Georgia News Digest 07-17-08

A service of the Georgian Foundation for Strategic and International Studies

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Archives and associated files at groups.google.com/group/genewsfiles (from February 2008) and groups.google.com/group/genews (before February 2008)

Foreign relations and conflicts
1. German FM to visit Russia, Georgia over Abkhazia
2. Tbilisi pins hopes on German plan to resolve Abkhaz conflict
3. Russian, German Foreign Ministers Discuss Abkhazia
4. Kouchner to visit Georgia in September
5. FM to discuss NATO integration matters in France
6. US, NATO ‘troubled’ by Russian flyover
7. Burjanadze and Rice meetings ‘very significant’ for Georgia’s future
8. Estonian parlt's Georgia group condemns Russian actions
9. Friends of Georgia
10. EU special representative to visit Tskhinvali Wednesday
11. Georgia protests Russian military drills in North Caucasus
12. Georgia urges Russia to stop "aggressive policy"
13. Backing Georgia
14. Georgia to assess fines on telecom companies operating in breakaway regions
15. The Kremlin's Tibet
16. Crossfire war
17. Georgia’s joining NATO to cause geopolitical division
18. Medvedev unveils little new in Russia’s foreign-policy course [excerpt]
19. Georgian ambassador to Russia will attend parliamentary committee session
20. Russian human rights NGOs release address
Abkhazia
21. Russian military denies transferring air assault troops to Abkhazia
22. Russia is planning to invade Kodori in the near future
23. Abkhazia cannot pursue joint projects with Georgia over lack of confidence
24. Legislators from Abkhazia visit Chechnya
25. Tbilisi calls for withdrawal of Russian peacekeepers from Abkhazia
26. Georgia, Abkhazia should commit themselves not to use force – Lavrov
27. Abkhazia shrugs off Georgia's move to punish telecom companies
28. Georgian side unveiled itself in 21 May Khurcha incident
South Ossetia
29. Separatist official on breakaway region's future
30. Separatists want to attend UN Security Council session
31. Separatist official accuses Georgia of rejecting peace talks
32. Kokoity insists on S. Ossetia's participation in UN Security Council session on July 21
Politics and government
33. New laws say no state financing for six opposition parties
34. Is Burjanadze’s democratic development NGO a springboard for her future presidency?
35. Neither Nino Burjanadze nor Irakli Okruashvili will be opposition leaders
36. Who do you trust?
Misc.
37. Kakheti regional administration conceals public information from the local newspaper
38. Facts of restriction on freedom of speech still come about in Georgia
39. Rumored merger heightens concern about press freedom
40. CIS chief prosecutors to meet in Tbilisi
41. Maestro TV license hearing postponed
42. Market vendors against street vendors in Zugdidi
43. Georgian citizens to begin facing juries of peers: Is Georgia ready for a jury system?
44. Ministry halts renovations for historical church
45. Turkish Government, WFP Provide flour to eastern food-for-work participants
46. Basis Bank provides cheap loans to students going abroad

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