Press Scanner
Compiled by Eter Tsotniashvili
Monday, July 14
“Special address to Condoleezza Rice”
24 Saati carries an open letter from Journalists for Free Speech to US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, who visited Georgia last week:
“It already looks like a tendency of the government to control media. On TV stations now, political talk shows are limited and [debates] have been weakened. And the promise to the Council of Europe that electronic media ownership should be transparent has not be fulfilled,” the open letter says.
The journalists’ group Journalists for Free Speech expressed its dismay about the current situation in Georgia, and hopes that the US State Department will support them in developing democracy and defending freedom of speech.
“National Democratic Party’s new initiative”
A marginal political party proposes a parliamentary budget oversight committee, 24 Saati reports:
“National Democratic Party has a new initiative. They say a budgetary control committee should form in parliament. Leader of the National Democratic Party Bachuki Kardava addressed Speaker of Parliament Davit Bakradze and oppositional Vice-Speaker Levan Vepkhvadze with this initiative.
According to the party, ‘The main function of the committee is to establish parliamentary control of state budget expenditures, which will be mainly based on reports from the Chamber of Control [the state auditing agency]. The committee will present annual reports in parliament that will be a basis for parliamentary and societal discussion.’”
“My country will repel all aggressions from Georgia”
Akhali Taoba writes up a report on South Ossetian separatist leader Eduard Kokoity’s visit to Moscow last week:
“South Ossetian de facto president Eduard Kokoity met with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, the news agency Regnum reported.
As Kokoity told reporters after the meeting, his country will repel any kind of Georgian aggression.
‘In spite of the small number of Ossetians we will defend our land,’ Kokoity said.
The de facto president highly assessed Russia’s activities in conflict zone and said that they support peace.”
24 Saati carries an open letter from Journalists for Free Speech to US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, who visited Georgia last week:
“It already looks like a tendency of the government to control media. On TV stations now, political talk shows are limited and [debates] have been weakened. And the promise to the Council of Europe that electronic media ownership should be transparent has not be fulfilled,” the open letter says.
The journalists’ group Journalists for Free Speech expressed its dismay about the current situation in Georgia, and hopes that the US State Department will support them in developing democracy and defending freedom of speech.
“National Democratic Party’s new initiative”
A marginal political party proposes a parliamentary budget oversight committee, 24 Saati reports:
“National Democratic Party has a new initiative. They say a budgetary control committee should form in parliament. Leader of the National Democratic Party Bachuki Kardava addressed Speaker of Parliament Davit Bakradze and oppositional Vice-Speaker Levan Vepkhvadze with this initiative.
According to the party, ‘The main function of the committee is to establish parliamentary control of state budget expenditures, which will be mainly based on reports from the Chamber of Control [the state auditing agency]. The committee will present annual reports in parliament that will be a basis for parliamentary and societal discussion.’”
“My country will repel all aggressions from Georgia”
Akhali Taoba writes up a report on South Ossetian separatist leader Eduard Kokoity’s visit to Moscow last week:
“South Ossetian de facto president Eduard Kokoity met with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, the news agency Regnum reported.
As Kokoity told reporters after the meeting, his country will repel any kind of Georgian aggression.
‘In spite of the small number of Ossetians we will defend our land,’ Kokoity said.
The de facto president highly assessed Russia’s activities in conflict zone and said that they support peace.”