Press Scanner
Compiled by Etuna Tsotniashvili
Thursday, December 11
Subari may join New Rights and Republicans
Rezonansi reports that Ombudsman Sozar Subari may join the new alliance of New Rights and Republicans when he leaves his post. The alliance says it may also cooperate with Nino Burjanadze if she gives up her Presidential ambitions.
Republican Levan Berdzenishvili says that they have not had consultations with Subari so far. “But Subari should be in our coalition I think, although it is up to him whether he joins us,” Berdzenishvili said. “During the formation of our coalition we will have negotiations with various political forces and individual politicians. This coalition will present itself with a certain structure and a leader who will be able to unite democratic forces in the near future in order to change the government,” Republican leader Davit Usupashvili said.
On Friday Subari will read a special report ton Parliament, in the capacity of Human Rights defender, where he will give the names of those people who ordered the crackdown on peaceful demonstrators on November 7 last year.
Georgia does not agree to ban cassette bombs
On December 3 a conference was held in the Norwegian capital Oslo which discussed banning cassette bombs, Rezonansi writes. Of the 125 states participating, 93 have agreed to a ban, including 18 NATO member states.
“There were some Georgian representatives at this conference, but according to their information Georgia did not sign the document on banning cassette bombs, our country was represented just as an observer,” a Human Rights Watch representative in the Caucasus said. The Georgian Ministry of Defence has not made any official or informal comment on why Georgia has not signed this document.
Sokhumi will greet New Year with new Russian Embassy
Sakartvelos Respublika writes that the Russian Embassy in Abkhazia will start working by the beginning of 2009. De facto Foreign Minister Sergey Shamba told journalists this, adding that:
“There are negotiations going on with the Russian Defence Ministry about allocating part of the sanatorium in Sokhumi for use as the temporary Embassy. Building a new Embassy will start in the new year,” Shamba said.
The Sokhumi sanatorium was once a base of CIS peacekeepers.
It is difficult to find Ministers in Georgia
According to Lasha Bakradze it is becoming more and more difficult to find Ministers in Georgia, Sakartvelos Respublika writes. He says that this is demonstrated by the decision to appoint Nika Rurua, former Deputy Head of the Parliamentary Defence Committee, as Culture Minister.
“Unfortunately, the Government does not have suitable staff any more and each change in the Cabinet is a reshuffling of a narrow circle of the same people. This kind of change is not beneficial for the Government,” Bakradze says.
Rezonansi reports that Ombudsman Sozar Subari may join the new alliance of New Rights and Republicans when he leaves his post. The alliance says it may also cooperate with Nino Burjanadze if she gives up her Presidential ambitions.
Republican Levan Berdzenishvili says that they have not had consultations with Subari so far. “But Subari should be in our coalition I think, although it is up to him whether he joins us,” Berdzenishvili said. “During the formation of our coalition we will have negotiations with various political forces and individual politicians. This coalition will present itself with a certain structure and a leader who will be able to unite democratic forces in the near future in order to change the government,” Republican leader Davit Usupashvili said.
On Friday Subari will read a special report ton Parliament, in the capacity of Human Rights defender, where he will give the names of those people who ordered the crackdown on peaceful demonstrators on November 7 last year.
Georgia does not agree to ban cassette bombs
On December 3 a conference was held in the Norwegian capital Oslo which discussed banning cassette bombs, Rezonansi writes. Of the 125 states participating, 93 have agreed to a ban, including 18 NATO member states.
“There were some Georgian representatives at this conference, but according to their information Georgia did not sign the document on banning cassette bombs, our country was represented just as an observer,” a Human Rights Watch representative in the Caucasus said. The Georgian Ministry of Defence has not made any official or informal comment on why Georgia has not signed this document.
Sokhumi will greet New Year with new Russian Embassy
Sakartvelos Respublika writes that the Russian Embassy in Abkhazia will start working by the beginning of 2009. De facto Foreign Minister Sergey Shamba told journalists this, adding that:
“There are negotiations going on with the Russian Defence Ministry about allocating part of the sanatorium in Sokhumi for use as the temporary Embassy. Building a new Embassy will start in the new year,” Shamba said.
The Sokhumi sanatorium was once a base of CIS peacekeepers.
It is difficult to find Ministers in Georgia
According to Lasha Bakradze it is becoming more and more difficult to find Ministers in Georgia, Sakartvelos Respublika writes. He says that this is demonstrated by the decision to appoint Nika Rurua, former Deputy Head of the Parliamentary Defence Committee, as Culture Minister.
“Unfortunately, the Government does not have suitable staff any more and each change in the Cabinet is a reshuffling of a narrow circle of the same people. This kind of change is not beneficial for the Government,” Bakradze says.