NEWS: Georgia News Digest 12-17-07

A service of the Georgian Foundation for Strategic and International Studies

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1. Three weeks before elections Saakashvili leads in rating of candidates for post of president- Poll
2. Burjanadze pledges "democratic" election
3. Burjanadze and Boden discussed issues related to elections
4. Acting president meets NGOs
5. Appeal on participation of Georgian soldiers in Iraq and Kosovo in presidential elections submitted to court
6. ‘Ballot rigging amounts to political suicide’ - Burjanadze
7. MP demands probe into "illegal" acts during rally dispersal
8. Opposition candidates launch free TV ads
9. Ilia II: these elections have to be transparent
10. US Senate resolution on Georgia
11. Ukraine calls on all Georgian political forces to come together
12. Inter-agency group pledges to react on electoral violations
13. Plebiscite question wording undecided
14. Salome Zourabichvili thinks Georgian emigrants’ votes will be forged
15. The last president of Georgia?
16. Gachechiladze meets voters in Adjara
17. Opposition leader on Patarkatsishvili, post-elections
18. Patarkatsishvili return to Georgia postponed indefinitely – agency
19. Patarkatsishvili accuses government of exceeding authority
20. Patarkatsishvili insists on security guarantees
21. Patarkatsishvili complains to authorities about pressure on supporters – agency
22. Gelbakhiani accuses government of forging voter’s lists
23. Gelbakhiani slams authorities of persecution
24. Kublashvili: accusation of freezing Patarkatsishvili’s accounts is misinformation
25. Gia Tortladze to chair “Movement For United Georgia”
26. Okruashvili's party inaugurated
27. “Labourists” accuse CEC of forging voter’s lists
28. Natelashvili pledges to rise salaries to teachers
29. Saakashvili met voters in Imereti region
30. Saakashvili visits Terjola, Zestaponi
31. Saakashvili met with Gori and Dusheti residents
32. Bokeria describes election campaign as "extremely aggressive"
33. United National Movement thanks Saakashvili’s supporters
34. NGO Chveni Taoba joins Saakashvili's supporters
35. Sportsmen, singers declare support to Saakashvili
36. Saakashvili platform "future-oriented" – spokesman
37. Maisashvili prepared for debates with rivals
38. Maisashvili challenges rivals to open debates
39. Terry Davis criticizes Levan Berdzenishvili for racial statements
40. MP denies ‘anti-semitism slur’
41. Unanswered questions persist about Imedi television in Georgia
42. TV watchdog launched
43. Kosovo: Russian ambitions and American mistakes
44. Saakashvili Putinizing Georgia
45. Russia's moratorium came into force. What threats does this pose to West and Georgia?
46. Medvedev is more acceptable to West. 'In long run, we should expect Georgian-Russian relations to improve'
47. Washington fears Putin's power will fuel disputes
48. De facto authorities prohibit opening of constituencies in Gali region
49. Georgia says separatists plan provocation to prevent people voting in polls
50. Georgia urges world bodies to stop separatists' "illegal actions" ahead of polls
51. March launched from Gali to Tbilisi
52. Official concerned over situation in Abkhaz district ahead of polls
53. editorial cartoon see more cartoons at http://blog.shioshvili.com
54. Bakradze protests against illegal actions of de facto authorities
55. Russia continues rotation of peacekeepers in Abkhazia
56. Georgia wants Russian peacekeepers said to beat up journalist be punished
57. Peacekeepers, journalists scuffle in Abkhaz conflict zone
58. Peacekeepers beat Georgian journalists
59. Bakradze: Russian peacekeepers suspected of beating Georgian journalists must be punished
60. Burdzhanadze warns Russia against recognition of Abkhazia, S-Ossetia
61. Burjanadze says possible Russian recognition of separatists equals to war
62. De facto government moved military units towards Upper Abkhazia
63. No UN confirmation for Tbilisi’s claims of Abkhaz violations
64. Separatists' minister: Abkhazia is not Georgia
65. Reported deployment of Abkhaz troops in Kodori is a provocation – Sukhumi
66. Separatists begin movement of armored vehicles
67. OSCE envoy ends visit to South Ossetia
68. Social conditions in South Ossetia remain harsh
69. Drivers snow-trapped in the Caucasus rescued
70. PM visits Adjara
71. Gurgenidze saw citrus processing enterprise in Adjara
72. Prime Minister visited Poti port
73. Gurgenidze: Maintaining one-digit inflation rate is achievable in 2008
74. The Government keeps concealing the real scale of inflation in the country – Papava
75. The Government announced start of the program for support to mothers from vulnerable families
76. UN carried out the assessment of the impact of potential free trade agreement
77. Parliament discusses 2008 draft budget
78. Revised draft 2008 budget in ‘next few weeks’
79. New method on elaboration of professional training programs to be introduced in Georgia
80. Politics hits Georgia private banking sector
81. The Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway: The first step in a long process
82. Illegals from Syria – are there lessons to be learnt for Cyprus? [excerpt]

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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