NEWS: Georgia News Digest 05-05-08

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)

Research
1. paper: Fluid party politics and the challenge for democracy assistance in Georgia
By Max Bader, Caucasus Review of International Affairs, April 2008

2. paper: Governance, the state, and systemic corruption: Armenia and Georgia in comparison
By Christoph H. Stefes, Caucasus Review of International Affairs, April 2008

3. paper: Corridor of power: The Caucasus and energy security
By Tracey C. German, Caucasus Review of International Affairs, April 2008

4. paper: Folklore and terror in Georgia’s ‘notorious’ Pankisi Gorge
By Paul Manning, University of Toronto ‘Symposium on Fear’, January 2008

5. paper: Materiality and cosmology: Old Georgian churches as sacred, sublime, and secular objects
By Paul Manning, Trent University, February 2008

6. report: State policies of Georgia in the energy sector: Tariffs on electricity and gas
Abkhazia UAV
7. Abkhazia places army on high alert after shooting down Georgian drones
8. Abkhaz claim downing two Georgian drones, Tbilisi denies
9. Abkhaz separatist foreign minister confirms downing of Georgian spy planes
10. Debris of second spy plane downed in Abkhazia found Fri before dusk
11. Georgia vows more UAV flights to gather info on Russia's "military intervention"
12. Unmanned flights in safety zone show aggressive intents of Tbilisi-Sukhumi
13. Georgia's plane over Abkhazia a provocation
Conflicts—Georgia view
14. Georgia denies military preparations against Abkhazia
15. No sign of attack plan in Georgia-Russia flashpoint
16. Georgia calls on UN to check Russian presence in Abkhazia
17. Long-simmering Abkhaz conflict heating up....but why now?
18. Russia reinforces forces in Abkhazia as a possibility of armed conflict looms
19. Conflict escalates between Russia, Georgia
20. Escalation of Georgian-Abkhazian conflict promises no good for Armenia
21. An exercise in image-building
22. Senior MP rejects Russian reports of planned attack on Abkhazia
23. Tbilisi demands extra Russian troops ‘immediate withdrawal’
24. Tbilisi reporting foreign businesses in Abkhazia to Interpol
25. Tbilisi wants UN to verify level of Russian troop increase
26. Deployment of additional troops further strains Russo-Georgian relations
27. Russian MIGs attack Georgian Hermes
28. Catholicos-Patriarch for peaceful settlement of conflicts
29. Head of Georgian Church urges prayer as "war could start any day"
30. Biggest aggressor occupied part of Georgia
31. Ossetians release three foreign citizens
Conflicts—Abkhazian view
32. Abkhaz official warns Georgia against "invasion"
33. Shooting between ethnic Russian, Chechen troops in Abkhazia
34. Abkhaz leader: deployment of extra Russian peacekeepers lawful
35. Abkhazia says some 7,500 Georgian troops amassed in border area
36. People in Abkhazia do not believe in war
37. Importance of new peacekeepers in Abkhazia
38. video: Russia sends more peacekeepers to Abkhazia
39. Russian contingent in Abkhazia completes deployment
40. Georgia may provoke clashes in Abkhazia ahead of elections - Duma deputy
41. Georgia demands Russian withdraw reinforcements from Abkhazia
42. Nationalist leader says Russia must use force to protect nationals abroad
43. Commanders of peacekeepers in Abkhazia report readiness
Conflicts—Russian view
44. video: Georgian army set to invade Abkhazia
45. Georgia was preparing an armed intrusion to Abkhazia
46. Georgia prepares military plan against Abkhazia - RF law enforcer
47. Russian diplomats say Georgia purposefully fanning tensions
48. Moscow expects Georgia and those who pull it to NATO to draw conclusions – Lavrov
49. video: NATO is to blame for Russo-Georgian tensions: Lavrov
50. Anti-Semitic attack on Batumi gravesites
51. KGNK warns Georgia
52. Georgia laughs off reports of upcoming military action in Abkhazia
53. Russian TV fears war in Georgian breakaway region
54. Russian Defence Ministry says Georgia does not want peace in Abkhazia
55. Peacekeepers' presence essential for peace in Abkhazia
Conflicts—International view
56. EU ‘seriously concerned’ over Russo-Georgian tensions
57. UN Spokesperson's noon briefing
58. Rice concerned over increase in Russian troops in Abkhazia
59. Sec. Rice Meetings in London [excerpt]
60. US urges Russia to "exercise caution" in activities regarding Abkhazia
61. White House urges restraint over Abkhazia tensions
62. White House Daily Press Briefing
63. Lavrov, Rice discuss Georgia
64. Congressmen warn against U.S. Anti-Russian stance
65. Burjanadze visits U.S.
66. Burdzhanadze to inform US about situation in Georgia
67. Will Ukrainian 'Una-Unsa' provide aid to Georgia?
68. Slovene EU presidency concerned over Georgia Russia row
69. Azerbaijan simply has no choice and it will be bound to support Georgia in the moment of serious straining of Georgian-Russian relations
70. Georgia should follow Azerbaijan's way of conflict settlement
Foreign relations
71. Georgia has a lot of friends among democratic countries and it can count not only on Hungary, but on other countries as well
72. Discussions on Georgia in NATO
73. Moscow expects Georgia and those who pull it to NATO to draw conclusions – Lavrov
74. video: NATO is to blame for Russo-Georgian tensions: Lavrov
75. Georgia is Medvedev’s first foreign policy test
76. Flying cameras and a prayer for Medvedev [excerpt]
77. Saakashvili gives his version of reasons of November events
78. Russia’s WTO ambition and Georgian role
79. USA and Russia struggling for influence over South Caucasus
80. Russia and Georgia
81. President says peace Georgia's main goal
82. Dealing with both Russia and Georgia
83. Facing down the ‘mighty’ Russian army
84. Georgia’s official delegation will attend inauguration ceremony of Russia’s new president
85. As Russia presses, Tbilisi scrambles to muster international support
86. A can of worms and an old parable
87. Georgia represents turmoil, danger in Eastern Europe
88. Iliya II urges normalization of Georgia-Russia relations
Politics
89. Statement of the NDI pre-election delegation to Georgia’s 2008 parliamentary elections
90. Georgian election campaign gets under way
91. CDM leader met with voters in Kakheti
92. Opposition calls for rally on polling day
93. Georgia to successfully conduct parl elections – Saakashvili
94. Candidate complains about pressure
95. Opposition asks international observers to tell the truth
96. Shalva Natelashvili - Mikheil Saakashvili's family is behind Multiplex Energy Georgia
97. As election day nears United Opposition accuses media of bias, ruling party of fraud; observers invoke NATO and call for “trust”
98. Parties took interest in each other’s finances
99. Election gambit: Nino Burjanadze leaves in order to come back
100. Misusing administrative resources: A tried and true technique?
101. Saakashvili hails ruling party’s 'renewal'
102. CEC updates voter list
103. Roman Kusiani not to participate in upcoming parliamentary elections
104. Ruling party to hold congress in Tbilisi May 3
105. Opposition party demands withdrawal of troops from Iraq
106. Top officials were bribed by Patarkatsishvili
107. Is Georgia a police state?
108. Imedi TV to resume news after polls
109. Georgia’s Imedi TV to be back on air after 130-day silence Mon
Business
110. International companies interested in Rustavi Metallurgical Plant products
111. GUAM to establish regional bank
112. Volume of lending of the national economy by commercial banks exceeded 4.9 billion lari
113. U.S. Arab citizen to lead International Chamber of Commerce in Georgia
114. Road construction proving tricky for Georgia’s millennium challenge
115. Gazprom is not planning to raise gas price for Georgia
116. Over first four months of 2008, 18 700 tourists visited Adjara region
117. OMX longs for Georgian Stock Exchange
118. Minimum quality standards for mortgage lending
119. National wine competition to be held in Georgia
120. Azerbaijan State Oil Company increases activity in Georgia
Defense
121. Country reports on terrorism
122. “Blackseafor-07” naval exercise Comes to Georgia
123. Hungarian Defence Ministry officials visit Georgia
124. New guidelines for US-Georgian military cooperation discussed
125. Two Georgian soldiers die in Iraq
126. 2 servicemen from ex-Soviet Georgia killed, 1 wounded in Iraq
Misc.
127. Georgia buys 130 ambulance vehicles for areas difficult of access from Russia
128. Members of Georgia's ruling party stab two Azerbaijanis
129. Two Azerbaijanis wounded in Georgian village
130. Museum of sports awards robbed
131. Patriarch of Georgia baptizes over 200 children
132. New bilingual journal delves into Georgia’s Soviet archives
133. Poll of Georgian troops in Iraq
134. Women’s issues NGOs rally for female MPs
135. A terrible murder in Khobi region
136. Anti-Semitic attack on Batumi gravesites

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