NEWS: Georgia News Digest 07-23-08

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. Germany's efforts to settle Abkhazian conflict looking fruitless so far
2. Steinmeier’s plan on Abkhazia: Benign intentions, limited relevance, blocked by Moscow
3. German Abkhaz plan ‘not dead’
4. Europe's capabilities are restricted
5. Is devil hiding in the details of Steinmeier’s plan?
6. How Russia is undermining Germany's initiative before it even starts
7. Surprise, surprise
8. Putin has never been Medvedev’s friend
9. Russian human rights activist says Georgian refugees can't return to Abkhazia
10. Georgian-US military exercise threatens Russia
11. If Russia doesn’t interfere, Georgia can start and even win war against Abkhazia and South Ossetia
12. Russo-Georgian tensions discussed at Security Council
13. Georgia seeking implication of international community in settlement of its conflicts
14. MFA releases official statement
15. Russian envoy slams some envoys of pro-Georgian policy
16. Russian UN envoy slams "pro-Georgian bias" of West
17. Georgians, Russians exchange angry words at Security Council Debate
18. Georgia’s diplomatic efforts directed at breaking down existing formats of conflict solution
19. Russian aggression towards Georgia fits the pattern of Germany's prewar tactics
20. With Russian flights and Georgian IDPs, non-use of force discussed at UN, Kosovo echoes
21. video: UN fails to settle Georgian airspace row
22. State Minister Iakobashvili given status of president’s special envoy
23. Georgia-Abkhazia issue is very high on the agenda amongst European Union states
24. EU should have bigger role in settling Abkhazian conflict
25. Saakashvili sees Lithuania as Tbilisi's "main" ally in EU
26. Lithuania expecting active involvement from EU in solving conflict in Abkhazia
27. How long will “war games” and standoffs last?
28. Abkhazia, Georgia: “Home”
29. Abkhaz railway repair close to end
30. Abkhaz MPs visit Chechnya
31. Separatists military academy announces about accepting students
32. Recognized Kosovo changes int'l attitude to Abkhazia
33. South Ossetia resists Georgia's efforts to exclude North Ossetia from talks
34. Georgia detains four Ossetians on drug, weapons charges
35. Tbilisi confirms release of two S. Ossetians
Politics and government
36. Top members quit opposition party
37. Movement "Freedom" suspended its activity, members of its political council quitted organization
38. Labors meet envoys
39. Parliamentary Minority presents plans
40. Opposition political camp receives just reward!
41. Subari forced government to recall November 7 – “A day government wants to erase from Georgian history”
42. Open letter attacks parliament for ‘cynical attitude to democracy’
43. Ruling party’s disregard for dissent leaves little room for optimism
44. Giorgi Karbelashvili is appointed as a Deputy Minister of Economical Development
45. Labor Code - Employees are fired over one lost khachapuri
46. Mass firing of governmental employees for weak support in parliamentary elections
47. President’s web site under DDoS attack from Russian hackers
48. Saakashvili administration denies crippling hacker attack on president’s website
49. Saakashvili visits Vaziani military base
50. Georgia to send 400 peacekeepers to Afghanistan
Misc.
51. Tehran, Tbilisi to strengthen bilateral commercial ties
52. The last events in Javakhq were organized by Georgian authorities with connivance of Armenian authorities
53. Interests of Javakhq have been sacrificed for the benefit of Nagorno-Karabakh
54. GPB Moambe News has new chief
55. Regional TV news programs “off-the-air”
56. Wasting of budgetary funds continues unabated in Lagodekhi
57. Special Operations Department arrests high-ranking officials from Kakheti Energy-Distribution Company
58. Human Rights Centre demands punishment of District Governor of Sighnaghi
59. NGOs protest Deputy Internal Minister appointment as Kakheti’s Regional Governor
60. Half starved cows in Gori District
61. What do inmates of Kutaisi prison need?
62. Court hands down virtual “death penalty” on physically disabled person with TB
63. Prisoner fears being locked up
64. Turning a blind eye - Georgian prisons without monitoring
65. Caucasus data: Tolerance towards others
Social Science in the Caucasus blog, July 22
charts at crrc-caucasus.blogspot.com/2008/07/caucasus-data-tolerance-towards-others.html

66. Georgia eyes potential for new pipelines
67. Government of patriots or “little people” in Shida Kartli
68. Out-patient clinics being brought into shape in the Samtskhe-Javakheti region
69. Kakheti Ethnographical Museum closed
70. Who violates UN mandated rights of the child in Kutaisi?
71. Residents of Lamiskana dream of irrigation system
72. One pebble from the Georgian homeland
73. Management for HAACP food safety unit does work properly
74. Crumbling walls of Ateni Sioni Orthodox Church
75. Clients cannot receive money from People’s Bank
76. Farmers forced to fill the empty Georgian budget
77. People’s Bank denies money distribution problems in district branches
78. Police officer murdered in Akhalkalaki
79. Traders with color metals protest new rules
80. Low-quality rehabilitation works in Sighnaghi exposed once again
81. Zemoadjarian drivers strike high prices at car station in Batumi

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