The News in Brief
Monday, September 8
Hunting season to open on September 6
Under a decision by the Ministry of Environment Protection and Natural Resources of Georgia hunting season of 2008-2009 will open on September 6. Due to martial law being declared throughout Georgia, the season could not open on August 20 as originally intended.
The first game bird shooting season in Georgia will run from September 6 to September 21. The second will begin on October 11 and last until October 19. The third and longest season runs from November 27 to January 10, 2009. Shooting hours are from 12:00 noon until sunset on opening day of the first season, and one-half hour before sunrise to sunset every day thereafter. The daily limit is 12 birds.
Game bird hunters must have on their person a valid Georgia hunting licence and a valid Migratory Bird Harvest Information Programme (HIP) permit while shooting. The HIP permit is free and can be obtained from any licensed dealer by completing a migratory bird hunter questionnaire. Honorary license holders are exempt from the HIP permit requirement.
Any automatic shotgun or other repeating shotgun must be plugged to hold no more than three cartidges whilst hunting game birds. Only the holders of firearms certificates will be granted the right to hunt.
(Prime-News)
Spain to participate in EU observation mission to the Caucasus
Spain will participate in the observation mission which the European Union intends to send to the Caucasus with the aim of monitoring implementation of the ceasefire agreement which was drafted through the mediation of the President of France, Foreign Minister of Spain Miguel Angel Moratinos has stated.
“There will be a mission of civil observers”, Moratinos said, not specifying their number. According to him, Spain will promote a settlement which as far as possible “defends the territorial integrity of Georgia” and “guarantees peace and stability in the region”.
(Black Sea Press)
Residents of South Ossetia have over one thousand units of small arms
At the present time residents of South Ossetia have over one thousand units of small arms which were stolen or purchased during the events of August 2008, said the Attorney General of the self-proclaimed Republic of South Ossetia Taimuraz Khugayev on Saturday. “Over a thousand units of small arms are being held illegally by members of the population. But we cannot say in all cases that they were stolen”, he said.
Khugayev said that when Georgian troops were in Tskhinvali, local residents entered South Ossetian “Defence Ministry” depots and removed different kinds of firearms to defend their families. At present we are carrying out work to eradicate the illegal possession of arms”, he noted.
(Black Sea Press)
Russians and Abkhaz separatists control village of Ganmukhuri
Russian forces and Abkhaz separatists have reportedly been occupying the village of Ganmukhuri in the Zugdidi district of western Georgia for the last 20 days.
The local population is being put under permanent pressure by the occupation forces. Soldiers are raiding and looting local houses. Some illegal tariffs for crossing to neighbouring villages and carrying products within the village have also reportedly been imposed by the aggressors.
(Prime-News)
Georgian crisis dictates necessity of joint action by EU and USA –French Foreign Minister
Today’s challenges to international security, including the crisis in Georgia, dictate the necessity of joint action by the European Union and USA, French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner stated on Friday.
“We have common interests and common values, despite differences of points of view”, Kouchner told journalists after the first working sitting of an informal meeting of the Foreign Ministers of the 27 EU member states in Avignon.
The European Commissioner for External Relations and European Neighbourhood Policy, Benita Ferrero-Waldner, in turn, said that the EU wanted to be more a equal partner of the USA, noting that EU members were becoming more united in pursuing a common foreign policy. “Georgia is a good example of this EU policy unity”, she said.
The Foreign Ministers of the EU countries did not discuss the situation in Georgia on Friday, but addressed it on Saturday.
(Black Sea Press)
Under a decision by the Ministry of Environment Protection and Natural Resources of Georgia hunting season of 2008-2009 will open on September 6. Due to martial law being declared throughout Georgia, the season could not open on August 20 as originally intended.
The first game bird shooting season in Georgia will run from September 6 to September 21. The second will begin on October 11 and last until October 19. The third and longest season runs from November 27 to January 10, 2009. Shooting hours are from 12:00 noon until sunset on opening day of the first season, and one-half hour before sunrise to sunset every day thereafter. The daily limit is 12 birds.
Game bird hunters must have on their person a valid Georgia hunting licence and a valid Migratory Bird Harvest Information Programme (HIP) permit while shooting. The HIP permit is free and can be obtained from any licensed dealer by completing a migratory bird hunter questionnaire. Honorary license holders are exempt from the HIP permit requirement.
Any automatic shotgun or other repeating shotgun must be plugged to hold no more than three cartidges whilst hunting game birds. Only the holders of firearms certificates will be granted the right to hunt.
(Prime-News)
Spain to participate in EU observation mission to the Caucasus
Spain will participate in the observation mission which the European Union intends to send to the Caucasus with the aim of monitoring implementation of the ceasefire agreement which was drafted through the mediation of the President of France, Foreign Minister of Spain Miguel Angel Moratinos has stated.
“There will be a mission of civil observers”, Moratinos said, not specifying their number. According to him, Spain will promote a settlement which as far as possible “defends the territorial integrity of Georgia” and “guarantees peace and stability in the region”.
(Black Sea Press)
Residents of South Ossetia have over one thousand units of small arms
At the present time residents of South Ossetia have over one thousand units of small arms which were stolen or purchased during the events of August 2008, said the Attorney General of the self-proclaimed Republic of South Ossetia Taimuraz Khugayev on Saturday. “Over a thousand units of small arms are being held illegally by members of the population. But we cannot say in all cases that they were stolen”, he said.
Khugayev said that when Georgian troops were in Tskhinvali, local residents entered South Ossetian “Defence Ministry” depots and removed different kinds of firearms to defend their families. At present we are carrying out work to eradicate the illegal possession of arms”, he noted.
(Black Sea Press)
Russians and Abkhaz separatists control village of Ganmukhuri
Russian forces and Abkhaz separatists have reportedly been occupying the village of Ganmukhuri in the Zugdidi district of western Georgia for the last 20 days.
The local population is being put under permanent pressure by the occupation forces. Soldiers are raiding and looting local houses. Some illegal tariffs for crossing to neighbouring villages and carrying products within the village have also reportedly been imposed by the aggressors.
(Prime-News)
Georgian crisis dictates necessity of joint action by EU and USA –French Foreign Minister
Today’s challenges to international security, including the crisis in Georgia, dictate the necessity of joint action by the European Union and USA, French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner stated on Friday.
“We have common interests and common values, despite differences of points of view”, Kouchner told journalists after the first working sitting of an informal meeting of the Foreign Ministers of the 27 EU member states in Avignon.
The European Commissioner for External Relations and European Neighbourhood Policy, Benita Ferrero-Waldner, in turn, said that the EU wanted to be more a equal partner of the USA, noting that EU members were becoming more united in pursuing a common foreign policy. “Georgia is a good example of this EU policy unity”, she said.
The Foreign Ministers of the EU countries did not discuss the situation in Georgia on Friday, but addressed it on Saturday.
(Black Sea Press)