-mandate districts. The remaining 75 members will be elected by proportional representation of party lists. (2) The new law also includes a provision stating that the candidate with the most votes in a single-mandate district wins automatically without a runoff if he/she has earned more than 30 percent of the vote. (3)
The passage of the law represents a significant blow to the opposition, for whom a central demand has been a more drastic change of the electoral law. (4) Other issues have included the composition of the board of trustees for Georgian Public Broadcasting (GPB), which is currently in the process of replacing its director general, and numerous points of contention regarding Imedi TV. Imedi was owned by the late Badri Patarkatsishvili, Georgian oligarch and presidential hopeful in the January elections. The channel was a mouthpiece for the opposition leading up to the November protests and was closed by the government during the state of emergency. It has remained a subject of controversy in the ensuing months. Following Patarkatsishvili's death in February, a man named Joseph Kakalashvili claimed to have purchased Imedi. (5)
The opposition protests thus far have netted very few gains. The GPB board is changing, per negotiations with Speaker of Parliament Nino Burdjanadze in January. However, although opposition and government officials have engaged in sporadic negotiations ever since the presidential election in January, the opposition has yet to achieve any major victories. The hunger strike has received considerable media coverage, but has failed to influence the government thus far. It seems that the opposition would be better served to direct its efforts toward winning seats in parliament rather than camping out in front of Burdjanadze’s office.

(1) "Opposition ends hunger strike," Civil Georgia, 25 Mar 08 via http://www.civil.ge/eng/article.php?id=17448.
(2) "Controversial rule on majoritarian MPs approved," Civil Georgia, 21 Mar 08 via http://www.civil.ge/eng/article.php?id=17417.
(3) "Opposition ends hunger strike,” Ibid.
(4) "Controversial rule on majoritarian MPs approved.”
(5) "Imedi new owner delays TV reopening – Source," Civil Georgia, 25 Mar 08 via http://www.civil.ge/eng/article.php?id=17450.

6. Shall hunger strikers die to make the authorities budge?!
7. Opposition caught in its own trap
8. Opposition is threatening to stage popular revolt
9. Saakashvili would be pleased to have a majority, but he is not going to sacrifice for it
10. PACE monitors note ‘full lack of trust’ among parties
11. Ruling party names some majoritarian MP candidates
12. Tbilisi Mayor presented candidate for majoritarian MPs from Nadzaladevi District
13. Ruling party MP becomes Governor
14. Labor Party to take part in the parliamentary elections
15. Political parties slog toward campaign mode as filing deadline passes
16. Labor Party accuses CoE commissioner of corruption deals
17. President to present Inter-Agency Task Force for Free and Fair Elections on Friday
18. Saakashvili manipulates his return to presidency
19. speech: President of Georgia Mikheil Saakashvili at Atlantic Council (pdf)
20. Lithuanians and Estonians were shocked by Saakashvili’s inauguration
21. Freetocracy
22. Presidential races in Georgia, Armenia and Russia were not just bumps on the road to democracy
23. Georgian PM to meet Estonian President
24. Georgian PM visits Estonia
25. Mikheil Svimonishvili refuses to become an ambassador to Switzerland
26. Scary McCain [excerpt]
27. NATO to invite new members to join military alliance
28. Either MAP or nothing – Tbilisi tells NATO
29. As Georgia seeks to join NATO, a catch-22
30. Georgia ready for status of NATO candidate country – Saakashvili
31. Georgia hopes to get in Bucharest NATO candidate status
32. Resolving Georgia's conflicts through NATO "dangerous game" - Russian minister
33. Keep NATO's door open
34. Bush facing resistance to NATO expansion
35. U.S. wants Georgia, Ukraine in NATO
36. Between NATO and Georgia’s conflicts
37. NATO aspirations and the Kosovo effect
38. Are they ready?
39. A new era with Georgia?
40. Georgian officials upbeat on MAP bid, despite the odds
41. Jockeying for position before Bucharest
42. Bucharest – Time to ask difficult questions
43. Ukraine and Georgia want in
44. NATO may not expand
45. Kaczynski: Our common duty is to support their efforts
46. Estonia supports Georgia's bid for NATO
47. Berlin stresses no to NATO opening door to Georgia, Ukraine
48. Berlin hardens 'no' to NATO offer for Georgia and Ukraine
49. Armenian commenter against Georgian NATO accession
50. video: Georgia and Ukraine in NATO would threaten Russia’s security: Rogozin
51. Lavrov speaks of Georgia’s NATO bid
52. Lavrov lambastes U.S. over Ukraine, Georgia
53. Russia to Georgia: don't use NATO to quell regions
54. Abkhazia says Georgia seeking conflict to speed up NATO bid
55. Georgia does not view NATO bid as way to resolve conflicts with Abkhazia, S. Ossetia
56. Georgia not to use NATO in conflict settlement – official
57. Russian air space opened
58. Voyage marks end of Russia-Georgia shipping freeze
59. Russian passenger ship entered Batumi Port
60. Russia fears to lose the energy monopoly in Europe
61. Government fulfills its vows to sort out relations with Russia
62. Roses for the bear
63. Abkhaz, South Ossetian leaders upbeat about independence prospects
64. Abkhazia, South Ossetia to seek independence – leaders
65. Speaker sceptical of Russia's role in conflict settlement
66. Russia will use military force if Georgia invades Abkhazia, S. Ossetia - Duma deputy
67. Georgian reaction to Russian statement on breakaway regions
68. Voronin satisfied with RF statement on non-recognised republics
69. The UN resolution: Will Azerbaijan break up the OSCE Minsk Group Format? [excerpt]
70. Saakashvili's statement on Tbilisi’s proposals to Abkhazia
71. Saakashvili outlines Tbilisi’s Abkhaz initiatives
72. video: Georgia offers breakaway Abkhazia full autonomy
73. Burjanadze reckons proposal of Saakashvili to have positive results for Abkhazia
74. Abkhazs show interest in Saakashvili's proposals – speaker
75. Speaker hopes president's offer to Abkhazia will yield specific results
76. Sokhumi rejects Tbilisi’s proposal as ‘pr stunt’
77. Russia behind Sokhumi’s no to new proposals
78. Abkhazia gives up broad autonomy as part of Georgia – Shamba
79. Abkhaz separatist leader rejects Georgian offer of "unlimited autonomy"
80. Abkhazia rejects Georgian offer of extensive autonomy
81. New proposal to resolve Abkhaz conflict?
82. Unmanned reconnaissance plane watches exercises in Abkhazia
83. Surveillance drone brought down in Ochamchire
84. Moscow concerned by Georgian drone's sortie over Abkhazia
85. De facto minister: We are preparing for war
86. video: Abkhazia: Untold War Story with Dodge Billingsley
87. Self-ethnic cleansing?
Jibs; Steady State blog, March 2: comments at blogs.tol.org/conflicts/2008/03/02/self-ethnic-cleansing and globalvoicesonline.org/2008/03/05/georgia-self-ethnic-cleansing
Metin, who I suppose is an administrator of the www.circassianworld.com, dropped a link with George Hewitt’s analysis of of the Georgian - Abkhaz conflict and on implications Kosovo has on the resolution of this conflict.
Hewitt’s approach tends to be one sided. In his other works, he himself does not deny being a biased commentator. Many aspects in this conflict, history, reasons or developments are obviously debatable. Nothing is crystal clear. There is however one point that I would like to address.
As a result of the conflict in Abkhazia, nearly 300,000 Georgians left their homes. Here is what Hewitt has to say about this fact:
Their [Georgians’] flight has been portrayed as ethnic cleansing; the relevant areas might be describable as largely (though not completely) cleansed of ‘Georgian’ residents, but this is the result of an act of self-cleansing.
The notion of self-ethnic cleansing is something that I have heard for the first time. To put in other words, it means that Georgians had nothing to fear and for some reason they simply decided to leave their homes. Hence, this is SELF-ethnic cleansing.
It also sounds as if the Abkhaz side is absolved of responsibility of Georgians’ removal from their homes. Almost as if “we didn’t do anything, they ran away themselves”.
I wonder if this is the attitude in Abkhazian society towards this issue. If yes, than it is disappointing… to say the least (there are of course many beliefs in Georgian society that disappoint the Abkhaz). Most cases of ethnic cleansing could be viewed from that perspective — people ran away themselves.
Why were they running btw.? Could it be because they were afraid for their lives? Could it be because they represented an ethnic group, members of which were targeted?

88. Diplomat says peacekeeping command decision postponed
89. video: Blast kills one in South Ossetian capital
90. Woman killed in Tskhinvali blast
91. Separatists to pay reward
92. South Ossetia accuses Georgia in deadly car bombing
93. OSCE Chairman concerned over S. Ossetia blasts
94. Minister ties blasts in breakaway region to NATO summit
95. Separatists blame blast in South Ossetia on Georgia
96. Georgian police accused of barring deliveries to S. Ossetia
97. Russian commander makes "irresponsible political statements" - Georgian MP
98. Terror acts in South Ossetia destabilize satiation in conflict zone – peacekeepers
99. Tbilisi dismisses idea of meeting between Saakashvili, Kokoity
100. S. Ossetia ruled by ‘bandits’
101. Former Georgian defense minister convicted of extortion
102. Okruashvili jailed for 11 years in absentia, barred from polls
103. Okruashvili trial politically motivated
104. video: Georgian ex-minister gets 11 year sentence
105. News Corp to seek to regain ownership of Imedi
106. Patarkatsishvili death blamed on Berezovsky
107. Once again, Imedi at center of controversy
108. Interview with scandalously famous Joseph Kay, alias Soso Kakiashvili
109. Accused of bias, Georgian TV reporters face political attacks
110. Prominent journalists left behind shortlist for GPB top job
111. journal: Georgian Economic Trends
GEPLAC, February 2008: geplac.org/eng/trends.php
The Government Programme “United Georgia without Poverty:”
Steps to Achieving Progress on the Four Freedoms with the EUMain Economic Events

Summary Macroeconomic Indicators
Overview Of The Georgian Economy
- Gross Domestic Product and Real Sector
- Public Finance
- Money and Banking
- Labour Market and Household Budgets
- External Sector
- EU-Georgia Economic Relations

112. paper: Risks for the Sustainability of Georgia’s Economic Growth
113. paper: Development of the Georgian Electricity and Gas Markets in Line with the EU Energy Policy
114. paper: Medium-Term Prospects for the Georgian Economy
115. Investor confidence and capital inflows remain high in Q1 2008
116. Energo-Pro Georgia aims to bring Georgia’s hydropower system in line with European standards
117. Georgian government set to promote hydro-resource investment
118. Seventh melting furnace put in operation at Zestaponi Ferroalloy Plant
119. Fitch affirms Georgia's 'BB-' rating, stable outlook
120. Dollar goes down; prices go up?
121. Expo Batumi seeks to woo tourists
122. New port to be built in Georgia
123. Training of military personnel in Georgia on trafficking in persons
124. MoD publishes “Minister’s Vision 2008-2011”
125. Ethnic minorities in the Georgian Army
126. Interviews with Minister of Defence of Armenia, Michael Harutinyan
127. One day at a reserve base
128. Company leaves for Kosovo
129. Public Defender lashes out at Parliament
130. Ombudsman, NGO sign memorandum
131. Reforming Georgia’s secondary healthcare
132. “Project Komnoidi” works to modernize Georgian judiciary
133. Campaigning for gender equality in Georgian Politics
134. German-Georgian project focuses on the environment
135. Philanthropy in Georgia
136. Intravenous drug users in Tbilisi
137. Tbilisi International Airport’s runway to be reconstructed
138. Electronic cinema archive covers history of Georgian movies
139. video: Confessions of a banned Soviet director
Film fans in Moscow have had a rare insight into what goes on behind the camera lens. Georgian-French director Otar Iosseliani, once banned in the Soviet Union, has revealed some of his professional secrets in Moscow.
For the first time ever the filmmaker is showing the public rare photographs from his film sets, shooting sheets with his own sketches, schemes and comments.He has always wanted to show the simple truth of life. As a result, his films were repeatedly banned in the USSR due to censorship.
Iosseliani moved to France to work there. As he says, you can make Georgian cinema anywhere, it's not about geography."Favourites of the Moon", "Chasing Butterflies", "In vino veritas", "Monday Morning" - the films of Iosseliani are sort of parables. They are contemplative, full of mild humour, and longing for something.
His films have won prizes at festivals in Cannes, Venice and Berlin.
Iosseliani was even awarded the French Order of Chevalier of the Legion of Honour. But it's never been a question of awards or commercial success for the filmmaker. He just goes his own way, and welcomes us to follow. As Iosseliani once put it, you can't give a lesson with the help of cinema. You can just give a bit of hope to someone, who thinks like you think.

140. The ears had it
141. Sofiko Chiaureli
142. What was Misha Saakashvili doing when we were fighting real KGB?

Jonathan Kulick, Ph.D., Director of Studies, Georgian Foundation for Strategic and International Studies, 3a Chitadze, Tbilisi 0108, Georgia (Republic), jonathan.kulick@gfsis.org, office: +995 32 47 35 55, mobile: +995 95 33 33 40, USA voicemail: 310.928.6814